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For my part, I've replaced optimism and believing the best of people by default with a grin and the absolute 100% certainty that if they cannot find a pig to fuck, they will buy some bacon and play oinking noises on YouTube.

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MBTA

Started by Nephew Twiddleton, July 06, 2011, 03:24:11 PM

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Nephew Twiddleton

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.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Cainad (dec.)

 :lulz:

My friends and I would say similar things about our university.

Nephew Twiddleton

Quote from: Cainad on July 06, 2011, 03:33:25 PM
:lulz:

My friends and I would say similar things about our university.

:lulz:
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Cainad (dec.)

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.

Nephew Twiddleton

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!
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Suu

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.
Sovereign Episkopos-Princess Kaousuu; Esq., Battle Nun, Bene Gesserit.
Our Lady of Perpetual Confusion; 1st Church of Discordia

"Add a dab of lavender to milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you're laughing at it."

Nephew Twiddleton

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.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

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.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


LMNO

they wait... they wait beyond Bowdoin

Nephew Twiddleton

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.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

Also lmno, I saw your bassist at davis yesterday. Quit sending spies after me!
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

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.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Breaking windows for air IS pretty despicable.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."