#Survive! (1976) existed first

[einaudis]

Never thought I'd become one of those people who have discussions on the comments section of a video. But I realized it annoys me to no end that people call "Society of the Snow" a "remake" of "Alive".

Bayona didn't spend ten years fighting to make a movie no one was interested in, BECAUSE it wasn't going to be in English + because it wasn't going to require any non English speaking actors, for you to insult him by calling it a "remake" of a movie, even the survivors don't fully approve of.

[hazel-of-sodor]

This is going around on twitter so let's try it here

Feel free to send an ask if you want an elaboration on any of these.

1. Thomas/Cassandra as a J72 is long established lore. But something never said is the fact they dont know what they are until the preservation era. As far as Thomas/Cassandra knew, they were an LBSCR E2.

2. British Railways had a secret program from the 60s to the early 80s where they would allow groups to buy engines for preservation, but only if they agreed to keep the engine's survival secret. This was to make the engines/classes seem rarer than they were and driver up their price.

3. Blue Peter was originally male, but after the 1994 Durham wheelship accident and the emergency repairs carried out at Crovan's Gate, Blue Peter reawoke as female.

4. The world is a little bit larger in the AU, with more passengers and freight. This means more members of existing classes like the LNER Raven A2 and Gresley P1, and some classes that weren't built in ours like the GWR Cathedrals and Stone Circle Class.

5. Preservation is a larger movement, due to the engines being alive. There are more preservation railways, and those that exist in our world are better funded, and often larger.

6. It is now possible to circle the island by rail, via the Mantauo line which runs North from Vicarstown to Mantauo, and the Little Western, which extends North from Harwich to Mantauo.

7. Both Stanley and Smudger exist. Smudger, offically named Jennings, was the original No.2 of the Mid-Sodor Railway. She was eventaully sold to the Cronk and Harwick, with Stanley being bought to replace her.

8. Yes Nicole and Samantha are together, and adopted Claire

9. Many 'extinct' classes of British Locomotive have surviving members in other countries. Most commonly in the Americas and Asia, but British Railways refugees can be found in most countries.

10. Flying Scotsman has been part owned by the NWR since the American Tour, which they funded the latter half of in turn for majority ownership. Alan Peglar readily agreed, as it meant Scotsman was secured no matter what happened to him. In the present day the other portion is owned by the NRM.

11. With the greater interest in preservation and the existence of Crovan's Gate, many new builds were finished earlier. For example Lady of Legend was completed in 1975. Tornado is notable in the Au for being the first standard gauge steam engine built entirely on mainland Britain since Evening Star, as all the others had Crovan's Gate built components.

12. With the extension to Mantauo, the "Little" Western is a full fledged mainline, sporting many GWR Locomotives including Castles, Stars, and Cathedrals. Despite this, all agree Duck is still the head of the line.

13. Thomas/Cassandra and Duck dated during the Summer of 1976 while the No.1 was on the Little Western due to storm damage on the Ffarquhar Branch. It ended amicably, although no one but the two of them is certain whether it was due to the pair not working out or Thomas/Cassandra returning to her Branch Line.

14. While LNER P2s were transferred to Sodor during the war, and remained on the island afterwards, they were rebuilt in a manner similar to Gordon and so are considered P2/1s by Railfans. The 2007 Prince of Wales new build is intended to bring back the Gresley condition design, and the P2/1s are all excited to meet their new sister (they all insist it will be a girl, and engines are almost always right about such things).

15. The LNER U1 Typhoon and Big Emma (Big Bertha) work together on the Mantauo line and are shedmates...They're also girlfriends.

16. There were plans to rebuild Henry into a Hudson before the Flying Kipper accident, but the damage he stained was great enough Hatt used a favor Stanier owed him to have Crewe repair and rebuild Henry. As his trailing axle had been destroyed in the accident, Stanier had him rebuilt as a Black 5

17. The Sodor engines take great offense to the "Two Henry's Theory" and more than one pushy railfan has got blasted with a face full of steam over it.

18. Nancy Rushen is now the Thin Controller of the Skarloey Railway.

19. The NWR fleet list is over 100 hundred engines long, despite only containing engines that have appeared in either stories or art.

20. Midlothian is safe and sound on Sodor, although she refuses to set one wheel on the mainland.

21. U.S.S. Enteprise CV-6 is in service with the US Coast Guard as a Helicopter Carrier.

22. LNER 10000 "Hush Hush" does survive, but in her rebuilt form and her name is British Enterprise.

23. All the of the engines from the Fifteen Guinea Special survive, as 44781 Excelsior was saved by the Sodor Railway Musuem when the original preservation attempt fell through.

24. Excelsior joined her sister 45318 Intrepid, who the museum had already preserved, as she had pulled the last regular timetabled steam hauled service on British Railways.

25. HMS Hood survives the Second World War, and remains in service until after the Falklands War. She is now a museum ship.

26. All three Olympic Class would survive to enter Sodor Star Line Service in 1935 (Titanic having forced herself into a turn a second earlier), sold off by White Star Line as a final act of Defiance in the face of their impending forced merger with Cunard.

27. When the American Ocean Liner SS Moro Castle caught fire in September 1934, a White Star Liner recieved her distress calls and came to her aid. R.M.S. Titanic had been leaving New York Harbor when the sos was recieved and immedaitly turned to assist. Her crew helped the Moro Castle's contain the blaze and evacuate the passengers, before towing the stricken vessel to safe harbor.

28. America has had locomotive and sentient machine rights on paper since the 1890s, but it only truly came into effect following the first world war.

29. After the second World War ended up aligning themselves with either the USA or USSR. The USSR, like the USA also had rights for sentient machines. Never content to let the other take the lead in anything, the two superpowers pushed for their allies to take similar measures, leading to most nations steam fleets being protected by the time they were economically capable of replacing them.

30. The exception for Sentient machine rights is Great Britain. Even by the 2020s, the British Government doesn't recognize sentient machines as anything more than beasts of burden, if even that. This has led to political tension between Britain and both the USA and USSR.

31. As a result of the larger world/passenger numbers, the White Star Line planned a fourth Olympic Class. Tentatively named R.M.S. Gigantic, the hull was still early in construction when WW1 broke out. The Royal Navy claimed the unfinished hull, planning to finish the ship as a troop ship, but Germany caught wind of the project, and the unfinished hull was bombed on the slipway by a German Zeppelin. The hull was a total loss, and the White Star Line cancelled the project. After the war, the Line would eventually receive the newly completed S.S. Bismark as war reparations in 1922, renaming her R.M.S. Majestic.

