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roseghoul26 · 1 month

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Chapter 2: Grieving For The Living

Arthur Morgan x fem!Reader

Synopsis: A fic based off the song “ivy” by Taylor Swift. After a startling introduction to the man, Arthur Morgan became the most important part of your life. Married at a young age to an older, wealthy man to help your family, you were trapped in a loveless marriage, your only sense of escape with the rugged cowboy. Will you be able to keep your affair hidden, or will your husband find out, and destroy the last thing that made you happy? Tags: Fluff, Angst, Smut, Strangers To Lovers, Infidelity, Fem!Reader, She/Her Pronouns Used For Reader, Period Typical Misogyny, Emotional Manipulative Relationship (not with Arthur)

Author's Note: i feel like i gotta say that i do not condone cheating…. but arthur morgan <3 also, this story does describe a very emotionally manipulative and abusive relationship, so please be mindful when you’re reading. the way the husband treats the reader is not right, in any instance, and cannot be tolerated.

Taglist: @ultraporcelainpig @lokiofasgard12

Chapter List

The first thing you noticed when he turned was that he had blue eyes.

Strikingly blue eyes, the kind that got lighter when the sun hit them, dazzling like diamonds. They widened comically when they saw you, a flash of panic crossing his features. So he did remember you.

You smiled warmly at the group of men. “Good mornin’, gentlemen.”

The bearded man responded with a ‘good morning’, and the well dressed one walked forward to meet you, extending a hand out to you. He was practically oozing with charisma, kissing the back of your hand when you grabbed it with a saccharine smile. “Well, good morning, ma’am,” he drawled, and you swore you saw the bearded man roll his eyes behind him.

“You remember Hans?” Leigh asked, and the man holding your hand led you into the small circle that had formed at the base of the stairs, bringing you into the conversation. “This here’s his wife. Been married for, what is it, two years now?”

You nodded, hiding the sadness that sentence made you feel.

Leigh continued on. “Did y’all know she’s the daughter of the tobacco farmers up north, the Van Buren’s. Wealth practically runs in her blood!”

That seemed to get the mens’ attention, but the black haired one seemed especially interested. You couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped you; of course they only cared about your wealth. You highly doubt Leigh even knew your first name. All that you are to him is an extension of your husband.

“Is that so?” The black haired man asked, turning to look at you. Begrudgingly, you nodded, and you watched the three newcomers pass looks to each other.

Leigh, ever the observant man, didn’t notice this. He continued to talk about your family, how it shocked everyone when you and Hans got married, and other things that you blocked out. Your attention was solely on the man beside you, the one with the hat and blue eyes.

Much like his voice, you weren’t expecting to see that beautiful of a face under the bandana. He was rugged, sure, but still quite pleasant to look at. God, why did he have to be handsome? He wasn’t the kind of handsome that you’d see in the high reaches of society, or plastered on a giant sign. No, he was the kind of handsome that you’d see from across the street, haunting your thoughts after one glance.

With tanned skin and a small clustering of freckles across his cheeks, he had a short beard, trimmed and very clearly taken care of. His nose was crooked, a broken nose that was never set right, and the slight creases on his face told you that despite appearing to be on the younger side, he had a tough life. A black bandana similar to the one he wore last night tied around his neck, and he had swapped his blue shirt for a red one, the top two buttons undone. You flushed when the bandana shifted and exposed his chest to you, tufts of hair peeking out.

Leigh was still talking, spinning some tall tale of sorts, you’re sure, but you cut him off. “What did you say their names were, Sheriff Gray?” You knew damn well that he hadn’t introduced them to you, but you were tired of hearing about your own life from the lips of a liar.

The sheriff faltered for a moment, before gesturing to the black hair man beside him. “This here’s Dutch,” he began, and you reshook his hand. The once too-sweet smile had turned into something more cunning, making you feel like you’d just walked into some elaborate trap.

Trying to not feel too worried, you turned to the next man as Leigh introduced them. “This is Bill.” Like with Dutch, you shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure, ma’am,” you heard Bill say, and you smiled politely.

Finally, Leight turned to the final person in the small group, the man’s whose eyes, you noticed, had barely left you during the entire discussion. “And this is Arthur.”

Arthur. The name echoed in your mind as you shook his hand. He was staring at you warily, and you realized that he had no idea if you knew who he was or not. It almost made you laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all, gentlemen.” Arthur nodded, tipping his head forward slightly in greeting.

“Now, forgive me if this sounds rude,” you began, “but what’re you three doin’ here in Rhodes?” It had become apparent quite quickly that Dutch had some sort of authority or power over the two other men, and you figured that he must’ve dragged them along to the town.

Leigh spoke before the three others could. “These men here are goin’ to be the new deputies of Rhodes, Mrs. Kerrigan.”

You had to bite back laughter. Sure, Leigh was dedicated to protecting Rhodes, but he couldn’t see a ploy even if they spelled it out for him. “Oh, are they now?” If only Leigh knew that one of his new deputies had broken into your house last night. It was hardly noticeable, but Arthur stiffened his posture after you spoke.

Leigh nodded, a proud smile on his face. “The town's in safe hands now. Well, not that it wasn’t before…” Leigh quickly backtracked.

“Do you think they’ll be able to help me with my problem?” You asked almost conspiratorially, making sure to keep an eye on Arthur.

“Your… problem? Mrs. Kerrigan, I had no idea you were having-”

“It’s new,” you cut him off again. “See, I’ve been havin’ issues with break-ins lately. Normally we scare them off, but I’d like for someone to scare them off permanently, you know?”

It was Dutch who responded this time, nodding earnestly. “We can take care of that, don’t you worry, ma’am. How ‘bout one of you boys-”

“I’ll do it.” For the first time since you joined in the conversation, Arthur spoke.

The bearded man, Bill, tried to interject, but Arthur silenced him with a look.

With an expression that said that he expected Arthur to do this, Dutch clapped his hands together, before turning his attention to you. “Now, Mrs. Kerrigan, Arthur’ll fix this problem of yours in no time, mark my words. In the meantime, I would love to get acquainted with your husband.”

Of course. “He’s in the bank right now,” you explained. “You can wait outside for him, but I can’t tell you how long that’ll be.”

“I don’t mind waitin’. Bill, come with me to meet Mr. Kerrigan. Arthur, you go ahead and talk with this wonderful woman and see if you can’t solve her troubles.” You felt Dutch clasp your hand between his. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kerrigan. I sincerely hope this isn’t the last time we meet.”

“I hope so, too.”

Dutch began to walk away soon after, and after nodding to you one last time, Bill followed after Dutch, the two of them heading to the bank side by side. You knew Hans was gonna get quite a fright when he left; two heavily armed men demanding to speak with him. You almost wanted to stay outside just to watch.

It was only you, Leigh, and Arthur remaining, and the sheriff quickly excused himself to the office, offering you a quick ‘have a good morning’ before disappearing, finally leaving you and Arthur alone.

Glancing up at him, he looked back expenctantly, like he was just waiting for you to run back inside and spill everything to Leigh. He was visibly stunned when you turned away from the office and started heading back to the store, gesturing for Arthur to follow you. Funnily enough, you were able to hear his spurs this time, clinking against the dusty ground with each step as he followed behind.

“You really ought to wear a less recognizable hat,” you teased once he was close enough, turning your head over your shoulder to look at him. You watched him take his hat off, examining it with scrutiny. Golden browns locks tumbled freely, more softer looking than you anticipated. Everything about this man surprised you.

“So you did recognize me,” Arthur muttered, and you laughed.

“No offense, but I think anyone in my shoes would be able to recognize you.”

Scoffing, you watched Arthur plant the hat back on with a little too much force than was necessary. He moved up so that he now walked alongside you, keeping a good foot between your bodies. “Your voice also gave you away,” you added, smiling when exasperation clouded his face.

“I know that. I wasn’t plannin’ on speakin’ last night, but I wasn’t plannin’ on havin’ someone run into me.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t be breakin’ into people’s houses in the middle of the night.”

