THE BALTIMORE STAR
BALTIMORE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 1867 | 1/2¢ |
THE WAR IS OVER
GENERAL LEE SURRENDERS TO GENERAL SHERMAN IN RICHMOND
by Jeremiah Cimmerian - Editor-In-Chief
…it may be lost on my readers, given the exultation you must be experiencing with the knowledge that you are no longer refugees, but an unexpectedly rainy day is all that separates those who still live from the cold reality of our current landscape. Recall the first battle of Gettysberg. Rain and wind blanketed the battlefield on that most unkind day.
There are still legends of dark riders, the mythical 682nd which brought death and darkness along with them. This is a falsehood of the highest order, I assure you. The Union army, under the incompetent General Meade, allowed Lee free reign and they slaughtered the Army of the Potomac almost to the man. No greater loss of life has ever occurred on this continent, and may never again.
To say that our optimism for a quicker end to the war was shattered in that moment would be an understatement, but I would myself be retelling a falsehood if I said that I expected the total obliteration of our fine city before war's end. That it would come within days of the signing of the terms of surrender is itself an appalling fact.
I would venture to say that the terms of that surrender border on a victory by the South. With the exception of outlawing of slavery in the Southern states they have given the union nothing, and the demand that President Lincoln resign his position was only less preposterous than the fact that the terms were accepted. Even now he boards a train headed west, leaving behind the graves of his family and innumerable union soldiers. He is perhaps never to be seen again in the civilized world.
And so it must be with myself also. The Razing of Baltimore was complete and abiding, dear reader. This last edition is being printed on borrowed presses in our nation's capital and distributed to you in whatever refugee camp you inhabit.
The union has seen fit to give the survivors of the Razing a sum of 50 dollars and the promise of land in the west. I will myself go there to find my fortune or my death. As I enter this new period of my life, I would like to thank you for your patronage. If you are to ever find yourself in Riddle, Wyoming, pass me by without a word. I do not wish to be reminded of this chapter of my life.
Astounding Tales: Fresh From The West.
- Now Hollow Fires Burn Out To Black And Lights Are Guttering Low by Doctor Cimmerian
- An Explosive Shout Cracks the Great Empty Sky by Gabriel Jade
- There in the starless dark, with vast wings across the canceled skies; the sudden blackness of nothing at all. by Doctor Cimmerian
- And the answer you have to give, no matter how dark and cold the world around you is: Maybe I’m a king. by Rounderhouse
- Square your shoulders, lift your pack, and leave your friends and go. by Uncle Nicolini
- I've Been Through the Desert on a Horse with No Name by DarkStuff
- Illegitimum non carborundum; Domine salvum fac by Ihp
- I just found me a brand new box of matches by mayoculpa
- It was night in the lonesome October by Ihp
- Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to understand, there was always love in Daddy's hands by OthellotheCat
- Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an Amortization? or his Tongue with a Bribe which thou lettest down? by Gabriel Jade
- Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone by CanOfSoup
- He Picked Up The Gun by Proasek
- I crawl a cracked and broken path; if we make it we can all sit back and laugh, but I fear tomorrow I'll be crying by CanOfSoup
- Silent roars will kill this curiosity by GerrymanderBassist
- Knowledge is a deadly friend if no one sets the rules; the fate of all mankind I see is in the hands of fools. by DrBrandstiftung
- When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well, hang on; don't let yourself go 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts by DrBrandstiftung
- The beat of rain upon the land, broken teardrop in my hand by CanOfSoup
- A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart by DrDromeus
- What the hand, dare seize the fire? by DolorousDoctor
- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all of the difference by DolorousDoctor
- The Ranger with the Big Iron on his Hip by DrDromeus
- Mama, put my Guns in the Ground - I can’t Shoot them Anymore by DrDromeus
- The Only Sound Within the Room is the Falling of Each Tear by Penguin6
- The Hanging Tree by Doctor Fullham
- We draw our own designs but fortune has to make that frame by GerrymanderBassist
- Smile A Little Smile For Me by PeppersGhost
- In the cards and at the bend of the road, we never saw you by CanOfSoup
- A Welt of Thought on Blight Hill by Ayers
- And The Cab Passed At Nine by Penguin6
- And I'd Let That Lonesome Whistle Blow My Blues Away... by Casponaut
A Letter From The Editor
Do you enjoy watching, reading, or writing stories set in the old west? Do you enjoy the SCP Foundation? Wanna see what happens when you mix the two together? You're in luck, because that's what we do here.
The history blurb above is about as much concrete information as you need to know. Between that and the very first tale in the series (that being "Hollow Fires", which is linked above) you should be entirely up to date on the established history of the canon. So where do you go from there?
I'm not exercising any sort of strong editorial control. The canon is very generally set in the old west. The setting is a big place and there's room for all kinds of stories.
I have two things that I would ask of you. First: When you choose your tale title, choose either a line from a poem or a song you like. Something of decent length would be good. It's something we've done in the first 5 tales and something I'd like us to continue doing.
Second: I would ask that you keep your works consistent with anything previously written about a particular person or group.
Part of the fun of this setting, by the way, is taking an established modern idea, group, or character, and retooling it for the Old West. But if you want to write about Anderson Robotics in the old west (as an example), you'll need to read the tales that already include the setting's interpretation of the company (specifically Anderson Prosthetics) and build on what's already been written.
As far as I am concerned these are first come first serve. If you write it first, that's the canon interpretation. Consider it a gold rush.
Except for the SCP Foundation. The SCP Foundation does not exist. Using doctors, agents, or SCPs, is fine. The organization itself, however, does not exist in this canon. Literally everything else is open to use.
That's it. What follows is a semi-comprehensive list of what's already been interpreted and established (along with links to the tales that include them). If you write a new tale, you should add it to this hub yourself and edit the list below to include anything you reuse or use for the first time. If editing this page is too daunting for you, post on the discussion page and I'll get to it eventually.
Spoiler Warning.
If you want to read through the full canon unspoiled do not open this collapsible. If you'd like to be able to write for the canon but not have to read everything and need to check if what you want to do has already been done, then check below. I still highly suggest you at least read Hollow Fires, as it acts as a sort of foundational work to the canon.