32. As the Titanic Disaster never unfolded, with the liner instead surviving her maiden voyage, J Bruce Ismay would remain the managing director of the White Star Line until its merger with Cunard in 1935.

33. In the United States, roads never took over like they did in our timeline. The Railroads pushed for cars to have the same rights as their engines. While seemingly benigh, this place cars outside the budget of all but the rich. Roads certainly still exist, but are primarily for emergency services and for transporting freight in areas where railroads are impractical for one reason or another.

34. Since R.M.S. Titanic survived, why did the rules and regulations following the disastestill occur. Two reasons, 1. I play by the rule of the elastic timeline. While Context may change, most global events (or at the very least their consequences) still play out. 2. The Liners went on strike. Quite simply it was thie lives and passengers on the line. Unlike Humans, you can't just replace a ocean liner when they Strike. The fact the White Star Liner immediatly announced refits for Titanic and Olympic further forced the shipping companies to fall in line.

35. Sailing ships are often senient, although it takes longer for them to Awaken than those with engines.

36. As computer systems were installed in locomotives, it was found the engines were pefectly capable on instinctually interfacing with them, allowing engines to eventually access the internet, and games.

37. Engines are capable of consuming human food, although wether they like to varys engine to engine. No one is quite sure where the food consumed food and drink go.

38. While the original 26 books of the railway series are based on actuall events on the NWR, they have often been tweaked to better works in their role as children's books

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Ok. .bc it came up recently in an ask of mine. Is there a Klaine/Jane Eyre crossover fic anywhere?

If not, could you recommend your favorite historical AU fics? Now I'm in a mood to read some!☺️

Hello! I've done searched for Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte and even Mr Rochester with Klaine, but nothing is coming up at all for those! Maybe you need to write it?! ~Jen

The historical trope is a big favorite of mine. There's quite a few in 1960's-1980's

Can’t take my eyes off you by @gleekto

1969 Klaine AU.

Blaine is a gay. He’s known for years and he’s not ashamed. He just wants to be sensible about it as it carries a lot of risks. So he chooses to study Arts at one of the best colleges in the country - Columbia - that makes his parents happy. And it also happens to have the first college sanctioned gay group in the country - the Student Homophile League - for people like him. And that makes him happy. He hopes. He just has to muster up the courage to actually go to one of the League meetings. Instead he wastes his time staring at that icy hippie in his music history class who doesn’t know he exists. He needs to stop pretending people are gay in his head and actually meet some real homosexuals.

Blaine coming of age in 1969. Hippie!Kurt. Elliott and Sebastian as Blaine’s mentor-friends. Unironic use of ‘groovy’. Coming out and fitting in and falling in love.

~~~~~

Come Alive by delires

Newly-wed junior advertising exec Blaine Anderson finds a missing piece to his puzzle in the back room of a Manhattan bar. Mad Men era AU.

~~~~~

To Be Myself by @wowbright

What if Kurt had been born 25 years earlier? A story about Gen X Kurt Hummel learning about love and, most importantly, learning to be himself, 1976-1985.

~~~~~

Indiscretions by shandyall

As childhood best friends in the 40’s and secret high school sweethearts in the 50’s, Kurt and Blaine never would have guessed they’d both end up married to women in the 60’s. But even when the world they live in keeps them from walking hand in hand, there’s nothing they can’t face side by side.

~~~~~

Gimme Shelter by Kurtswish

On a joyride out with friends, Blaine stumbles upon a man that would change his life forever. It is a time when changes are coming swiftly with Civil Rights laws and Vietnam on the forefront of everyone’s minds. Finding each other and romance should have been the hard part, but what will two young men endure in the time of free love and war. Story is complete.

And also, before those eras, two highly recommended by fandom:

Westerville Abbey by @hkvoyage

Blaine is the second son of the earl of Westerville, and is considered the spare heir. After his 18th birthday, he attends the London Season to fulfill his duty of finding a wife. He soon realizes he is more attracted to the new footman. Kurt, who has just arrived at Westerville Abbey to work alongside his father, becomes equally as smitten with the earl’s youngest son. Will Blaine and Kurt be able to overcome their class differences in 1910s England? Will their forbidden love survive WW1? A Downton Abbey inspired historical Klaine AU.