He couldn’t come up with a response to that, so he just shook his head, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. “You got me there,” he sighed. “So why didn’t you turn me in?”

“I’m askin’ myself the same question.”

“Well, if you change your mind,” he moved further away from you, keeping his hands up, “I won’t stop you from runnin’ straight to the sheriff.”

The rational and sane people would, first, not even be in the situation, having already turned Arthur in, but secondly, would also be taking him up on his “offer”. You decided that at that moment you were neither rational nor sane, so you continued to make your way to the general store.

After a few more beats of tense silence, you finally reached the entrance. Turning with your hands on your hips, you fully faced Arthur, within distance to touch him if you so tried. Up close, it really put his size into perspective, the man towering a good couple of inches above you. He was broad shouldered, with a similar body type to someone who worked on the farms, which was a complete opposite of the frail physique of Hans.

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot,” you stated, and you heard him hum in agreement. “Let’s start over.” Sticking out your hand for him to shake, you introduced yourself with your name. Not Mrs. Kerrigan. Not Miss. Van Buren. Just you.

Your name sounded awfully nice coming from him, you realized as he repeated it back to you. “Arthur Morgan,” he responded, giving your hand one last shake in his much larger one before letting go.

“A pleasure, Mr. Morgan.”

“Call me Arthur,” he responded, that raspy drawl music to your ears.

“Alright, Arthur. Then you don’t get to call me Mrs. Kerrigan. At least, in private,” you added with a glance around. There was no one else around, everyone either far enough away to not hear, or preoccupied with something else. For the moment, you didn’t have to keep up appearances.

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded playfully, and you rolled your eyes. Walking in, you pretended to not feel the way your heart fluttered.

The bell chimed as the door swung open, and a familiar face greeted you as you entered, Arthur following in behind. “Good morning, Mr. Banks.” So much for not having to keep up appearances.

Balding with a large handlebar mustache, A.J. Banks had been the sole operator of the general store in Rhodes for as long as you could remember. “Hello, Mrs. Kerrigan!” He chirped out, eyes nearly disappearing behind a smile. Out of all the shop owners in Rhodes, he was your favorite. “Who’s this?” You heard him ask, gesturing to the man behind you.

“His name’s Arthur. Leigh’s appointed him as a deputy.”

Mr. Banks hummed with indifference. If it wasn’t about the feud between the Grays and Braithwaites, or about the general store, then he didn’t care. “Well, you know where everything is. Holler if you need somethin’!” And with that, he disappeared into the storage room behind him, once again leaving you and Arthur alone.

“You’re quite popular,” you heard Arthur comment, and you shrugged as you picked up one of the sacks to fill with goods, slinging your own bag over your shoulder.

“I mean, I’ve known both of them for a good while now…”

“I ain’t just talkin’ about them.” Arthur stood beside you, absentmindedly examined various canned goods on the shelves, putting them back with thinly veiled disgust. “Probably every head on the street turned when you walked by. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice that.”

“I try to block them out,” you admitted, grabbing a few assorted cans of fruits and vegetables. “I have to.”

Arthur didn’t respond to that, and so you moved to the fresh produce, grabbing a variety of items, not really paying much attention to it. You had no idea if you actually needed any of these items, but it would be suspicious if you went to the store claiming you needed items and then leaving with hardly any.

You could feel Arthur’s eyes on you as you shopped, likely teeming with questions, but he kept his mouth shut. “Do you need anything?” You asked, nearly laughing when you realized how similar it was to the question you asked last night.

Arthur also seemed to realize this too, and you heard him chuckle, barely even loud enough for you to hear. “Nah, I’m good.”

You were about to let it go until an amber colored bottle caught your attention. It wasn’t the best whiskey in the world, but something told you that these men didn’t drink alcohol for the taste. Without a second thought, you snatched it up, adding it to your now heavy bag. It was a short walk to the store counter, but you still felt your arms hurt as you brought it over, having to use both to carry it, and they hurt even more so when you lifted it up onto the counter.

The loud noise alerted Mr. Banks, who appeared around the corner within seconds. As he began to count up the total, you leaned against the counter facing him. “So, would you say my problem is solved now?”

Arthur barked out a laugh, and you watched the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he genuinely, truly smiled. It was a divine sight, one that had you sucking in a gasp. “I think so, darlin’.” You don’t think you’ve ever heard someone talk to you like that, voice dripping with pure honey.

So that he wouldn’t see how dark your cheeks had gotten, you turned back toward the counter. In your brain, you were scolding yourself. You were a married woman, for God’s sake. You should not be acting this way over another man. Even if you really didn’t love your husband, and he wanted as little as possible to do with you, you were still married to him. That had to mean something, right?

But you still found that you would do anything to hear him call you darling again, if not to feel like you were truly beloved by someone.

Mr. Banks reading out the total snapped you from your solitary pity-party. $17.35. Sliding him five five dollar bills from your bag, you went to try and pick up your sack of goods, but Arthur stepped in before your fingers could even touch the rough fabric of the bag. “Looks like you gave him a bit too much,” Arthur nodded toward the cash that Mr. Banks was now putting into the register.

“No, I know, but thank you. Have a great day, Mr. Banks,” you called out as you headed out the door, a very confused Arthur following behind, holding the sack of goods effortlessly with one hand.

“You’re a strange woman,” you heard Arthur say behind you as you began to walk toward the carriage that was still parked outside of the bank. You had never been called strange before. You were always the perfect one, the golden star, the prime example of what every eldest daughter should be. It was a mask, you knew that, forced to put on a false personality in order to charm and amaze.

For the first time in a very long time, you had been yourself, cracking jokes and talking back and everything that high society hated. Even though you’d been doing it for less than fifteen minutes, it felt like an impossible weight had been lifted from your chest. And it was all thanks to the man that broke into your house.

What an odd turn of events.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Arthur.” Now that you were closer to the carriage, you were able to see that it was currently empty, except for the driver who sat atop it who tipped his hat at you when you got close. Opening the small storage area attached to the back of the carriage, you gestured for Arthur to set the bag there, the wood creaking when he set it down. “Thank you, Arthur.”

“It’s no problem at all, Mrs. Kerrigan.” And he remembers things, too. Where did this man come from?

Before you could forget, you grabbed the whiskey bottle from the top of the bag, and you presented it to Arthur. “It ain’t much of a surprise, but I figured our new ‘deputies’ might like a little gift.” In the back of your mind, you had an inkling of suspicion that Arthur and his presumed friends weren’t actually going to be deputies, but like before, appearances need to be kept up.

“Well, ain’t that mighty kind of you,” his voice went lighter, moving to take the bottle from you gently. “Thank you.” You tried not to react when his fingers brushed against yours, sending shocks through your body.

“Of course. It’s-”

Loud laughter from the bank had you both turning, then having to move around the carriage to see what the commotion was all about. Dutch and Bill were laughing heartily, with a very confused yet entertained Hans chuckling lightly. You had to give them props; it was hard to make him laugh.

Dutch saw you first, becoming you over with a broad wave of his hand. Hans glanced over to where he was looking, and as soon as those dull eyes landed on you, you felt that mask creep back up. Your once natural smile turned forced, and you quickly made your way over to the men, leaving Arthur to walk up slowly on his own.

You stood beside Hans, and even though he didn’t touch you, you felt your muscles stiffen as if someone had just rested their hand on your back. “Hello, dear.” You heard Hans say.

“Hello.” Your voice that was just filled with joy sounded lifeless.

“Did you get what you needed from the store?” You nodded, and as Arthur sauntered close, his eyes scanned over you, like he was searching for the person he was just talking to. “Have you met these fine men?”

“Leigh had the pleasure of introducing us,” Dutch piped in, his dark eyes narrowing as they bounced between you and Hans.

Please don’t question why I was so close to the Sheriff's Office, you repeated in your mind, relieved when he didn’t speak.

“Where’d you get that, Arthur?”

