I just posted this to a friends status complaining about the Blue Line, so since it's a continuation of an idea in my response letter to Roger, I'll just open up a thread here for any further developments of the idea of the MBTA being an eldritch horror. Maybe I'll be able to pull something coherent together at some point:
No one can know the mind of MBTA. MBTA is everywhere. MBTA is horrible. No one quite know what it is or where it came from, just that it is an ancient evil that dwells beneath the streets of Boston, feeding off of the souls who wander into its lair. Listen! MBTA is alive and does not respect or care for you. To it, you are merely another gnat to parasitize. And when it has drained the energy off of enough souls, the prophecies say that it will rise again. I loathe to see that day. For no one can know the mind of MBTA.
:lulz:
My friends and I would say similar things about our university.
Quote from: Cainad on July 06, 2011, 03:33:25 PM
:lulz:
My friends and I would say similar things about our university.
:lulz:
Actually, now that I think of it, creating a Lovecraftian codex of big institutions being described as dread Eldritch Abominations might be pretty funny. I must dwell on this further.
That would be kinda cool. :)
Reposting relevant parts of the letter here:
I hope that this letter finds you well. It was with great peril that I acquired the one which you sent to me. I travelled many miles from Villager's apartment in Dorchester to Newton, then back to Dorchester for beer and barbecue (which ended up being wine and cheezits). This journey was undertaken via MBTA. I'm not certain if LMNO ever told you, but unlike other subways, the MBTA is a living but largely dormant entity that has been made docile for the purposes of transportation, not unlike the sandworms in Dune, revered as Shai-Hulud. It's a little known fact that Herbert was inspired to write of sandworms after a particularly interesting ride from Park Street.
Some say it is a god worshiped by the Massachusett; Some say it is a demon subdued by the Freemasons for nefarious puposes; I have heard it said that it is the trapped ghost of Metacomet (though this never made sense to me); and yet others say that it is the reason why we won the Revolution. I am hoping that Villager's infiltration of the Dorchester Historical Society will turn up valuable documents on the matter, especially after today. Whatever MBTA happens to be, it is certain that it wished to deter me from reading your letter, as the Alewife train seemed willing to throw itself off the tracks and down a hill in order to keep me from getting it. I got off at South Station to fool it and instead take the Worcester Line directly to my old abode.
Arriving at the Nepostery, Newton Branch, I read the letter immediately. Clutching the two pages, I made back for Dorchester, and MBTA was enraged. It bucked and lurched, endeavoring to throw me from my seat on the D Line and break my neck. The Ashmont train was just as intent as before when it was heading to Alewife. MBTA was roused from its slumber, and I wonder if it was the presence of something Tucsonian, forcing it to remember the ancient horrors that lay dormant beneath the surface of Bostonia, like some dreadful incantation from the Necronomicon...
Spirits of the Red Line, remember!
Spirits of the Green Line, remember!
Spirits of the Blue Line, remember!
MBTA, delayer of dudes, be praised!
Ia! Ia! In his house at Park Street Station, dead Charlie waits dreaming!
In September of 2006, I kept a daily log of what I saw on the Purple Line from Providence to South Station.
I need to find this.
Quote from: Her Royal Suuness on July 06, 2011, 05:06:15 PM
In September of 2006, I kept a daily log of what I saw on the Purple Line from Providence to South Station.
I need to find this.
Oh. Hell. Yeah.
Villager and I left work to go on our way to band practice. I had all of my stuff with me for the weekend, since I would be staying at her place tonight, going to work in the morning and then to the Cape for the weekend. All in all it was heavy enough to be uncomfortable standing up.
How the hell did I lose my Charlie Pass? I had it when I went home last night, and I couldn't find it this morning?
We got on the E line at Longwood, making our way to Park St for a switch over to the Red Line to Alewife. As is usual for the Green Line, it was crowded, and I couldn't get a seat.