and also part 2 Life in the Big Apple

~~~~~

Gilded Cage by canarian

In the winter of 1895, Blaine Anderson, the son of a wealthy doctor, and Kurt Hummel, the son of a middle class mechanic, cross paths at a luxury hotel in the quiet seaside town of St. Augustine, Florida. With everyone and everything working to keep them apart, can they find a way to be together?

and of course, this one:

Known as Cavemen klaine by IconicAnon

Kurt and Blaine are cavemen discovering buttsex for the first time

Enjoy!!!

[five-nights-at-fujisakis]

Alright, I’ve been looking through everything regarding Fazbear Entertainment all night. Going online, looking through old tabloids, internet forums. Some of it’s speculation, but some of it has been proven. From what I can tell, Fazbear’s had a very rocky existence basically its whole life. I’d even say the company’s cursed. If this needs more explaining / is written badly, it’s probably because I’m working off of a power nap, three cups of coffee, and a dream. Way back in 1976, Fredbear’s Family Diner, a local pizza place, is opened by Henry Emily and William Afton. Barely seven years later, in 1983, the first of what I can gather to be EIGHT SEPARATE DEATHS OCCUR. From the witness reports of the event, William Afton’s youngest son is placed into Fredbear’s mouth as a practical joke, and the animatronic’s unique design caused it to bite down on the kid’s head so hard that his frontal lobe was severed from his body. The place immediately shuts down, and a new location is opened nearby. Two years later, in 1985, five children go missing there, and online consensus seems to be that the killer had hidden the bodies inside of the animatronics, as news stories at the time referenced the mascots, saying that they “smelled like death” and “appeared to be leaking some kind of mucus”. Not even two months later, Henry Emily’s only child goes missing, having last been seen within a block of the building. Get this; The lead suspect in the missing childrens’ incident was William Afton himself. There was never any concrete proof that he did it, so he was never convicted, but one witness account stated that they had spoken to William prior to the incident, and had seen a man in the spring-lock hybrid suit for Spring-Bonnie, who the witness believed was William, who they recognised by voice. Another witness stated they had seen the man in the costume lead a group of children into an employees-only area. Either way, the second location closes, and Fazbear Entertainment sets up yet another establishment in the area. It featured a new lineup of animatronics that leaked documents from the location labeled the “Toy” line. The new ones had this wildly advanced technology that was capable of scanning faces to match them to a criminal database. In 1987, one of the scanners must have broken, because one of the toy line, and I couldn’t figure out which, attacked one of the day guards of the establishment and caused yet another injury where someone lost their frontal lobe. The guy survived, somehow, but has been catatonic ever since. The third location shuts down, and Afton, having been fired from Fazbear Entertainment, opens a competitor location called Circus Baby’s Pizza World. The location shut down on opening day because Afton’s daughter went missing that day. And then Afton goes missing, too. 1989, he disappears without a trace. No one knows where he went, either. About thirty years later, 2022, a group of people decide to capitalize on all the rumors and disappearances, and Fazbear’s Fright opens up. You probably heard about it, it was all over the news. Burned down right before it opened up to the public. Michael Afton, the last of William’s three children, went missing last month. The entire Afton family is just gone. Even stranger, I can find practically no information on the location you’re working at. There’s a couple articles about opening day, but that’s it. There’s a lot of other less important information that I found while digging all of this up, if you want to hear about it. And take this with a grain of salt, I had to use the tabloids to find some of this information. By the way, while I was researching all of this, I stumbled across some reports of a shadowy figure stalking around the area. Currently, it’s unclear whether or not it’s a person or a wild animal, but it’s been seen a couple times around what I'm pretty sure is within a few blocks of your establishment. Stay safe out there.

...oh.

oh nononononononononono

why does this always happen to me? first the hope's peak incident, then the whole thing with the japanese government, and now the one place that's willing to hire me is CURSED???

why is my life like this.

i can't quit. i'm only three days in, i can't quit. i need this job so badly. and if i quit someone else could take the job and possibly die. i can't quit.

i think i'm going to go cry for an hour before getting ready for my shift tonight.

thanks for telling me all this, though. i think it's better for me to know about it than not know about it. i wonder if any of my coworkers know about any of this. i haven't seen anyone on the day crew other than my boss, maybe i should reach out to someone and see if they've noticed any weird behavior during the day or something.

maybe i'll also reach out to some old school friends of mine. see if they have any ideas for this.

[dptms]

REMEMBERING LUCIUS MALFOY : THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE DARK LORD ! 

LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY, 48, has unexpectedly died. born january 9th, 1976 in wiltshire county, mr malfoy was the only son of the late ( and deeply controversial, due to his alleged inolvement in the plot that forced first muggleborn minister of magic nobby leach out of office ) abraxas & euphemia malfoy née fawley. a lover of magicl beasts, he was an avid quidditch player in his youth and was, for a brief period of time, a member of the hogwarts board of governors - a position he was forced to vacate in the years immediately following the opening of the chamber of secrets, largely due to the suspicion surrounding him in relation to it. continuing a long & proud familial line of slytherin students, he graduated from hogwarts school of witchcraft & wizardry in 1993 and, following the deaths of his parents in the dragonpox epidemic of 1995, soon became head of the family empire. he married narcissa celaeno black in early 1994, and the two welcomed their beloved and only son, draco lucius malfoy, in the summer of 1996. both survive him. lucius malfoy was a well known & highly influential public figure within the wixen community for many years until his long rumored association with he-who-must-not-be-named was confirmed with his 2012 arrest. his first release from azkaban was orchestrated in the early days of the death eater regime, though his movements throughout the second war are ill documented. apprehended once again in the aftermath of the battle of hogwarts, it's largely accepted that his acceptance of a plea deal and immediate return to azkaban spared his wife & son the same fate. he was once again released in late 2020, and had spent the past number of years enjoying the charmed and comfortable existence that many of those affected by the first and second wars have expressed open disdain for, though you'll have to flip through to page 10 to read our in depth article on lucius malfoy, 'war criminal'! a traditional burial is scheduled for 4pm, monday the 6th of may at the malfoy family estate, wiltshire, with a reception to follow in the same location. in lieu of flowers, mr malfoy's surviving family have requested that donations be made to a charity of your choosing.

[blueiight]

I don't think any of your other anons have mentioned this yet but if they have correct me! But a really key difference between book and show Lestat is his age not just in pure number [150 vs 30 something when he first meets Louis] but the age when he was turned [~35 vs 21]. Cause show Lestat even as human would've already sown his oats, lived it up and is basically middle aged for 18th century France life expectency before he's even turned. Then on top of that, he's spends another 100 years or so fucking around, going on adventures, trying to find a companion, having failed relationships, dirt napping before he finally meets Louis. Book Lestat's life was very much cut short due to his youth when turned, he goes from a bad relationship with Nicki to a bad relationship with Louis and then spends many decades barely alive and napping. Show Lestat at 35 should've been settled down, married with kids already during his time? [whether he actually did that or not is irrelevant, that's what was normal for men of his age]. Like I think that's why show Lestat is so much more of a patriarch in the show?