Everyone’s eyes followed where Bill pointed, and you felt a wave of nausea-inducing anxiety crash over you. He was pointing at the whiskey bottle in Arthur’s hands, and the man holding it shifted uncomfortably, not expecting everyone to suddenly be watching him with wide eyes. “This?” He asked, holding it up slightly.

Bill had a disbelieving look on his face. “You bought whiskey, Morgan? Out of everythin’ you could’ve gotten-”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t have bought it yourself,” he huffed. “It was a gift from her!” Arthur explained, gesturing to you with the bottle.

Now it was your turn to have everyone’s eyes on you. A majority of them were kind, gratitude filling them as they thanked you. You could barely hear them. Your ears were ringing too badly, and you could feel holes forming where Hans stared at you.

“Is that true?” Hans’ voice was even. Why was it always even? It would be so much better if he just screamed at you, like anyone else would.

“Yes,” you whispered, looking down at the dusty skirts of your dress.

“I can pay you back,” you heard Arthur offer, and if you weren’t so mortified, you would’ve thanked him. But even you knew that it wasn’t about the money. Not this time.

Hans ignored him, continuing his verbal reprimanding of you. “I never said you could buy gifts. You were only allowed to get what we needed for the home. I-” he sighed, “I don’t know how long it's going to take for you to learn.”

Like I’m some damn dog. “I’m sorry,” was what you said, keeping your head down. Because of this, you missed another set of looks the three men swapped, some amused, and some angry.

Hans sighed again. “Go wait for me in the carriage. Besides, a lady shouldn’t be sitting in on conversations about business.”

Like a child being sent into timeout, you were cast away. Shame burned your cheeks, and you felt embarrassed tears threaten to spill from your eyes. Humiliation wasn’t something new when it came to Hans, but the sting of it hadn’t dulled over the past two years.

You didn’t even look up at Arthur as you walked past, not wanting to know what he thought of the whole situation. You didn’t know what would be worse to see in his eyes, pity or enjoyment. You heard Hans make a comment at your dispense, and you heard only two voices make any sort of responding statement.

Finally reaching the carriage, you slumped your head against the door, not quite wanting to get in yet. At least out here you felt like you could breathe. You were so caught up in your own emotions that you didn’t hear the sound of Arthur’s spurs as he approached you. “Mrs. Kerrigan?”

You jumped, and you turned to face him, the tears delicately holding themselves in your eyes falling because of all the movement. “Yes, Arthur?” You quickly wiped away the falling tears, and you took a few steps away from the carriage and towards him.

“Are you… alright?” He cringed at his own question, as it was blatantly obvious that you weren’t. Still, you found his concern endearing, and you smiled as best you could.

“I will be. It ain’t the first time,” you chuckled humorlessly, and you saw a flash of something in his eyes. “You’d think I would’ve grown thicker skin by now.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

You sighed. “I know.”

“So why are you-”

“I can’t go.” You shut down that question fast, the one that you pondered every single day. “It’s just… I can’t.” You weren’t about to dump your issues on the poor man.

Luckily he seemed to realize there was a bigger situation at play, but you could tell he wasn’t happy about it. You were about to say something until you heard the closely approaching voice of Hans, with Dutch adding in his own points intermittently.

Faster than you could register, Arthur was slinking behind you, opening the carriage door for you, and extending a hand for you to take. The whiskey bottle sat upright beside the rear wheel, setting it down to help you.

Even though Hans had done this for you hundreds of times, this felt completely different. It felt like it came from genuine want rather than a role he had to play, the role of the doting husband. As you set your hand in his rough palm, you felt those same sparks again, and you swore he felt them too.

Once you were situated back in the carriage, you watched him pick up the whiskey bottle before handing it back to you with an apologetic look on his face. “Keep it,” you held your hand up, “I’ll be happy if I know you three are enjoyin’ that tonight. And, for what it’s worth,” you glanced behind you, making sure your husband still wasn’t in the vehicle, “it was nice meeting you while you weren’t trying to rob me.”

Another one of those beautiful smiles graced his face, and it momentarily made you forget your woes. “I can say the same, darlin’.”

Your heart soared.

“If you don’t mind me askin’,” you said quietly, “why were you at our house last night?”

“Money.” He shrugged half-heartedly. “I was told there’d be no one home, too.”

“Well, I’m afraid whoever told you that is a liar.”

He scoffed. “You think?” The two of you exchanged light laughter. “I guess I can’t complain, though.”

“Why’s that, Arthur?”

“Because-”

The other carriage door opening caused Arthur to fall quiet, giving you a small smile before taking a step back. “See you later.” You kept it from sounding like a question, but Arthur still nodded. And with that, Arthur closed the door, the air becoming oppressive as soon as it latched shut. Keeping your gaze averted, you pretended to look out the window, rather than on Arthur, eyes locked there until he became a blur on the horizon.

You swore he did the same.

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

The ride back home was done in complete silence.

It was awkward and tense and you wanted nothing more than to just curl into a ball on the carriage floor. You kept your eyes locked on the window, even when Arthur was long out of sight, not able to bring yourself to look at Hans.

It wasn’t until you were halfway back when he finally spoke, clearing his throat before doing so. “I’ll be leaving in a few days.”

That had your head turning, looking at him with confused eyes. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave, gone for days or weeks at a time, but it was never this sudden. “Oh… where?”

“Tumbleweed.” He practically spat out, clearly not excited to go. You wouldn’t be either, if what you heard about it was true. It was practically run by outlaws, and with cruel desert weather that inhabited even crueler animals. But the thing that struck you as odd was that Tumbleweed was practically a ghost town, falling into ruin a few years back. You had no idea why he would even be going there.

You didn’t bother to ask, knowing he wouldn’t give you an answer. So you fell back into tense silence, relieved when you saw the familiar woods surrounding your house. When the carriage came to a halt, Hans left first, and like he always did when he was upset at you, he left you to get out on your own, furthering the humiliation you felt.

The chittering of animals helped to distract you as you got out, the feel of the soft dirt beneath your shoes further helping to ground you. Grabbing the goods from the back, you said a soft thanks to the driver before making your way inside, with some difficulty, the bag awkwardly heavy. And to think Arthur was carrying it with such ease.

Hans was already upstairs, and you heard the door to his office click shut. Standing in the entrance way, you almost let the bag drop, but you carried it over to the nearby kitchen counter. You dumped it and your personal bag unceremoniously there, and some of the produce rolled out, but you didn’t care.

After grabbing a bottle of wine, you slumped one of the chairs in the attached dining room. Alcohol was never in shortage here, and Hans didn’t drink wine, so you didn’t have any fear of being reprimanded again.

The cork went missing, but you doubted you were going to need it. Pressing the bottle to your lips, you took a hearty drink, the taste of raspberries and orange barely noticeable to you. In your mind, you were going back over the trip to Rhodes, washing away the shame you felt with expensive wine.

But despite your embarrassment, you found that you couldn’t stop thinking about Arthur. Everything about him stuck out in your mind; his eyes, his voice, his body, his smile.

Surprisingly, you felt a bit of guilt, causing you to take another big sip. You felt guilt for thinking about the other man like this, because despite your tense relationship, Hans was still your husband. You’d never be unfaithful to him… but not out of any moral reason. You didn’t want to risk losing something good for your family.

But you also felt guilty because it felt lecherous to think of Arthur like this. Here you were, grasping at the first man to show you any semblance of human connection like a fool. He wasn’t there to be your escape; he didn’t exist to solve your problems.

You took another swig.

And another.

And more, until the bottle was empty, and a pleasant buzz filled your senses, your head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. Getting up was a challenge, and you used the counter for support as you made your way to the goods, slowly putting them away.

But despite your pitiful attempt of drowning your thoughts, your treacherous mind kept going back to the rugged man, and those blue-eyes that had butterflies erupting in your stomach. It was almost juvenile, the way you had a crush on this man, and you’d only met him once.

Well, twice, but you wouldn’t consider the first time a proper meeting.