NEXT STOP BRIGHAM CIRCLE
I was annoyed that I had lost my Charlie Pass, more than annoyed. The humidity wasn't helping either, and I was more than slightly hungry. Villager asked me if I wanted her seat as we pulled in to Northeastern. I told her there was no point. It was one of those annoying half seats in the section of the train where the car bends for turns and I had too much stuff with me to not get in anyone's way.
More people. More crowding. The train moved along to the next stop.
NEXT STOP BRIGHAM CIRCLE
I was of course, able to replace my Charlie Pass pretty quickly at the Hospital's Parking Office, for a fee of course. I shouldn't complain really, since I pay half for it per month through work than if I were to get it directly from the MBTA. MBTA. I shuddered at the thought of the acronym, as if it held some forbidden secret that once known, cannot be forgotten. We pulled into Museum of Fine Arts.
More people. More crowding. Someone bumped into me. The train moved along to the next stop.
NEXT STOP BRIGHAM CIRCLE
My feet were getting unbearably sore. I was, at this point, angry. Villager asked me if I was ok. I told her that I was, and that I was just tired, and it was very humid outside, and that I wish the weekend were here. She understood, and rubbed my arm. The gesture should have made me feel better but did nothing as we left the sun-beaten above ground tracks on Huntington Avenue and descended into the gloomy subterranean tunnels, pulling into Symphony.
More people. More crowding. How many people can fit on the Green Line?
NEXT STOP BRIGHAM CIRCLE
Somewhere, unbidden, my mind screamed THE NEXT STOP IS FUCKING PRUDENTIAL! It was a strange and vehement thought. Of course Prudential comes after Symphony, and after that Copley... it was as if my mind were trying to resist an alien thought, or some attempt at putting me into a trance... the thought felt as if it was in defiance to something external I couldn't put my finger on, as if some sort of attempt to maintain my sanity. The train groaned like some great beast in agony, or perhaps ravenous hunger. I seem to have gotten lost in my thoughts. Next stop was supposed to be Prudential, but now we were pulling into Boylston. I think I had been laughing to myself about something. Villager asked me what was so funny. I couldn't answer her question.
NEXT STOP BRIGHAM CIRCLE
My mind screamed NEXT STOP IS PARK STREET. AND I BETTER GET A FUCKING SEAT THIS TIME!
I felt nauseous. In the corner of my mind I thought I heard chanting in some strange language. "Wm'Biy-Taw! Wm'Biy-Taw! Ia! Ia! Ia!" I stumbled off of the train in a daze, and we made our way down another level to catch the Red Line. I did manage to get a seat this time, but almost didn't because of this human obstacle who stood in my way as if to torture me further. I glared at him, this form that became less human to me and more animal like. I wasn't mad at him. I was mad at myself for losing my Charlie Pass. I had joked earlier on PD that gremlins ate it. LMNO joked back that Wm'Biy-Taw cultists had sacrificed it. Did I think Wm'Biy-Taw? What the hell is that? I meant MBTA. I had quipped back that it was because I was speaking about forbidden things.
No, I wasn't mad at this man, I was mad that I had lost my Charlie Pass and had to get it replaced. And I was just happy that I had a seat. My eyes started to droop as I felt a cold embrace wrap around me. The airconditioner seemed to be turned up a little high... but I was getting very tired, and at the same time very suspicious of LMNO for some vague gut feeling. I just couldn't place it. Just before I fell asleep I thought to myself, "Next stop, Brigham Circle." What a funny thought. Brigham Circle is two stops before I even got on.
Whoa :mittens:
they wait... they wait beyond Bowdoin
Quote from: Nigel on July 11, 2011, 05:09:05 PM
Whoa :mittens:
:thanks:
I basically just hammed up my Thursday afternoon commute. The next stop read out was broken and kept reading Brigham Circle. I figured I could work that in such a way that the train was trying to do stuff to my head.
Also lmno, I saw your bassist at davis yesterday. Quit sending spies after me!
You know I'm going to have to spin this particular news nugget:
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/28520847/detail.html
Quote
About 700 people had to be evacuated Tuesday from a disabled Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train on the Red Line in Cambridge.