I don't know what else they plan to do with this change in the show but its one of the most fundamental changes to his character I'd say!

before i go along id like to correct the rl perception of life expectancy u have. a lot of ppl (not just u!) conflate ‘average life expectancy’ with a vague notion of the ‘average adult life span’. what life expectancies account for is the societal underpinnings in health namely the sheer numbers of maternal, infant and young child mortality due to the sheer risk of pregnancy alone& infectious diseases prior to the advent of germ theory, clean water systems & the widespread use of vaccination/s. chances are, if u lived past the age of say 5-10 and/or survived ur pregnancy, u already beat a number of odds & could very well live to old age [certainly the numbers of ‘respect ur elders’ hierarchies in cultures worldwide support this. but i get ur point& im being the pedantic ass i complain about. adolescence did not exist in les time as we know it so hed be considered a man in his teens-early 20s, and in fact in most of human history ppl got married 20s& above so if book les didnt get hitched idt show les necessarily had to neither? esp cuz hes still the younger of sons.]

i agree! i do think og iwtv lestat was a force of nature & a manic figure, but he was certainly more pitiful than his amc counterpart [in no significant part due to 1976 iwtv lewis narration] and being aged up certainly can play a role into how much of a firmer authority figure he is in this version of the show so soon. i think this change is fascinating, and imo draws both from iwtv/tvl as well as subsequent [consistent beats of, an exploration of] characterization of lestat as the pinnacle of vampirism, the brat vampire prince lording over in later works of the chronicles. hes not only stronger in a patriarchal sense but also in the literal sense of what hes capable of doing as a vampire. much to think of! louis also being an older man [33-34 as opposed to his early 20s] when turned also has sweeping implications for his character, and performatively equalizes their dynamic in the eyes of the viewer. & louis himself in s1 selectively likens himself to both lestat’s equal, yet u have the ‘lover, murderer, maker’ line being repeated & louis saying ‘could the children murder the father?’, likening himself to claudia in that they are both lestat’s children & claudia in the rue royale timeline compares louis to a pitiful housewife or something like that .. not to mention this👇🏾

[i feel like ive talked about this scene ten times. from claudia being the exact age/close to the age louis himself was here when he was turned, to lestat denying claudia her adulthood , louis selectively playing up her adulthood, and claudia attempting to neutralize this family dynamic & claim her own sense of maturation by making all of them siblings… levan akin ur everything to me 😵‍💫🫣]

i do wonder how nickistat will be adapted for s3 with these age shifts in mind, and what implications that holds for nicki , armand & co.. hell, even gabi. especially gabrielle. [also i time traveled & spayed les he will not have no babies on lou]

[theprogrockbstheorist]

BS Analysis no. 3: "Karn Evil 9", "2112', and Their Relevance to AI Technology

This is gonna be a long one. Why? It's two essay ideas rolled into one: I'm making a comparison of the plots of these two prog epics, and also analyzing how their messages are both relevant to the modern world, especially with the advent of AI. So, I’ve covered Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s (ELP) other famous epic, “Tarkus”, on my blog before (link here), and I’ve covered “2112” before by sharing my fan theory (link here). So, this should be somewhat familiar territory for anyone reading this, but I’ll be doing a recap of both bands and the plots of both works. “Karn Evil 9” was released on ELP’s fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery, in November 1973. The song is a Level Two Epic (as is “2112”) (explanation link here), as it overviews a world in the future, ruined by technology, in three impressions. These impressions offer some insight into this world, each from a different perspective. Due to the limitations of vinyl records, the first impression is divided into two parts. Part One of the 1st Impression gives an overview of the state of humanity in this world: suffering and lacking compassion. It also starts the overview of the actual “karn evil” (carnival, get it?), which goes over several odd exhibits: bishops’ heads in jars, a stripper, and Jesus in a hat. In the second part of the 1st impression, the show continues with a “real blade of grass”, a “performance on guillotine”, “seven virgins and a mule” (not touching that one!), and a rag-time band. This “show” helps to highlight the things that are considered wonders in this future: pain as entertainment, and things like nature and religion are considered so odd that they are included in this carnival sideshow. The story shifts in the 3rd Impression, which details the struggles of a rebellion against some sort of artificial intelligence. This rebellion was hinted at in the opening lyrics of Part One of the 1st Impression. The rebellion scene includes a direct confrontation with a computer, ending with the computer ominously saying: “I’m perfect, not you.” The critique of technology is paramount in the story and helps to drive the main conflict between humanity and the technology it created.  “2112”, on the other hand, is a little less directly about technology. Rush’s 1976 Level Two Epic (link) describes a person finding a guitar in a cave in a world where the average citizen is forbidden from making their own art. All art and media are regulated by the autocratic Priests of Syrinx, and when this person presents their guitar to these Priests, it is destroyed. The anonymous hero then wanders home, dreaming of a world in which people can create freely. They wake up from this dream, deeply depressed and now unable to find satisfaction in their existence, and then the ending is left ambiguous. On the surface, this has little to do with technology, other than taking place in the future. However, a few lines in the music and the liner notes hint at a greater role for technology: in the section “The Temples of Syrinx”, these lines are sung, “Our great computers/Fill our hallowed halls.” These “great computers” are located in the Temples of Syrinx, and it is implied that the Priests utilize them to run the world of “2112”, by saying: “All the gifts of life/are held within our walls”. This is also confirmed by the liner notes: “…to think that every single facet of life is regulated and direct from within! Our books, our music, our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent wisdom of the Priests…”. The fact that these “great computers” lie within the “hallowed halls” of a Temple, and are looked after by Priests suggests that the world of “2112” worships technology, and relies on it for its continued survival.

Both of these works suggest the concept of technology replacing the role of governing bodies and the consequences of such action. In “2112”, not only do these “great computers” regulate the lives of the citizens of that world; they also provide state-sanctioned entertainment: art is monopolized by these computers and the “Priests” that oversee them. In “Karn Evil 9”, it is implied by the 3rd Impression that the computers in that world were taking over governmental roles as well, and the 1st Impression implies that the attachment to technology in that world had rendered religion and spirituality obsolete, as well desensitizing people to the suffering of others. 

Both of these works also directly deal with the commodification and regulation of art through technology. In “2112”, this is more blatant with both the lyrics and the liner notes explicitly stating that art is regulated through the Priests of Syrinx, and cannot be made by the average citizen, leading them only to consume what the Priests put out. “Karn Evil 9” is a little less direct with its approach, instead taking the lens of a carnival showcasing human misery as its main attractions, and through the confrontation with the computer at the end. By being included in the same piece, one may infer that it was, in fact, the computer running this “carnival”, and its attractions consist of the entertainment of the world of “Karn Evil 9”. 