A small piece of paper fell out the bag, falling like a feather would, before it settled near your foot. Bending down, you felt the blood rush to your face as you did so, and you investigated the paper. It was clearly ripped out of a journal of sorts, and the handwriting was quick, like whoever wrote it only had a few seconds to do so.

Only two words adorned the page. Thank you.

More blood rushed to your face. You were so screwed.

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #arthur morgan rdr2 #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x female reader

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deadmotelsusa · 1 year

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The Motels of Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 1990s

#phoenix #arizona #vintage motel signs #1990s #deadmotelsusa #michael levine

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lost-technology · 23 days

Text

Fallout: Maximum

Concept art for a possible fanfic. A Trigun / Fallout crossover! Basic Setting Idea: This takes place on Earth, in North America, based largely upon the Fallout universe (games and TV series). I am having trouble figuring out a specific area (as my familiarity with the games is mostly in the East Coast setting games 3 and 4 and I have only played New Vegas just a little bit), but I am highly tempted to set this partly in Arizona (and thus in the series' commonwealth encompassing parts of California and Nevada). Arizona is where I grew up and ever since I learned that there was a scrapped game, Fallout: Van Buren, that was supposed to take place there, I was kind of excited. (Van Buren street! I know that area!.... *side eye* There's a reason why your character was to be an incarcerated criminal...

In the fusion-universe, Plants remain Plants. There was a project fronted by the United States government to engineer an efficient power source that would end America's dependence on both fossil fuels and the weird atom-punk direct harvesting of nuclear energy. A major problem was of course making it profitable, because late-stage Capitalism rules Fallout's pre-war North America in some of the most hilarious, yet horrible ways. It was done, though, by the secretive Project SEEDS - which had some relation to Vault-Tec, but, being its own separate thing, was spared the horrors that Vault-Tec did for sick funsies and had its own horrors to contend with. Independent Plants have the powers that they have in Trigun-canon, including their long lifespans, putting them at equal to ghoulified humans. They also, like ghouls, are pretty well immune to gamma radiation - except that it becomes clear that they are even stranger beings in the presence of it, as their Plant-markings will glow. Pictured above is Vash in one of the Glowing Seas leftover from a direct atom-bomb strike and Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Ghoulwood), smoking some good ol' Grey Tortoise cigarettes.

#trigun #trigun maximum #trigun stampede #fallout #crossover #crossovers from hell #trigun / fallout crossover #concept art #fanfiction ideas #vash the stampede #kuroneko #nicholas d. wolfwood #pen and sharpie art

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racefortheironthrone · 6 months

Note

great info on the mayors / political leaders of New York - on the anti side, how about the absolute worst and most destructive , regressive, or otherwise harmful in its history?

This one is mostly covered by my first post about NYC mayors, where I discussed the mayors from Lindsay to the present. However, I can talk about earlier mayors, even though most of them were bland non-entities. One major exception to this rule was Fernando Wood.

If there was one consistent theme of Wood's career - other than fraud (Wood stole from his bank and his own brother-in-law) and corruption - it was racism and violence.

From the very beginning of Wood's political career, he distinguished himself as the most pro-slavery man in New York Democratic politics, seeking the patronage of figures like John C. Calhoun and James Buchanan. When he shifted from Congress to mayoral politics, Wood went back and forth on what variety of pro-slavery politics he preferred (variously backing Douglas' popular sovereignty position and Buchanan's anti-Douglas position), but was a consistent enemy of John Van Buren's Free Soil Democrats, "Black Republicans," and abolitionism as a concept. Nevertheless, he managed to win election in 1854 with a bare third of the total vote.

Unlike more pliable Tammany mayors, Wood believed in "one-man rule" rather than collective pursuit of power, particularly when it came to direct mayoral control of the police force. While claiming to stand for home rule, democratic accountability, and efficiency, in reality Fernando sought to remove any commissioners on the police board who stood between him and turning the Municipal Police into his personal army. In the 1856 election, Wood gave the police the day off so that the Dead Rabbits gang could engage in street violence, physical intimidation of voters and poll workers, and theft of ballot boxes. Evidently Wood needed the help, because he won with a tiny plurality of the vote and ran well behind the Democratic ticket.

Wood managed to skate from any indictment from Election Day violence, but he had gone too far politically. Tammany broke with Wood, barring him from the building and promoting his political opponents to Federal patronage positions. The Republican-controlled state legislature enacted a new Municipal Charter that ordered a new election for 1857 and transferred control over public works to state commissioners appointed by the governor, and then a Metropolitan Police Act that abolished Wood's Municipal Police and replaced them with a new force under state commissioners.

Wood refused to accept the Metropolitan Police Act or the Municipal Charter as law, ordered his Municipal Police to physically remove state commissioners from government buildings, and when the new Metropolitan Police attempted to arrest him for selling the office of Street Commissioner for $50,000, Wood mobilized the Municipal Police against the "Black Republicans," leading to the "Great Police Riot" in which the two police forces met in open combat on the steps of City Hall. 53 people were injured, the state militia had to be called out to disperse the Municipal Police, and Wood was arrested (and then promptly released by a friendly judge).

New York City's gangs, with Wood's allies the Dead Rabbits very much in the lead, realized that with the city's two police forces at war (Wood had directed the Municipal Police to stop the Metropolitan Police from carrying out arrests, leading to frequent skirmishes), there was no state monopoly on violence to restrain them.

Amid a rising crime wave, the Dead Rabbits Riot broke out on July 4th - in which the Five Points gangs under the leadership of the Dead Rabbits invaded the Bowery and went to war with both the Bowery gangs and the Metropolitan Police. At its height, the riot involved 800-1,000 armed men and women who responded to police charges by building barrricades. Once again, the state militia had to be called out to quell the violence (at least 8 people killed and about 100 injured), although fighting would continue for another week. Ultimately, the courts ruled against Wood and the Municipal Police were disbanded.

In the election that year, Wood ran on a pro-slavery platform that praised the Dred Scott decision and Buchanan's pro-slavery policy in Bleeding Kansas, while attacking Republican efforts to expand voting rights to black New Yorkers. This race-baiting failed to distract voters from the violence and corruption of the Wood Administration, to say nothing of the Panic of 1857 which had sent unemployment in the city skyrocketing. To get rid of Wood, Tammany formed a fusion ticket with the Republicans and Know-Nothings that narrowly defeated the incumbent mayor.

Learning nothing from his defeat, Wood blamed the loss on a shadowy cabal of "Black Republicans" who had supposedly infiltrated Tammany Hall and formed his own rival Democratic machine out of Mozart Hall. In 1859, Wood once again used armed violence, this time to try to seize control of the State Democratic Convention from Tammany delegates. When this didn't work, Wood once again turned to racism in his campaign to get back into the mayoralty, running on a pro-slavery, anti-John Brown, and anti-abolition platform. He just barely managed to pull out another tiny plurality victory with only 38% of the total vote.

In his next term, Wood crossed the line from mere bigotry to open treason, calling for New York City to secede from both New York state and the United States (both controlled by "Black Republican" abolitionists, according to Wood) so that it could trade freely with the Confederacy. In 1861, Wood came in third place for re-election, finishing only a thousand votes behind both the Republican and the Tammany Democrat.

Despite (or arguably because of) his vocal pro-Confederacy stance and his supporters having caused the 1863 Draft Riots, Wood became the leader of the so-called "Peace" Democratic faction against the War Democrats. Lest you think that Wood was motivated by his abbhorence of war, Wood made the reasons for his opposition clear when he pushed for constitutional amendments to protect slavery, attacked War Democrats as "a white man's face on the body of a negro," and led the Congressional opposition to the passage of the 13th Amendment. In 1868, Wood was censured by Congress for his verbal attacks on the Reconstruction Acts. This censure accomplished nothing, and Wood continued his Congressional career unabated, which culminated in becoming Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee following the end of Reconstruction.