The train broke down in a tunnel near the Porter Square Station, according to the MBTA. Passengers who were on two six-car trains were helped off the trains and walked through to the station.
Quote
The cause of the breakdown was under investigation.
Also, apparently an eyewitness account in the comments:
Quote
What a f'ing nightmare this was. You cannot imagine how disgusting it was down there. Not only the raunchy smells, but the "gimme mine" attitude of the MBTA riders. I saw elderly people trampled, pregnant women yelling, teenagers smoking weed and cigarettes, windows being broken for air....just purely disgusting behavior and conditions all around.
Breaking windows for air IS pretty despicable.
Journal entry of a Somerville resident, dated Tuesday July 12, 2011
I will never forget what I saw today, try as I might. I was running late for work and jumped on the Red Line at Davis Square to get into Downtown Crossing. But in between Porter and Harvard the train broke down. I figured, great, just my luck. Of course the Red Line's going to stop and delay in between tunnels. It's notorious for doing that around Porter Square. At first people were pretty calm. What could you do in that sort of situation? Then it began. It didn't seem that everyone heard it. In fact, it seemed from the news reports later that behavior on the train was civil, and that people had actually made new friends. But I heard it, and I saw others who apparently heard it...
It started off as a low whisper, and then it sounded like several voices whispering to each other in a chaotic, senseless mess. I looked up to see what was going on, and I could see other people doing the same, trying to figure out what this sound was, just as confused as I was. Then it resolved itself into the same phrase, whispered by these unseen voices at the same time
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
Nonsense syllables. I would have thought that I was losing it, except the other people who were looking around seemed to be just as concerned. All of the others seemed to not notice, or to just be unconcerned. A group of youths moved to one end of the train. The repeated phrase became a little louder, a little more noticeable, but still at a whisper level, and no closer to making any sense. Nor did it seem like anyone was actually saying anything.
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
A pregnant woman seemed to get a bit agitated. The group of youths in the corner seemed pleased with themselves. The people who didn't seem to notice the chanting before started to fall faint, and slumped over in their seats. I had figured that it was due to the stress of the situation, or the air conditioning being turned off, but it looked like they had been holding themselves as if to keep warm. The chanting became more insistent, and was now at speaking volume. The youths formed into a circle.
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
The remaining awake passengers started to get alarmed at this point. The youths lit some sort of incense, later someone, deluding themselves to the truth, would call it weed, but it was noxious smelling, and it was filling the car. They said in unison, "It is time! Hail Wm'Biy-Taw! Accept this mass sacrifice and arise from your prison!" They now chanted in unison with the disembodied voices.
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
It was terrifying. People started to panic. Pregnant women screamed, mothers clutched and shielded their children, men seemed to lose their minds and started ramming themselves against the doors and windows. The din became ear-piercingly loud like some obscene rock concert. The disembodied voices were now drowning out the worshippers of this Wm'Biy-Taw.
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
I started to freeze, even though I knew it was stuffy down in the tunnel. My thoughts fogged over. My vision started to fade to grey....
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
I woke up to firefighters evacuating us from the train. A man who had been sitting next to me asked me if I was ok. Dazed, I asked what had happened, and he said that I had fallen asleep, and it was just as well because it had been quite an irritating two and a half hours. I asked what about the chanting, and the kids. He gave me some of his water and told me it was a dream. I walked with my fellow passengers through the tunnels and out to Porter Station.
Yeah, it must have been a dream. But what I want to know is why do the headlines say that 700 people were evacuated from the Red Line and the MBTA can only account for 450? And why can they still not explain what caused the train, and the second train sent to tow it, to break down?
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 01:29:50 AM
Breaking windows for air IS pretty despicable.
Yeah, who needs that air stuff in the middle of the summer when you're trapped on a train with a bunch of smelly people and no AC.