Through this, one can immediately draw parallels to today’s controversy of the use of AI technology in art: many artists have protested against the use of AI technology (source 1),  corporations have already begun to use AI art in their campaigns (source 2), the Grammy’s have allowed music created with AI elements the opportunity to win a Grammy* (source 3), and Forbes predicts that AI can be used in the music industry to help identify common elements of hit songs (source 4).  Technology appears to be advancing towards a point in which artists may be overlooked in favor of using AI technology or using algorithms to help write music. However, it is important to note that the majority of AI present today are language-learning models, and therefore scan their databases based on input, and spit out an answer. There is no real “intelligence” to these models, therefore they cannot become the malevolent computer of “Karn Evil 9”. However, who is to say that the Priests of Syrinx of “2112” weren’t using advanced algorithms to help run their society and create propaganda (sounds like a cool avenue for a bs theory…)?

This is not to suggest that we are on a path to a world like “Karn Evil 9” or “2112”; we do not currently have the technology to be developing in such a direction that AI will be able to govern, or assist in governing significant amounts of people, as well as producing art and media for this governing power. Neither suggested is that all modern technology is harmful: advancements in the medical field specifically have led to people living longer, healthier lives. In short, this is not meant to be a fear-mongering essay. However, the overwhelming connection to modern technology, especially the Internet and the emerging field of AI, has been disconnecting people from their local communities, and perhaps making people a little more jaded and callous towards each other. Many people terminally online, especially those caught in echo chambers seem to lack compassion for each other, much like the people in the world of “Karn Evil 9”. There are also some glaring parallels between the “Priests of Syrinx” of the world of “2112”, and the worship of modern-day Silicon Valley tech billionaire moguls, with their cult-like followings (cough cough ELON MUSK cough cough). And between both of them, AI technology using algorithms could be potentially used to take power away from the artists.

One last thing that is important to note is the historical circumstances of the 1970s, and specifically what motivated these two bands to create their respective works. What made them write work that could be interpreted in this sense, and how has it maintained relevancy over the past 50 years?

“2112”, specifically, was created at a point in Rush’s career during which they were delivered an ultimatum after their last album, Caress of Steel, was a commercial failure. This song in particular was written as a giant middle finger to the music industry, doubling down on their morals: the record company wanted an album with shorter, more commercial songs, and instead they got a 20-minute, side-long, science fiction epic about music censorship. Certainly, the main theme in “2112” is not necessarily about technology, Rush were quite fond of using synthesizers later in their career, but more about the censorship and regulation of art. Surely, the modern AI debate is also not about the technology itself, but rather how it is used: censoring the humanity from art. It is about the suppression of creativity, a trait that can only be possessed by intelligent creatures. It is this theme that makes it applicable to society nearly 50 years later. In “2112”, the suppression of art made by humans was to spread propaganda and to control the population, in modern society, it could be more about making a marginal profit for businesses. 

“Karn Evil 9”, however, was more inspired by the rapidly changing technology of the 1970s, much of which Emerson, Lake, and Palmer helped to popularize in music, like monophonic and later polyphonic synthesizers and electric percussion. It is therefore more change that lies at the heart of “Karn Evil 9”: it is a rebellion against technology that drives the plot forward, and brings it to its ambiguous conclusion, with the computer stating that it is the perfect being, not the human. Does the computer ultimately win? Does anything at all change in “Karn Evil 9”? Both of these questions remain applicable to modern society as well, as society is still rapidly undergoing changes in technology. It ironically change that has given “Karn Evil 9” its staying power. 

Both of these works have remained relevant because the issues expressed in them have remained so: censorship and regulation of art has been an issue for centuries and has entered a new debate with the advent of AI technology. And, of course, what has been more stable in life than constant change, especially the relationship between humanity and technology? These are broad themes that can be applied to the debate of AI in art, landing squarely on the side of “art is for people to make”, however can be applied to many aspects of life.

*Although it is important to note that the AI is incapable of winning a Grammy, and a song made only with AI is not eligible

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: National Library Workers Day

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

During the Great Depression, Addie Cowherd dreams of being a novelist and offering readers the escape that books gave her during her tragic childhood. When her adoptive father loses his job, she is forced to leave college and take the only employment she can find--delivering books on horseback to poor coal mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

The small community of Boone's Hollow is suspicious of outsiders and steeped in superstitions that leave Addie feeling rejected and indignant. Although she finds an unexpected friend in an elderly outcast, the other horseback librarians scorn her determination to befriend Nanny Fay.

Emmett Tharp grew up in the tiny mountain hamlet where most men either work in the coal mine or run moonshine. He's the first in the community to earn a college degree, and he has big dreams, but witnesses the Depression robbing many young men of their future.

Then someone sets out to sabotage the library program, going so far as to destroy Addie's novel in progress. Will the saboteur chase Addie and the other librarians away, or will knowledge emerge victorious over prejudice? Is Emmett the local ally that Addie needs--and might their friendship lead to something more?

This is the first volume in “The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow” series.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong

Two women. One secret. A truth worth fighting for.

1918. Timid and shy Emmaline Balakin lives more in books than her own life. That is, until an envelope crosses her desk at the Dead Letter Office bearing a name from her past, and Emmaline decides to finally embark on an adventure of her own--as a volunteer librarian on the frontlines in France. But when a romance blooms as she secretly participates in a book club for censored books, Emmaline will need to find more courage within herself than she ever thought possible in order to survive.

1976. Kathleen Carre is eager to prove to herself and to her nana that she deserves her acceptance into the first coed class at the United States Naval Academy. But not everyone wants female midshipmen at the Academy, and after tragedy strikes close to home, Kathleen becomes a target. To protect herself, Kathleen must learn to trust others even as she discovers a secret that could be her undoing.

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.

[vampyrebond]

since i'm redoing my tags anyway, let's establish some verses (NOT SPOILER FREE)

a note - if we're plotting a ship and you write a non TVC character, it'll probably exist somewhere in its own version of modern and will get its own tag! these are my canon/canon adjacent and established au verses