Wood had the reverse Midas touch of turning everything he touched to shit, such that even the few good things he supported - like home rule for New York City and public works jobs for the unemployed - became tainted by association with his violence and corruption. As far as I'm concerned, they should have done him like they did Vallandigham.

Compared to Wood, the faults of every other NYC mayor seem like the most minor of venal sins.

"Gentleman" Jimmy Walker was corrupt as fuck - supporting his lavish lifestyle by taking bribes from anyone with a pulse, selling the services of the NYPD to the mob, getting in bed with Arnold Rothstein, and perhaps having been connected to the murder of a whistleblower on police corruption and the disappearance of a New York Supreme Court judge - but he was also part of the progressive wing of Tammany Hall and a talented administrator (albeit one who only worked from 3-5 so as not to interfere with his more important time with showgirls, nightclubs, speakeasies, and boxing matches). He supported social welfare policies, opposed the KKK, built municipal waterworks and subway lines (albeit through corrupt contracts), and created the Sanitation and Hospitals Departments.

Similarly, William O'Dwyer was a typical Tammany politician who oversaw a massive police corruption scandal in Brooklyn, and ultimately had to flee to Mexico to avoid investigations from the Justice Department and the Brooklyn DA into his ties with organized crime, but he was in most other respects a typical if unremarkable mid-century NYC Mayor.

Shouldn't have raised the subway fare to ten cents, tho.

#history #u.s history #nyc history #nyc mayor #fernando wood #may he burn in hell #jimmy walker #william o'dwyer #tammany hall #political machines #urban politics

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martin-matchup · 9 months

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Hello everyone! Please take a look at the finished bracket!

[Image ID: The first image is the first half of the bracket. The bracket itself is on a dark grey bg, drawn in white lines. There are 24 contestants on this side, 48 all together. In the middle is drawn a winners pedestal with the first three places. On the highest step, for the first place there is a golden trophy that says "best martin" on it in blue letters. There is confetti around the trophy.

The second image is the second half. It it styled the same, with 24 contestants on this side as well. End ID.]

The polls will each last a week and will be posted with a one day difference for each half (as in, the first twelve polls will go up, and then a day after, the next 12 and so on) until the final. I am currently organising the polls so if you have any feedback/suggestions/character images you'd like me to use, feel free to send an ask!

Contestants are listed under the cut.

First half:

Martin Blackwood (The Magnus Archives)

Martin Prince (The Simpsons)

Martin the gecko (GEICO)

Martini (alcohol, Real life)

Martini glass (glass, Real life)

Martin "Marty" Deeks (NCIS : Los Angeles)

Martyn Inthelittlewood (3rd life minecraft smp/life series, Datastream)

Marty McFly (Back to the Future)

Martin of Redwall/Martin the Warrior (The Redwall book series)

Martin Brenner (Stranger Things)

Martin Scorsese (Real life)

Martin Stein (DC's Legends of Tomorrow)

Martin Brody (Jaws)

Martin the butler (The Parent Trap)

Martin Fitzgerald (Without a Trace)

Martin Mystery (Martin Mystery)

Martin van Buren (The US, Real life)

Mars (Roman mythology)

Martin (The Mechanisms, Hereward the Wake, Tales to be Told Vol. 2)

Marty the zebra (Madagascar)

Martin Septim (The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion)

Martin Moone (Moone Boy)

M. (Lethal Weapon)

Marty (Papa Louie)

Second half:

Martina (The Four of Them)

Martin (Wii Sports)

Martin Mertens (Adventure Time)

Martin Wright (Big Nate)

Martin O’Hara (My Favourite Martian)

Martin Crane (Frasier)

Marty (Image Fashion Designer)

Martin Blyndeff (Epithet Erased)

Martin Martinaise (aka the smoker on the balcony, Disco Elysium)

Marty Farms (aka Marcus Barnes, The Electric Company)

Purple Martin (bird, Real life)

Martin Benson (Bee Movie)

Martin Whitly (Prodigal Son)

Martin Franklin (Fear Street)

Martin Murphy (Milo Murphy's law)

Pine Marten (animal, Real life)

Martin (Mysteries of providence)

Martin Chatwin (The Magicians (Also Fillory and Further, a series within the series))

Martin Penderwick (The Penderwicks)

Martin Banks (Magic 2.0 book series)

Martin Morning (Martin Morning)

Martin Ellingham (Doc Martin)

Martin Kratt (Wild Kratts)

Martín Cobblepot (Gotham)

#not a poll #but still important!#martin matchup

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digitalnewberry · 7 months

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Pass the three varieties of squirrel, please: Thanksgiving in 1870

Menu for Thanksgiving Day, Everett House hotel, Chicago, November 24, 1870

While many think of Thanksgiving Day as a timeless American tradition, it did not become the federal holiday celebrated on a late November Thursday until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. The Newberry's Graff Collection includes the printed menu for the Thanksgiving Day meal served seven years later, on November 24, 1870, at Chicago's Everett House hotel, located at the corner of Clark and Van Buren streets. The details of this nineteenth-century menu may shock a twenty-first-century palate. Some of today's usual suspects are here: roast wild goose and turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed and sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie all appear on the menu. In addition, however, there is an assortment of "side dishes" of roasted or broiled game, including black bear, buffalo, sandhill crane, "oppossum" (sic), nine varieties of duck, and three of squirrel. "Maccaroni" (sic) appears as a dessert option, after the pastry course of pies, cakes, and puddings.

Read the full post by Will Hansen, Vice President for Collections and Library Services and Curator of Americana

View this item or more items from the Everett D. Graff Collection of U.S. Western Expansion at Newberry Digital Collections

#newberry library #libraries #special collections #archives #chicago #thanksgiving #collection stories

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fagdykefrank · 1 year

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I heard you like presidents.

Let's say all former US presidents are placed on three acres of land surrounded by a 10 ft fence. The contestants have three full days to negotiate, fight, and duel, without food or water. Presidents that get knocked out or surrender are picked up out of the arena by a crane in an undignified manner. The last president standing is crowned champion. Only one president can be chosen, any presidents that attempt to claim a team victory will be disqualified from competitions.

1. Who will fight each other right out of the gate, based off their political history?

2. Who will voluntarily surrender, or try to escape?

3. What presidents will form alliances, and with whom?

4. What will make it to the final day of competition?

5. Who will be crowned champion?

(The rules of this engagement are borrowed from a webcomic, Achewood)

1. Fighting out the gate, definitely Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Tyler. Maybe Ulysses Grant, Andrew Johnson, John Quincy Adams, but definitely those first three. They were known to be extremely forceful during their presidencies, at times even aggressive. Andrew Jackson was known to literally attack people in the street. Donald Trump also probably fits into this category, but I think he would shirk an actual physical fight the way these other men wouldn't.

2. Noted presidential cowards include William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, Martin Van Buren, Herbert Hoover, and maybe Joe Biden (honestly, depending on the day with him). These presidents avoided conflict and hated losing, which made them all pretty mediocre at their jobs. They were also largely physically very weak, and had little to no physical fighting experience.

3. Alliance formers include Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson if he's in a good mood, Calvin Coolidge, James Garfield Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B Hayes, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Monroe, and James Madison, to varying degrees of success. The founding fathers would all definitely band together, seeing as they've got actual experience together. Roosevelt and Johnson would probably team up, but it wouldn't be an extremely solid alliance because LBJ was a nightmare to work with as an equal. All the others were largely willing to work with anyone who would work with them, which makes them good presidents to ally with if you're planning on backstabbing them. LBJ takes out approximately a third of the competition this way.

4. Who makes it to the final day? Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, JFK but only if he's lucky, Calvin Coolidge, Ulysses Grant, and maybe (MAYBE) Abraham Lincoln. Calvin Coolidge was nicknamed Silent Cal during his presidency and was the kind of guy who would sit in the corner of his own damn birthday party and watch the room completely expressionless. Unfuckwithable. Abraham Lincoln was Grant's boss for a bit (maybe you've heard), and Ulysses Grant would definitely defend him. The founding fathers are all insufferable hypocrites and once everyone else figures that out they're all done. JFK had a barrage of illnesses that plagued him his whole life, but he was also prone to feats of absurd athleticism in the face of certain death due to his time in the Navy.