I doubt that the windows were smashed anyway. First off all other reports say that pretty much everyone was civil and patient, plus what to smash with? They seem like pretty thick glass to me. And why would you trample people if there's nowhere to go anyway? I'm guessing the poster probably wanted some attention, or blew their experience way out of proportion. Their account doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But, it was good inspiration :)
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on July 06, 2011, 04:15:17 PM
That would be kinda cool. :)
Reposting relevant parts of the letter here:
I hope that this letter finds you well. It was with great peril that I acquired the one which you sent to me. I travelled many miles from Villager's apartment in Dorchester to Newton, then back to Dorchester for beer and barbecue (which ended up being wine and cheezits). This journey was undertaken via MBTA. I'm not certain if LMNO ever told you, but unlike other subways, the MBTA is a living but largely dormant entity that has been made docile for the purposes of transportation, not unlike the sandworms in Dune, revered as Shai-Hulud. It's a little known fact that Herbert was inspired to write of sandworms after a particularly interesting ride from Park Street.
Some say it is a god worshiped by the Massachusett; Some say it is a demon subdued by the Freemasons for nefarious puposes; I have heard it said that it is the trapped ghost of Metacomet (though this never made sense to me); and yet others say that it is the reason why we won the Revolution. I am hoping that Villager's infiltration of the Dorchester Historical Society will turn up valuable documents on the matter, especially after today. Whatever MBTA happens to be, it is certain that it wished to deter me from reading your letter, as the Alewife train seemed willing to throw itself off the tracks and down a hill in order to keep me from getting it. I got off at South Station to fool it and instead take the Worcester Line directly to my old abode.
Arriving at the Nepostery, Newton Branch, I read the letter immediately. Clutching the two pages, I made back for Dorchester, and MBTA was enraged. It bucked and lurched, endeavoring to throw me from my seat on the D Line and break my neck. The Ashmont train was just as intent as before when it was heading to Alewife. MBTA was roused from its slumber, and I wonder if it was the presence of something Tucsonian, forcing it to remember the ancient horrors that lay dormant beneath the surface of Bostonia, like some dreadful incantation from the Necronomicon...
Spirits of the Red Line, remember!
Spirits of the Green Line, remember!
Spirits of the Blue Line, remember!
MBTA, delayer of dudes, be praised!
Ia! Ia! In his house at Park Street Station, dead Charlie waits dreaming!
First mistake was getting on the E line, of course. :mittens: nonetheless!
Quote from: Eve on July 13, 2011, 02:31:08 AM
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on July 06, 2011, 04:15:17 PM
That would be kinda cool. :)
Reposting relevant parts of the letter here:
I hope that this letter finds you well. It was with great peril that I acquired the one which you sent to me. I travelled many miles from Villager's apartment in Dorchester to Newton, then back to Dorchester for beer and barbecue (which ended up being wine and cheezits). This journey was undertaken via MBTA. I'm not certain if LMNO ever told you, but unlike other subways, the MBTA is a living but largely dormant entity that has been made docile for the purposes of transportation, not unlike the sandworms in Dune, revered as Shai-Hulud. It's a little known fact that Herbert was inspired to write of sandworms after a particularly interesting ride from Park Street.
Some say it is a god worshiped by the Massachusett; Some say it is a demon subdued by the Freemasons for nefarious puposes; I have heard it said that it is the trapped ghost of Metacomet (though this never made sense to me); and yet others say that it is the reason why we won the Revolution. I am hoping that Villager's infiltration of the Dorchester Historical Society will turn up valuable documents on the matter, especially after today. Whatever MBTA happens to be, it is certain that it wished to deter me from reading your letter, as the Alewife train seemed willing to throw itself off the tracks and down a hill in order to keep me from getting it. I got off at South Station to fool it and instead take the Worcester Line directly to my old abode.
Arriving at the Nepostery, Newton Branch, I read the letter immediately. Clutching the two pages, I made back for Dorchester, and MBTA was enraged. It bucked and lurched, endeavoring to throw me from my seat on the D Line and break my neck. The Ashmont train was just as intent as before when it was heading to Alewife. MBTA was roused from its slumber, and I wonder if it was the presence of something Tucsonian, forcing it to remember the ancient horrors that lay dormant beneath the surface of Bostonia, like some dreadful incantation from the Necronomicon...