a second note - if lestat is mentioned it is @complicitsacrilege-rp. nick and i have just gone too hard over the last few months.

( v. executor in charge. )

pre 1910

anything that takes place before louis meets lestat. he is a creole, closeted black man. he is able to be a child as a child, with two present parents. despite being the grandchild of ex slaves, his grandfather took over the sugar plantation in the reconstruction period, therefore establishing the du lac wealth. just after louis' 28th birthday, his father drank himself to death and left louis as the executor in charge of the family's fortune. to keep their family afloat, louis opens multiple brothels in storyville.

( v. is my very nature that of the devil? )

1910-1939

takes place in new orleans from the moment lestat de lioncourt arrives in new orleans, until louis and claudia leave for europe. note: while most canon events do take place in one way or another, louis suffers from unreliable narrator syndrome. whether on purpose or not, his memory can't be trusted. because of this, moments will absolutely come up when writing in this time frame that look different to what we saw on tv.

( v. théâtre des vampires. )

1939-1945

claudia and louis arrive in europe in 1939. they explore for a few years, feeding off the lost souls of world war two. they are tortured yet again by lestat, this time burning him down with the home they purchased. they end up in paris, and louis turns a woman named madeline to make another companion for claudia. they meet a vampire who belongs to the théâtre des vampires. they are brought the theatre, and meet the vampire armand and the rest of the coven. there is an immediate connection between armand and louis, so strong that it is only louis who will eventually leave the underground theatre. armand has claudia (and madeline) killed, and louis burns down the building with all of the other vampires in it in retaliation. much like the rest of his story, louis and the walking red flag he's falling for run off together.

( v. i'm sleeping with a ghost. ) - most undecided threads take place here.

1945-2022

armand and louis travel all over the world together. they fall in love. it wasn't love at first sight. it was a love that blossomed from shared trauma and understanding. and it was REALLY good for a long time. in the 70s they end up in san francisco. in 1976 the first interview takes place. that's the beginning of the end for armand and louis, not because daniel comes between them ( no one ships devil's minion more than louis tbh ) but because louis' memory would always be their downfall one day. they end up in dubai during the pandemic, and settle in a penthouse. in 2022 they invite daniel to dubai to conduct the second interview. this interview is more of a suicide note for louis than anything else. if the book got published, there's no way he'd survive it.

( v. the prince's companion. )

ship exclusive: @complicitsacrilege-rp's lestat

the book is in fact not published, but louis and armand part ways. louis finds lestat who had been in the ground since the fire. the events of queen on the damned on CAN take place here, but not all will. as i read i'll let you know what we keep. the endgame here is lestat and louis back together in modern times.

( v. professor du lac. )

after the first interview, louis realizes he wants more with his life and enrolls in university. he works his way through school, eventually getting a phd in american creole history. he teaches french and american history classes at the university he gets a job at. all night classes of course.

( v. true blood. )

louis, as a human in modern times, owns the azalea -- a vampire bar in the quarter. there's a reason most vampire bars are owned by vampires, but louis can more than hold his own. he has a daughter, claudia, who was the daughter of one of the girls at the club who was killed by a vampire ( louis swiftly cut the head off that vampire in retaliation ). lestat, having been the reason for vampires becoming public, lives under the radar until he shows up at the azalea one day.

alternate w/o shipping with lestat - louis is a vampire who owns the vampire bar the azalea in the quarter with claudia as his companion.

( v. the witcher. )

louis is a higher vampire who lives in novigraad with claudia. he is trying to keep a low profile and earn a living by owning a brothel in town.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.19 (after 1940)

1940 – World War II: Battle of Cape Spada: The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties. 1940 – Field Marshal Ceremony: First occasion in World War II that Adolf Hitler appoints field marshals due to military achievements. 1940 – World War II: Army order 112 forms the Intelligence Corps of the British Army. 1942 – World War II: The Second Happy Time of Hitler's submarines comes to an end, as the increasingly effective American convoy system compels them to return to the central Atlantic. 1943 – World War II: Rome is heavily bombed by more than 500 Allied aircraft, inflicting thousands of casualties. 1947 – Prime Minister of the shadow Burmese government, Bogyoke Aung San and eight others are assassinated. 1947 – Korean politician Lyuh Woon-hyung is assassinated. 1952 – Opening of the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 1957 – The largely autobiographical novel The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold by Evelyn Waugh was published. 1961 – Tunisia imposes a blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte; the French would capture the entire town four days later. 1963 – Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 meters (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention. 1964 – Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Khánh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam. 1967 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 and a twin-engine Cessna 310 collided over Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to Robert McNamara. 1969 – Chappaquiddick incident: U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy crashes his car into a tidal pond at Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. 1972 – Dhofar Rebellion: British SAS units help the Omani government against Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman rebels in the Battle of Mirbat. 1976 – Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created. 1977 – The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal was transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2) and received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 12:41 a.m. Eastern time (ET). 1979 – The Sandinista rebels overthrow the government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua. 1979 – The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill. 1980 – Opening of the Summer Olympics in Moscow. 1981 – In a private meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, French President François Mitterrand reveals the existence of the Farewell Dossier, a collection of documents showing the Soviet Union had been stealing American technological research and development. 1982 – In one of the first militant attacks by Hezbollah, David S. Dodge, president of the American University of Beirut, is kidnapped. 1983 – The first three-dimensional reconstruction of a human head in a CT is published. 1985 – The Val di Stava dam collapses killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy. 1989 – United Airlines Flight 232 crashes in Sioux City, Iowa killing 111. 1992 – A car bomb kills Judge Paolo Borsellino and five members of his escort. 1997 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army resumes a ceasefire to end their 25-year paramilitary campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland. 2011 – Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry. 2012 – Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the city of Kobanî without resistance, starting the Rojava conflict in Northeast Syria. 2014 – Gunmen in Egypt's western desert province of New Valley Governorate attack a military checkpoint, killing at least 21 soldiers. Egypt reportedly declares a state of emergency on its border with Sudan.

[ina-shumelim]

The cruel fate of Lamassāni