5. Who wins? Honestly, either Teddy Roosevelt or Andrew Jackson. Roosevelt was a rigorous outdoorsman who cured himself of every childhood disease with the power of American Masculinity TM, and Jackson was a violent misanthrope who would attack anyone for any reason and usually won. It would be a battle of the ages.

Bonus: Presidents I Didn't Mention Earlier

James Polk had a penchant for randomly dying at tonal ironic moments. He would probably take out Thomas Jefferson and then immediately have a heart attack and die. Presidents Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan were all defined by their refusal to understand the problems they needed to deal with. They would pretend nothing was going until forced to comprehend their situation, at which point they would all bawl like little babies. Chester Arthur has no idea what the fuck is going on. Grover Cleveland is completely unlikeable, but lasts surprisingly long by complete accident. William McKinley tries to establish order and civilization amidst the chaos and fails miserably. Warren Harding has a torrid love affair with someone and then abruptly dies. Dwight Eisenhower just leaves. Ronald Reagan tries to establish himself as a rough and ready Teddy Roosevelt type guy, but he isn't that even slightly and is eliminated quickly. The Bushes take each other out. Clinton is the guy who Harding has an affair with. He couldn't give less of a fuck when Harding dies.

#thank you for this this is the most fun ive had all day

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adventuressclubamericas · 1 year

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Adventuresses Like Phryne

Last month, we talked about the Van Buren sisters and their legendary transcontinental motorcycle trip in 1916. As impressive as their feat was, they weren’t the first women to cross the US by motorcycle.

That distinction belongs to Adventuresses Effie and Avis Hotchkiss, who did it in 1915.

Effie Hotchkiss was a young woman ahead of her time. She learned to ride and fix motorcycles when she was 16. At 18, she was working on Wall Street, something almost unheard of at the time.

But she still craved adventure – she wanted to be the first woman to cross the US on a bike. The 1915 World’s Fair in San Francisco gave her that chance. On May 2, 1915, she set off from Brooklyn on her Harley-Davidson 11-F with her mother, Avis, in the sidecar.

“We merely wanted to see America and considered that the three-speed Harley-Davidson for myself, and sidecar for mother and the luggage best suited for the job.” Effie said.

The roads were challenging, to say the least, often little more than dirt paths – until the rain came, and they became mud pits. The roads took their toll on the duo’s tires. They would eventually run out of replacement inner-tubes and had to resort to cutting and rolling up a blanket to repair a flat.

In spite of the conditions, Avis never lost confidence in her daughter. "I do not fear breakdowns. For Effie, being a most careful driver, is a good mechanic and does her own repairing with her own tools."

She was also a good shot, which proved necessary for their less than friendly encounters with coyotes and rattlesnakes.

The pair reached San Francisco and the Fair in August 1915. They made their way to the beach and poured the jar of Atlantic seawater they’d carried from New York into the Pacific Ocean. Then, they turned around and drove home.

They completed their 9,000-mile adventure in October 1915. In 2022, 107 years after the trip, Effie Hotchkiss was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association’s Hall of Fame.

#adventuress #adventuresses #AdventuressesWeLove #motorcycle #harley #harley-davidson

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handeaux · 1 year

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Remember When The Cream Of Cincinnati Society Performed Circus Tricks?

A circus was the hottest ticket in Cincinnati in 1905, but this was no ordinary big-top extravaganza. The Riding Club of Cincinnati, comprising the very cream of Queen City society, staged a one-ring performance every other year and the stars of this exclusive entertainment were, in fact, the scions of the city’s most established families.

The opportunity to witness various Tafts, Probascos, Hulberts, Graydons, Burtons, Schmiddlapps, and other social-register luminaries demonstrating their skill in trick riding and clowning could probably have generated immeasurable ticket sales. This was, however, an occasion organized by the smart set for its own amusement, so each Riding Club member was issued three, and only three, tickets to distribute to friends and family. The audience never topped 500. Thankfully, the newspapers were invited and so we have a record of the evening’s various acts. And, according to the record, Cincinnati’s upper crust acquitted themselves admirably in the tanbark ring.

The 1905 circus was organized by real estate magnate John Van Buren Scarborough, president of the Riding Club. The performers, mostly younger members of the social set, were trained by the club’s riding master, Leon De Gisbert, and his assistant, Frederick “Fritz” Schaurer.

Ringmaster W.H. “Buck” Harrison narrated the opening parade including, he claimed, “a magnificent menagerie of carnivora, herbivora, omnivora, exotics, epizootics, neurotics, microbes, molecules and germs.” The pageant was led by drum major Murdock Burton, who later went on to Harvard University and the presidency of several Cincinnati companies. In addition to horses, donkeys, dogs and clowns, the procession included two floats occupied by older members of the club costumed as historic figures.

Since it was organized by the Riding Club, it is not surprising that most of the acts featured in the 1905 circus involved equestrian skill – riding bareback, prancing in formation, various jumping routines – but the membership also demonstrated their capabilities in gymnastics, dog training and, notably, clowning.

Even in 1905, with the automobile encroaching ever more ominously onto the city’s streets, the Riding Club’s greasepaint skits were largely directed at mocking mechanical transportation. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer [26 March 1905]:

“The modern way of traveling was illustrated by the clowns’ trouble with the automobile, which finally exploded and was carried from the ring in baskets as kindling wood.”

This anti-automotive theme was a position of long standing among the Riding Club. Two years previously, several members announced, according to the Cincinnati Post [31 October 1903] that they were dissatisfied with the city’s streetcar service. They recommended abandoning electric streetcars in favor of horse-drawn omnibuses.

“A circular letter has been sent out by the entertainment committee, consisting of Messrs. Scarborough, Holland, Burkhardt and Laws, which proposes to start omnibus lines for the accommodation of members of the club and their families. At first this is to be used for the musical rides this winter, but it may be extended later to every-day service. It is proposed to run the lines between Walnut Hills, Clifton, Avondale and Vernonville.”

That proposed omnibus route indicates the neighborhoods in which the Riding Club members mostly resided. Originally organized at Music Hall in 1890, the Riding Club moved out to the hilltop suburbs not long after and constructed a bridle path running from Reading Road in Avondale along Victory Parkway (then still known as Bloody Run) to Walnut Hills.

The headquarters of the Riding Club was located on Reading Road at Asmann Avenue, on property later traded to the Ohio National Guard for its armory. Ranny Matthews recalled that old building for the Cincinnati Post [7 May 1945]:

“It was always murky and cold in the Ohio Guard ring. Our mothers shivered. The horses steamed. And red-nosed, black-habited Fritz, the assistant riding master, had a perpetual cold.”

Despite his ongoing battle with rhinoviruses, Fritz Schaurer saw his role as preparing the upcoming generation for leadership. He told the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [24 June 1923] that learning to ride was an important component of learning to lead:

“A horse is not the least bit deceived about the rider on his back. That horse knows exactly whether the rider is master or not of himself, and therefore, of the animal.”

Interestingly, since most of the Riding Club trainees were young women, they were, perhaps unintentionally, instructed in how to manage men. This side effect came out when the young ladies of the Riding Club held a leap-year ride in 1904. Since they were trained in horsemanship, and their beaux were generally not, it presented an amusing turnabout for the Cincinnati Post [6 February 1904]:

“There will be beauteous damsels, until now waited on with assiduous attention, vainly striving to assist 240-pound swains into the saddle. Gracious me! And should one of the spirited equines prance and curvet with its burden of bachelor, a snowy hand must restrain its joyous spirit and care for the safety of the rider – it is so nominated in the bond, and a leap-year party means the ‘Ladies Paramount.’”