Spirits of the Red Line, remember!
Spirits of the Green Line, remember!
Spirits of the Blue Line, remember!
MBTA, delayer of dudes, be praised!
Ia! Ia! In his house at Park Street Station, dead Charlie waits dreaming!
First mistake was getting on the E line, of course. :mittens: nonetheless!
Hehe, thanks. Yeah, I have to rely on both the E line, the D line and the Red Line more than I would care to. Work/Girlfriend/Band space....
Is the Red Line that bad? It's never bothered me much, but I don't live on it.
Quote from: Eve on July 13, 2011, 03:09:55 AM
Is the Red Line that bad? It's never bothered me much, but I don't live on it.
It's fine until you get to about Harvard. Then it starts to get annoyingly slow, sometimes stop for a couple of minutes in the tunnel. Plus, it seems that the infrastructure of that line needs an overhaul in general. It's been a pretty bumpy ride all along the route of late. Girlfriend lives in Dorchester, so I often take the train to and from either Fields Corner or Ashmont (if I feel like walking), and band space is a short bus ride from Davis, so, I travel almost all of it at least once a week. It seems like they're always announcing a delay because of signal problems/disabled train/police action (I've noted all three, but tends to be signal problems or disabled train) and it seem to always be either at Harvard or Park St.
:mittens: Twid. Good reading, even if the genesis of it was so awful for you.
Nah it wasnt that bad. The t is generally moderately annoying rather than rage provoking. Irishmen are prone to hyperbole especially if it improves the story. :)
Good god, it seems like I'm onto something here! :lulz:
I'll see what I can write up for it today, but I have practice tonight and might not get to it.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/14/man_threatens_bus_driver_strips_naked_in_front_of_t_station/?p1=Local_Links
Also, I'm seeing a very strong Red Line pattern going on here......
Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n...
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (deceased) on July 14, 2011, 04:02:01 PM
Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n, Ail-wyphe, Mat'apa'n...
:lulz:
Did you like the chant I came up with btw?
I'm still trying to figure out "FHRASTH HYIV'ZE"
MBTA is evil, but a lot of the bus drivers are cool. One of them used to give me a transfer every morning so I could ride home for free when I got off work. He wasn't supposed to, but he always said "Fuck the T! They get millions in taxes, the fares are chump change to them". On the morning of 9-11 I boarded the bus and he said "KA BOOM! WE GOTTA STOP FUCKIN WITH THESE OTHER COUNTRIES!" and we lol'ed while everybody looked at us like turds in a punchbowl. :lulz:
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on July 13, 2011, 12:51:11 AM
Also, apparently an eyewitness account in the comments:
Quote
What a f'ing nightmare this was. You cannot imagine how disgusting it was down there. Not only the raunchy smells, but the "gimme mine" attitude of the MBTA riders. I saw elderly people trampled, pregnant women yelling, teenagers smoking weed and cigarettes, windows being broken for air....just purely disgusting behavior and conditions all around.
Yep. That's the Red Line. :lulz:
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on July 13, 2011, 01:49:39 AM
Journal entry of a Somerville resident, dated Tuesday July 12, 2011
I will never forget what I saw today, try as I might. I was running late for work and jumped on the Red Line at Davis Square to get into Downtown Crossing. But in between Porter and Harvard the train broke down. I figured, great, just my luck. Of course the Red Line's going to stop and delay in between tunnels. It's notorious for doing that around Porter Square. At first people were pretty calm. What could you do in that sort of situation? Then it began. It didn't seem that everyone heard it. In fact, it seemed from the news reports later that behavior on the train was civil, and that people had actually made new friends. But I heard it, and I saw others who apparently heard it...
It started off as a low whisper, and then it sounded like several voices whispering to each other in a chaotic, senseless mess. I looked up to see what was going on, and I could see other people doing the same, trying to figure out what this sound was, just as confused as I was. Then it resolved itself into the same phrase, whispered by these unseen voices at the same time
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
Nonsense syllables. I would have thought that I was losing it, except the other people who were looking around seemed to be just as concerned. All of the others seemed to not notice, or to just be unconcerned. A group of youths moved to one end of the train. The repeated phrase became a little louder, a little more noticeable, but still at a whisper level, and no closer to making any sense. Nor did it seem like anyone was actually saying anything.