I recently stumbled across the following "adoption" contract from Bronze Age Nuzi, a city near the Tigris river in modern day Iraq. Today, it is in the British Museum. It was edited by Gerfrid Müller in Londoner Nuzi Texte (1998; text no. 18) and my translation of the original Babylonian here follows his:

Contract of Zige, son of Lā-qēpu: He has entered a contract regarding his daughter Lamassāni. Into adoption and daughter-in-law-ship he has given her to Teġiptilla, the son of Puġišenni, and Teġiptilla has taken her for all of his slaves for marriage. If his first slave dies, he will give her to his second slave for marriage. If his second slave dies, he will give her to his third slave. If his third slave dies, he will give her to his fourth slave. If his fourth slave dies, he will give her to his fifth slave for marriage. As long as Lamassāni is alive, she shall not leave the house of Teġiptilla. When Lamassāni dies, the entire property of Lamassāni's shall belong to Teġiptilla. Teġiptilla has given 40 shekels of silver to Zige as her bride price; the silver has been paid. Should Zige renege, he will pay 2 minas of gold to Teġiptilla. (Followed by a list of witnesses and sealings)

In short, Teġiptilla bought Lamassāni off her father Zige in order to marry her to as many of his slaves as she survives. Any children born from these marriages will be his slaves.

Roughly half a dozen more of these contracts from Nuzi contain similar clauses regarding remarriage, as collected by Jeannette Fincke (Adoption of Women at Nuzi, 2012), many of these featuring Teġiptilla adopting yet another girl to marry to his slaves. It should be noted here, that at least up until the 70s, the archive of Teġiptilla and his family was the largest archive of textual records excavated in Ancient West Asia, speaking to the tremendous influence of the family (Maidman, The Teḫip-tilla Family of Nuzi, 1976).

What particularly shocked me upon reading this text was how thoroughly Teġiptilla pervaded Lamassāni's entire existence. And I know, selling a human, even under the guise of adoption and marriage, is horrible by itself. But seeing her life spelled out up to her fifth marriage showed the disregard for her personhood in a manner so clear as I seldom perceive it. "As long as Lamassāni is alive" being followed by "when Lamassāni dies" adds to this feeling of hopelessness. Anyway, fuck Teġiptilla, and I hope that despite all, Lamassāni found some sort of happiness in her life.

[spoldhamauthor]

The ‘Wolf’ in ‘Sleep, Think, Die:’ My Response to a Reviewer’s Question.

After reading Book One in the Mindless Trilogy (thank you to the reader) someone commented in their review that wolves are not native to the UK. This is an excerpt from the part of the story that prompted that comment:

“Who knows?” She shrugged, “Never seen one before, though God knows we’ve seen plenty of other weird things round these parts,” she and Harry exchanged a look.

“What if it’s infected?” Lavender suddenly piped up, a worried expression on her face.

“What, like zombie-infected you mean?” Glenda paused, chewing her lip thoughtfully, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen any zombie-like animals. Have you?”

Carson and Lavender both shook their heads no.

“Did it act like it was some kind of four-legged zombie before it came at you?”

This to Carson, whose response was immediate, “No way! It was very much alive, believe me, when it was standing on the bank, snarling! But what the hell is it? It looks wolf-like, but its fangs and face are something else,”

Bumper, who had sat down awkwardly to lean against the guard around the manhole cover, said, “Maybe it is the result of a wolf mating with some kind of big domestic dog, a guard dog even. When the outbreak first began, I don’t think people’s first thoughts were for their animals! There was no time. What if, sometime since then, a wolf mated with, oh I don’t know, a mastiff, or a Cane Corso or something? That would be one hell of a canine to deal with!””

As I said, the reader is absolutely right to point out that wolves are not currently wild in the UK, though of course, historically they did exist here. However, what I was trying to get at in the story, admittedly somewhat obliquely,  is that in the event of a zombie apocalypse it is very likely that animals held in captivity, such as zoos, rescue centres, sanctuaries, animal hospitals and so on, might well suffer neglect, abandonment or worse due to their keepers being turned, eaten or simply running the hell away!  If they are lucky, perhaps they would be released into the wild to survive on their own. Everyone for themselves, type of thing. One last good thing their keepers could try to do for them before turning to matters of their own survival.

I admit that I don’t go into that in depth in the story, it is only briefly implied, but I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I never imagined a reader might expect me to expand on the existence of this Wolfdog species further (Wolfdogs do exist in the UK by the way. This from the PDSA: In the UK, F1 generation Wolfdogs where one parent is a wolf are subject to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and require a licence to own. It is legal to own a Wolfdog as long as they are three generations (F3) away from the original parent wolf. )

So, the wolf-like dog that attacks Carson on the riverbank could well have been a Wolfdog that had somehow got free and was surviving alone in the apocalypse. Perhaps it was a combination of a Wolfdog with another breed, as suggested by Bumper. Or some other wolf-like breed altogether. What do you think the dog could be? What kind of breed? Where could it have come from?

I am afraid that I must let this reviewer down here and now (spoiler alert) and say that there is no further reference to wolves in the story, though wild dogs do feature later in the trilogy.

I don’t normally respond to observations in reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and honestly, I am just grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my stories and then review them, whether they like my work or not. To the reader who reviewed with the comment about the wolf, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to comment, to read the book and to address the appearance of something wolf-like in the story. I appreciate your interest and the fact that you gave my story such thought and attention. I really hope you go on to read the other two books in the trilogy and that you enjoy them. I look forward to any more observations and I am sincerely flattered that anyone took the time. Thank you.

Should anyone be interested in the potential rewilding of wolves in the UK, perhaps take a look at this link. At present, there seems to be no projects underway to rewild wolves, because “society is not ready.” Quote from Rewilding Britain’s website: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/eurasian-wolf

PDSA, The Vet Charity for Pets in Need, has some interesting advice for owning hybrid dogs and cats, including Wolfdogs, here: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/hybrid-breeds

Lastly, should you happen to love wolves and are interested in helping them or simply learning more about them, take a look at Wolf Watch UK’s website here: https://wolfwatch.uk/

Image Credit: Wolf Watch UK (as featured on their website.)

Wolf Watch UK

[amoralcrackpot]

In a shady spot under Tony's on the Pier, where the water meets the sand, the Redondo Beach Black Hole has plagued locals and tourists alike for decades. But for adventurous types, it may offer an experience unlike anything on this plane of existence.

Its discovery is credited to Melvin Yuppie in 1976, though it is also generally accepted that Melvin was simply the first known person to survive the experience. While vacationing with his secret second family, Melvin, a traveling used underwear salesman from Broken Dreams, Indiana, chased after a stray frisbee thrown by his bastard son, Gregathon. Upon contact with the diminutive, dime-sized black hole, several feet of Melvin's intestines were instantly pulled from his body, into the event horizon, and spaghettified into oblivion.

Or so it seemed.

As later experiments involving stray dogs and cats revealed, it was quite possible for living beings to survive the ordeal. But it wouldn't be until 1992 that the first manned mission into the black hole (utilizing volunteers from San Quentin State Prison) revealed the horrifying truth: those who venture within found themselves in a nightmarish Hellscape where physics and human comprehension ceased all meaning. Those of sufficient will returned fully cured of a range of ailments, from cancer to murderous bloodlust. Others were left unable to stop shrieking until their hearts exploded.