Eventually, the city’s wealthier families, and the Riding Club, adjourned to greener pastures in Indian Hill and environs more suitable for fox hunting and horseback riding in general. The old Armory, afflicted with dangerously outdated wiring, burned to the ground in 1954.

The memory of the 1905 circus lived on for decades. Among the highlights of that long-ago event was the Maypole Ride, in which 10 young ladies holding gayly-tinted ribbons galloped at full speed around a maypole planted at the center of a 42-foot ring. The newspapers noted that every last one of the riders would “come out” in the next debutante class and be presented to society in a very different setting indeed.

#cincinnati riding club #cincinnati society #circuses

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archinform · 9 months

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Fisher Building, Chicago

343 South Dearborn Street

Completed 1896; addition 1907

Charles Atwood, D.H. Burnham & Co. architects

1907 addition, Peter J. Weber, architect

2001 restoration and adaptive reuse, Pappageorge Haymes, supervising architects

by Roger Jones, August 2023

Fisher Building, photo by Roger Jones

Lucius Fisher (1843-1916). He was a Chicago, Illinois paper company magnate and architect. In 1895, he commissioned Daniel Burnham and Company to build the 20 story, 275 foot tall Fisher Building in the Chicago Loop.

Fisher Building, Chicago, taken April 29, 1896. From The Inland Architect and News Record, May 1896. [Link to full article PDF here]

The writer of the 1896 article described the building thus:

But here, for what we believe to be the first time in human experience, one of the highest commercial buildings in the world has been erected almost without any bricks. It fronts on three streets, and on the remaining side adjoins other property. The fronts are covered with cellular terra cotta on the outside, not in imitation of a wall, but following upward the steel supporting members, and closing in the transoms between the windows, leaving two-thirds of the exterior to be enclosed by glass… Only two bricklayers were employed at any time in this part of the work.

(Left) Daniel H. Burnham (1846-1912)

(Right) Charles B. Atwood (1849-1895)

The Fisher Building, 343 South Dearborn Street in the Chicago Loop, was commissioned by paper magnate Lucius Fisher. The original 18-story building was completed in 1896 by D.H. Burnham & Company; the architect was Charles B. Atwood, who died before the building's completion. An addition was later added in 1907.

Some facts about the building, from the Emporis site:

The original wing was only the second building in Chicago to reach 18 stories (after the Masonic Temple), and is the oldest still standing at that height.

Because of the building's great height for its time, the usual spread foundations were supplemented with piles underneath them to support the added weight.

The second floor was originally a banking room, and has especially large windows compared to the floors above it.

To enhance the facade's vertical emphasis, most of the ornamentation is placed on its horizontal members, reducing the banding effect that would occur if they were blank.

The Gothic ornament is in the 15th century style of Bruges and Rouen.

Declaring the structure a Chicago Landmark in 1978, the Landmarks Division noted:

Cladding this early skyscraper with Gothic-inspired, terra-cotta tracery was not a casual stylistic choice. Its designers looked for inspiration to the early Gothic cathedrals of Europe, which shared common characteristics of tallness and often having more glass than masonry. Cut glass door panel Eagles and mythical beasts decorate the upper stories, and aquatic creatures and seashells--a visual pun on the name of the building's original owner, Lucius G. Fisher--are found at the base. A later addition to the north is largely a repetition of the original design, except for the absence of bay windows.

Early postcard views of the building

Archival photos

Fisher Building under construction (left) and on completion (right)

Van Buren (main) entrance; Lobby stairs

Entrance hall

First story entrance corridor in 1896

Original elevator cage

Original elevators

Advertisement for Winslow Brothers, who executed the metalwork for the Fisher Building

Late 19th Century Cast Iron Elevator Lobby Door from The Fisher Building, listed for sale on 1stdibs.com. Compare to original elevators photo above.

Rendering of the 1907 addition, Peter J. Weber, architect

Other illustrations

Upper elevator grille. Art Institute of Chicago

Elevator frieze panel. Urban Remains, Chicago.

Architectural Description from the 1965 Historic American Buildings Survey Report [Link to PDF of report here]

PART 11 ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: I. Architectural character: The Fisher Building is a large office 'building designed by the firm of D. H. Burnham Co. in 1895. It has been cited by the Chicago Landmarks Commission and it is indicative of the level of achievement in skyscraper design attained by the architects of the Chicago School. The steel cage structure is sheathed in a curtain wall of decorative terra cotta and glass, providing ample space and light for the occupants and making it possible for the building to be erected relatively quickly and economically. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: Rectangular 70'-6" (five-bay south front) x 150' 0" (eleven-bay west front), including addition. Eighteen stories. 2. Wall construction, finish and color: The original block of the building had tripartite projecting bays alternating with planed surfaces. Bays end at sill of 17th story. Arches of varying width span the window openings of the 17th floor. The original salmon terra cotta finish is now coated with a black patina from the soot and dirt of the city. 3. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The arched entrance on VanBuren Street, originally the principal entrance, is intact; that at 343 South Dearborn Street has received a 20th century I 'modernization"--a polished granite portal with plate glass and aluminum doors. The original doors from the vestibule inside are decorated with an ornamental fish cut in the glass panels. b.. Windows: Mostly one-over-one light, double-hung windows; those of the original building are grouped three to a bay window, two between; in the north addition, the windows are placed in a plane in groups of three. At the 17th floor the lights are gathered under wide arches; at the 18th they are again in threes with transoms above. The first floor display windows have been disfigured by a variety of signs, aluminum panels, and other attempts at commercial modernization. ...General setting and orientation: The buiIding occupies the southern portion of a narrow block at the south end of the Loop. Its neighbors are the Old Colony Building (HABS No. ILL-1053) to the south and the Monadnock BuiIding (HABS NO. ILL-1027) to the west. The buiIding fronts the sidewalk line on three sides and is adjacent to the elevated on VanBuren Street. Prepared by Larry J. Homolka, Historian and Assistant Supervisor National Park Service August, 1965.

My Photos:

Links / Sources:

Architecturefarm - old chicago skyscraper of the week–Fisher Building

Chicagology

chicago.designslinger

Emporis Buildings on the Wayback Machine – Fisher Building Chicago

HABS Report 1965

Historic Structures

cityclubapartments.com - Daniel H. Burnham's Fisher Building interior lobby original elevator doors executed by Winslow Brothers

Chicago Landmarks - Fisher Building

Researchgate

Urban Remains - Fisher Building

Urban Remains - Fisher artifacts

Wikimedia commons

#Fisher #Fisher Building #architecture #Chicago #DH Burnham #Charles B. Atwood #skyscraper #terra cotta #landmark #Peter J. Weber

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coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe · 6 months

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Neutralised (1994) [3/?]: My Version of The Shared Universe

For those of you unfamiliar with 'Chicago Hope', it was actually set in a shared universe. Also, 'Suspiciously Similar' characters will be involved (Due to actors playing multiple roles). This is my take on that:

Shows:

Chicago Hope

Homicide: Life on the Street

Law & Order

Neutralised

Picket Fences

characters (I'm not listing anyone who was in 20 episodes or less) under the cut. Also technically these are not all the characters as I'm still writing stuff.