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
A pregnant woman seemed to get a bit agitated. The group of youths in the corner seemed pleased with themselves. The people who didn't seem to notice the chanting before started to fall faint, and slumped over in their seats. I had figured that it was due to the stress of the situation, or the air conditioning being turned off, but it looked like they had been holding themselves as if to keep warm. The chanting became more insistent, and was now at speaking volume. The youths formed into a circle.
Ia! Wm'Biy-Taw fhrasth hyiv'ze!
The remaining awake passengers started to get alarmed at this point. The youths lit some sort of incense, later someone, deluding themselves to the truth, would call it weed, but it was noxious smelling, and it was filling the car. They said in unison, "It is time! Hail Wm'Biy-Taw! Accept this mass sacrifice and arise from your prison!" They now chanted in unison with the disembodied voices.
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
It was terrifying. People started to panic. Pregnant women screamed, mothers clutched and shielded their children, men seemed to lose their minds and started ramming themselves against the doors and windows. The din became ear-piercingly loud like some obscene rock concert. The disembodied voices were now drowning out the worshippers of this Wm'Biy-Taw.
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
I started to freeze, even though I knew it was stuffy down in the tunnel. My thoughts fogged over. My vision started to fade to grey....
IA! WM'BIY-TAW FHRASTH HYIV'ZE!
I woke up to firefighters evacuating us from the train. A man who had been sitting next to me asked me if I was ok. Dazed, I asked what had happened, and he said that I had fallen asleep, and it was just as well because it had been quite an irritating two and a half hours. I asked what about the chanting, and the kids. He gave me some of his water and told me it was a dream. I walked with my fellow passengers through the tunnels and out to Porter Station.
Yeah, it must have been a dream. But what I want to know is why do the headlines say that 700 people were evacuated from the Red Line and the MBTA can only account for 450? And why can they still not explain what caused the train, and the second train sent to tow it, to break down?
:mittens: :mittens: :mittens:
Quote from: Anna Mae Bollocks on July 15, 2011, 01:48:33 AM
MBTA is evil, but a lot of the bus drivers are cool. One of them used to give me a transfer every morning so I could ride home for free when I got off work. He wasn't supposed to, but he always said "Fuck the T! They get millions in taxes, the fares are chump change to them". On the morning of 9-11 I boarded the bus and he said "KA BOOM! WE GOTTA STOP FUCKIN WITH THESE OTHER COUNTRIES!" and we lol'ed while everybody looked at us like turds in a punchbowl. :lulz:
:lulz:
There's a conductor on the Providence line that looks like Ryan Stiles. He was loud and obnoxious.
"South Station, South Station. This station stop is South Station, this is the final stop, South Station, you can make any connection you want here at South Station, you just gotta get off my train here at South Station. Once again this station stop is South Station, South Station. Final stop; South Station."
I particularly like getting on a T that's running express. "This train will be running express to Cleveland Circle. Attention passengers, this train is running EXPRESS to CLEVELAND CIRCLE. There is another train immediately behind us that will be making ALL LOCAL STOPS. So if you need to get off at a stop anywhere between here and Cleveland Circle, get off of this train and wait for the next one. WE WILL NOT BE STOPPING ANYWHERE BETWEEN HERE AND CLEVELAND CIRCLE. ONCE AGAIN, THIS TRAIN IS RUNNING EXPRESS TO CLEVELAND CIRCLE!" Then, after this announcememnt has been repeated at least three more times, some jackass presses the stop request button for the next stop and makes a biiig fucking fuss about the fact that they can't get off the train. Or, even worse, the driver stops and lets them off anyway.
EXPRESS. LEARN THE MEANING OR GET OFF THE BUS(/TRAIN), FUCKWADS.