As an alternative to the armed robberies of Santa Monica Pier or the unpredictable violence of the LA Sheriff's Department, the Redondo Beach Black Hole offers an exciting experience at only a fraction of the cost.

[the-cat-chat]

January 6, 2024

Carrie (1976)

Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.

JayBell: Stephen King Month 2024 begins with a classic, Carrie. We debated about which version of Carrie we should watch and settled on this one, arguably the more well-known one.

Let's start with the things I like about this movie. I like the overall story. Abused daughter of an extremely religious mother, desperately trying to grow up in conditions that target her sense of worth and self-confidence. Carrie is a figure that you root for throughout, even as she finally breaks in the end.

The mother-daughter scenes I think stole the show. The actress who plays the mother managed to create incredible tension. Like Carrie, the audience almost holds their breath through the scenes, balancing on a wire, waiting for the mom to snap. The balance of power shifts between the two throughout the movie, each vying for control. Seeing Carrie act on her own power, without concern for her mom is both liberating and foreboding.

Now on to my grievances. First, the beginning locker room scene doesn't need to be as pervy as it is. And second, my biggest holdup with this movie is the ex "friend?" of Carrie, Sue. She constructs this big plot to have her boyfriend ask Carrie to the prom so she can have a good time or something. She goes through all this effort to "help" Carrie, even loaning out her boyfriend, and she doesn't even have a conversation with Carrie in the movie. I wanted a stronger reason for her actions. Also, has she never considered umm apologizing? Like saying I'm sorry for being an asshole? Maybe sit with her at lunch, hang out with her and make up for her action (or inaction) instead of this stupid plan.

Also, the female teacher is so hard to get a read on. Like she supports Carrie but she's also kind of abusive? I don't know. And finally, the end scene with Carrie snapping is kind of anticlimactic but I don't know if this is a limit to the special effects or something.

In the end, it's hard to compare movies like Carrie to what I like to call the heavy hitters (The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption). But I'm going to give it more props simply because of the mother-daughter dynamic.

Rating: 6/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: Im not gonna lie- even tho im jazzed for Stephen King Month 2024- I was kinda like meh?? About Carrie- like existed but its from the 70s (being a notorious hater of the 70s horror we’ve watched bc the peeps are so dumb) and a girl gets revenge on the mean girls- right?? No- within seconds it had me.

First- the gym shower deal is so weird- like was that allllll necessary- cut to Carrie showering- uhhh who showers like that- excuse me for absolutely dissociating while I try remembering if I’ve already washed my face- but I think the answer is no one- then we have our big moment- and Carrie goes ballistic- and I completely pardon her from anything she does in the remaining run time of the movie. Bc those girls were sooo annoying and rude about a period - like maybe if you were 12? And even then you deserve what Carrie would do.

- quick aside:::: uhhhhhh why’s this or teacher slapping girls left and right???

Anyways Carrie’s mom totally needs some conditioner and a couple chill pills- like for realz. And then the plot to apologize by giving your bf to Carrie as a date to prom? Also was it a rule you couldn’t go to prom without a date bc that’s kinda something. Omigaaawd and the whole time these girls are insanely annoying and twisted and I’m so glad the one with the dumb hat had horrendous bangs.

- another aside::::: questions on the creepy Jesus in “Carrie’s Closet,” why do his eyes glow? Why’s he got real hair??????

But yeah- everything is total cringe in a bad way, yet survivable? The prom especially and like I felt like I had take a drug and everything slowed down…. Bc that tooook 4ever- like the one girl Sue who comes to I guess make sure her bf and Carrie win queen and king??? To figure out the bucket is above them and evil Chris and her stoopid dog of a bf (literally a golden retriever with only half a brain) are under the stage with the rope??? And then the pe teacher uuggg so dumb. Ohh and quick question- Tommy Ross keeps kissing Carrie (like was that part of the deallll) idk it’s a lot.

But the end that’s something. And I have to say I’m not a whimp- but the jump scare got me so bad I scared my cat. So that’s gotta be worth 4 points alone.

Rating: 6/10 Cats 🐈

[themaresnest-dumblr]

Viktor Belenko

They're all dropping off this week!

On the 6th September 1976, Lieutenant Viktor Belenko of the Russian Air Force, said 'Screw you Commie bastards!' and defected.

In lieu of his last month's paycheck, he decided to fly off with his trusty Mig 25 Foxbat (see above).

The fact it was the most secret and most feared jet fighter of the time - and he was about to cause the sweet succulent granny of international incidents - as far as he was concerned wasn't going to be an issue. For him, at any rate. He hated Soviet Russia, was estranged from his wife, and his son was an asshole, so he'd nothing to lose.

What made the Foxbat so feared was its speed - Mach 3. Only the Lockheed Blackbird spy plane flew that fast - which was the point of the Foxbat's existence, although ironically there has never been a single example of a Foxbat and a Blackbird going toe to toe.

However, once an example had landed, a lot of the myths about the jet were exploded, and a few new ones thrown in. It turned out to have more in common with the British English Electric Lightning than anything more sophisticated, right down to its fully turning horizontal tail fins.

It was literally a Tonka Toy jet - big, heavy, crude, but very durable, right down to being able to be fitted with old fashioned valves rather than silicone chips, meaning it could survive the EMP pulse from a nuclear weapon.

Even its missiles - the Acrid - were a lightning fast blunt instrument that could fly far and fast to blow any other plane no matter how large out of the sky.

The point of the Foxbat was it could take off and climb at very short notice, very high, and very quickly, to intercept just about anything. One even managed to shoot down a communications satellite in low orbit.

Most embarrassing of all, the Foxbat's weapons and radar onboard computer - one of the first jets to have on - was an IBM make. To this day, there has never been a satisfactory explanation as to how Soviet Russia had such sophisticated American equipment in their military jets, but the conspiracy theorists had a field day.

It also spelt disaster for Egypt, Syria and Libya, who'd bought the jets at great expense hoping to have an edge over Israel, only to discover from the revelations from Belenko that the Foxbat wasn't much good at low level due to its weight - the Israeli Air Force's preferred combat tactic.

It also turned out their pilots couldn't handle the jet very well either - in fact only one foreign purchaser ever achieved happy results with the Foxbat, and that was India, who bought it to keep the Chinese, Pakistanis and - ironically - Russians out of their airspace.

Belenko's defection - quite aside from quenching Cold War and Middle East tensions once the Soviet's 'wonder weapon' was demystified - also inspired Craig Thomas' book (and later Clint Eastwood film) Firefox - although it would be a long time before any thought control aircraft system was to appear, even so at a very crude level.

A real Mig 31 was to appear however a few years later, the Foxhound, really the Mark II version of the Foxbat, flying also at Mach 3, and being the first jet to have 'Look Down, Shoot Down' - meaning it could shoot down or fire at targets beyond its onboard range due to the curve of the earth.

As for Belenko, he went on to work in the aircraft industry and attending flight enthusiasts meetings - unlike so many defectors, he did not find himself assassinated by "Mother Russia".