Chicago Hope - Characters (& Actors):

Doctor Aaron Shutt (Adam Arkin)

Doctor Phillip Watters (Hector Elizondo)

Doctor William 'Billy' Kronk (Peter Berg)

Doctor Dennis Hancock (Vlondie Curtis-Hall)

Doctor Diane Grad (Jayne Brook)

Doctor Keith Wilkes (Rocky Carroll)

Doctor Jack McNeil (Mark Harmon)

Doctor Daniel Nyland (Thomas Gibson)

Doctor Jeffrey Geiger (Mandy Patinkin)

Nurse Camille Shutt (Roxanne Hart)

Doctor Lisa Catera (Stacy Edwards)

Alan Birch (Peter MacNicol)

Doctor Joseph Cacaci (Bob Bancroft)

Doctor Robert Yeats (Eric Stoltz)

Doctor Gina Simon (Carla Gugino)

Doctor Jeremy Hanlon (Lauren Holly)

Doctor Francesca Alberghetti (Barbara Hershey)

Homicide: Life on the Street - Characters (& Actors)

Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer)

Detective Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson)

Lieutenant Alphonse Giardello (Yaphet Kotto)

Detective Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor)

Detective Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher)

Detective / Sergeant Kay Howard (Melissa Leo)

Detective Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond)

Officer/Detective/Lieutenant Stuart Gharty (Peter Gerety)

Detective Paul Falsone (Jon Seda)

Lieutenant/Captain/Detective Megan Russert (Isabella Hofman)

Detective Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne)

Detective Terri Stivers (Toni Lewis)

Captain/Colonel George Barnfather (Clayton LeBouef)

ASA Ed Danvers (Željko Ivanek)

J.H.Brodie (Max Perlich)

Detective Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin)

Detective Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty)

Dr Julianna Cox (Michelle Forbes)

FBT Agent/Officer Mike Giardello (Giancario Esposito)

Detective Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele)

Dr. Alyssa Dyer (Harlee McBride)

Detective/Captain Roger Gaffney (Walt MacPherson)

Law & Order - Characters (& Actors)

Sergeant Maxwell Greevey (George Dzundza)

Junior Detective Michael Logan (Chris Noth)

Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek)

Exex ADA Benjamin Stone (Michael Moriarty)

ADA Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks)

DA Adam Schiff (Steven Hill)

Sergeant Philip Cerreta (Paul Sorvino)

Dr Elizabeth Olivet (Carolyn McCormic)

Senior Detective Leonard W Briscoe (Jerry Orbach)

Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson)

ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy)

Exec ADA/DA John McCoy (Sam Waterston)

Junior Detective Reynaldo Curtis (Benjamin Bratt)

ADA Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell)

ADA Abigail Carmichael (Angie Harmon)

Junior/Senior Detective Edward Green (Jesse L. Martin)

Interim DA Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest)

ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Röhm)

DA Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson)

Neutralised - Characters (& Actors)

Abraham Machado (Alfred Molina)

Andreina Neri (Robin Wright)

Caleb Willow (Cary Elwes)

Dove Lewis (Alfre Woodard)

Esmé Verity (Janaeane Garofalo)

Faustus Sanchez (Hank Azaria)

Grayson Bryant (Harold Perrineau)

Hunter Kingsley (Chris Farley)

Ichabod Mortimer (Danny DeVito)

Jared Foster (Kirk Acevedo)

Kane Carter (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Lance Carter (John Goodman)

Monday Duke (Patricia Arquette)

Noam Gold (Oliver Platt)

Omega Finch (Willem Dafoe)

Peyton Blythe (Regina King)

Russel Warszawski (Adam Sandler)

Sullivan Landon (Christopher Lloyd)

Tuesday Duke (Reese Witherspoon)

Victor Jamison (Mike Myers)

Winslow Warszawski (Brad Garrett)

Xavier Solomon (David Spade)

Yancy Haggard (Kiefer Sutherland)

Zoey Knight (Geena Davis)

OZ - Characters (& Actors)

Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau)

Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen)

Ryan O'Reily (Dean Winters)

Kareem Saïd / Goodson Truman (Eamonn Walker)

Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo)

Vernon Schillinger (J.K. Simmons)

Simon Adebisi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)

Christopher Keller (Christopher Meloni)

Zahir Arif (Granville Adams)

Hamid Khan (Ernie Hudson Jr.)

Nacim Bismilla (Re Hanna)

Huseni Mershah / James Monroe Madison (Roger Guenvuer Smith)

Leroy Tidd / Salah Udeen (Jacues Smith)

Jefferson Keane (Leon)

Kenny Wangler (J.D. Williams)

Arnold 'Poet' Jackson (muMs the Schemer)

Paul Markstrom (O.L. Duke)

Junior Pierce (Malé-Lexington Alexander)

Malcolm 'Snake' Coyle (Treach)

Johnny Post (Tim McAdams)

James Robson (R.E. Rodgers)

Mark Mack (Leif Riddell)

Jaz Hoyt (Evan Seinfeld)

Scott Ross (Stephen Gevedon)

Andrew Schillinger (Frederick Koehler)

Nino Schibetta (Tony Schibetta)

Peter Schibetta (Eddie Malavarca)

Antonio Nappa (Mark Margolis)

Chucky Pancamo (Chuck Zito)

Dino Ortolani (Jon Seda)

Don Zanghi (John Palumbo)

Joey D'Angelo (Goodfella Mike G)

Mario Seggio (Todd Etelson)

Salvatore DeSanto (Phil Campanella)

Raoul 'El Cid' Hernandez (Luis Guzman)

Carmen 'Chico' Guerra (Otto Sanchez)

Carlos Martinez (Carlos Leon)

Carlo Ricardo (Juan Carlos Hernandez)

Cyril O'Reily (Scott William Winters)

Rev. Jeremiah Cloutier (Luke Perry)

Timmy Kirk (Sean Dugan)

Alonzo Torquemada (Bobby Cannavale)

Richie Hanlon (Jordan Lage)

Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe)

Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen)

Agamemnin Busmalis (Tom Mardirosian)

Donald Groves (Sean Whitesell)

Jackson Vahue (Rick Fox)

Desmond Mobay / John Basil (Lance Reddick)

Richard L'Italien (Eric Roberts)

Nikolai Stanislofsky (Phillip Casnoff)

William Giles (Austin Pendleton)

Henry Stanton (Thomas G. Waites)

Colonel Edward Galson (John Doman)

Eli Zabitz (David Johansen)

Kipekemie Jara (Zakes Mokae)

Dean Alvah Case (Charles S. Dutton)

Sean Murphy (Robert Clohessy)

Claire Howell (Kristin Rohde)

Diane Wittlesey (Edie Falco)

Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam)

Karl Metzger (Bill Fagerbakke)

Eddie Hunt (Murphy Guyer)

Lenny Burrano (Skipp Sudduth)

Father Ray Mukada (B.D Wong)

Doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Veldez)

Governor James Devlin (Željko Ivanek)

Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey)

Doctor Frederick Garvey (Milo O'Shea)

Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson)

Tim McManus (Terry Kinney)

Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (Rita Moreno)

Picket Fences - Characters (& Actors)

Sheriff James 'Jimmy' Brock (Tom Skerritt)

Doctor Jill Brock (Kathy Baker)

Kimberly Brock (Holly Marie Combs)

Matthew Brock (Justin Shenkarow)

Zachary 'Zach' Brock (Adam Wylie)

Deputy Kenny Lacos (Costas Mandylor)

Deputy Maxine 'Max' Stewart (Lauren Holly)

Carter Pike (Kelly Connell)

Ginny Weedon (Zelda Rubinstein)

Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel)

Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston)

DA John Littleton (Don Cheadle)

DA Barnaby Wood (Peter Frechette)

ADA Petrovic (Jason Beghe)

Father Gary Barrett (Roy Dotrice)

Laurie Bey (Marlee Matlin)

Howard Buss (Robert Cornthwaite)

Doctor Joanna 'Joey' Diamond (Amy Aquino)

Lisa Fenn (Alexandra Lee)

Frank (David Proval)

Rachel Harris (Leigh Taylor-Young)

Ed Lawson (Richard Masur)

Peter Lebeck (Michael Jeter)

Milton Lebeck (Chris Owen)

Reverend Henry Novotny (Dabbs Greer)

Principal Michael Oslo (Roy Brocksmith)

Cynthia Parks (Elisabeth Moss)

Bill Pugen (Michael Keenan)

Lydia Brock (Cristine Rose)

Aiesha Campbell (Bruklin Harris)

Brian Latham (Gregory Vignolle)

Agent Donald Morrell (Sam Anderson)

#original character #original characters #original writing #original series #Neutralised #chicago hope #homicide life on the street #law & order #oz #hbo oz #picket fences #shared universe #very long post #alfred molina #tagging only alfred because i hope the molina girlies like bram

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