[center][hr][hr][url=http://fontmeme.com/pandora-the-world-of-avatar-font/][img]http://fontmeme.com/permalink/170304/22ead1af9f4c3bd271fc1c5578573b3a.png[/img][/url][hr][youtube]https://youtu.be/a4uVI2Wd_Ik[/youtube] ~In memory of all those we lost in year 3~[hr][h3]In Memoriam:[/h3][hr] [@Charnobylisk] [@Morose] [@Rivaan] [@Sigil] [@FantasyChic] [@Caits] [@Nallore] [@Oliver] [/center][hr][hr] Nearly a year has passed and in this time we lost so many, so let us take a moment to remember those that touched us deeply and brought us together in the first place. Each of them were unique. Each of them were special. They all did something that brought us together and made us stronger. Even though they are gone they are still with us, in our thoughts, and in our hearts. So, please bow your heads and have a moment of silence for these brave souls who now are our guardian angels. May they forever rest in peace, watching over us from afar, and waiting on our arrival to the life beyond for we all know our days are numbered. [hr] [center][img]http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Aliens%20pic%205.jpg[/img] "This is not a Democracy, this is a Meocracy. Piss me off and I will extradite your ass to the Badlands." - Leann McCormick[/center] Lt. Col Leann McCormick was probably the toughest woman ever spawned. She was our original leader, she brought Newnan together, and over saw everything that was done to make the town amazing. She was hard as nails and ruled with an iron fist but she was fair and beneath that cool exterior she was kind. She loved all the people of Newnan and gave her life to ensure that we could continue. A memorial to her resides in the Courthouse in the center of Newnan and it is one of the first things people see when they enter the main building. [hr] [center][img]http://wormholeriders.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Falling-Skies-S1x05-Anne-Glass-and-Lourdes-at-work.jpg[/img] "Death comes for us all, the question is how will you greet death? On your knees or on your feet?" - Vivian Ormerod[/center] Dr. Vivian Ormerod, the original doctor. She was sick and she was twisted yet she kept us alive and in the end she gave her life to ensure that Sid and others hearts would keep beating. She kept a watchful eye on all that came into Newnan and with a single glance she could tell who needed to stay and who needed to be slaughtered. A skilled surgeon, there were few that could best her with a blade. Ruthless and cut-throat she worried many of the people of Newnan but she was one of a kind and even she was mourned. [hr] [center][img]http://38.media.tumblr.com/345d96e9e0bffe99f95a66ff61447aaf/tumblr_n93mwjNcqK1tss1byo3_500.gif[/img] "My sister is everything and I will do anything for her" - Maria Smith[/center] Sister to Kris, best friend to Meg and James... She was the queen with a bow and helped our crops grow. She was stubborn but she was loyal. Her loss was felt through out the town and her mark has been left. We try to remember her as best we can and her sister will probably never get over the loss. Maria was the sister we all lost and every Walker her bow still takes down is a remembrance of the love and devotion she gave to this community. We will ever remember the lesson she taught us - Never kiss a corpse. [hr] [center][img]http://s12.postimg.org/kf5c0bnkr/alilartergif.gif[/img] "Semper Fi." - Lorna Dunn[/center] The Marine. Though she never became an official member of Newnan her presence is still felt to this day. Those that knew her and loved her are still here today with us and it is thanks to her that they are. She gave her life during the first attack from Eden to keep those she cared for safe. She was a hero until the end and even since then. (And she took Ash's jacket with her when she went.) [hr] [center][img]https://media.giphy.com/media/d5QPLmvl0Bcsg/giphy.gif[/img] "Some people aren't made for this new world; I, however, am." - Alicia Gonzalez [/center] She was built for this world. Tough, strong, quick to crack a joke, and hard to forget. Alicia was our first true loss to Newnan and she gave her life to ensure that Richard and James were safe. The love of Ash, the first to die who was close to him, and from there it snowballed and it hasn't stopped since. As if the world is trying to tell us something. Alicia was as fierce as she was caring. She loved life, even during the end times. Nothing brought this bitch down. It took a hoard of over a hundred to take her away and even then she still returned home. That final bullet can still be felt echoing over the fields. [hr] [center][img]http://media.giphy.com/media/wbomIbUs5Bc2I/giphy.gif[/img] "You just fucked with the wrong Mexican." - Caesar Gonzalez[/center] Papi.... Father of Alicia and the father of Newnan. He was everything one looked for in a dad. He was protective, driven, intimidating. God was he intimidating. But beneath that sand paper skin and rough exterior beat the heart of a man who lived for all those around him. He died protecting those he loved and those he didn't even know. Zoie carried his blades with her until her death, proudly so. He was the one that secured her place in the community and it was because of him that she earned Ash's trust. RIP Papi... Enjoy your peace with your Miha... [hr] [center][img]http://37.media.tumblr.com/29f2d3d7e30b9225956b985d7588ddd0/tumblr_mszj8x1fgB1sbhxjro8_500.gif[/img] "Well Bless Yer Heart..." - Zoie Crawford[/center] Our southern belle, Daisy Dukes. She came in like a tornado on crack. Riding high on life and doing what she did best: slaughtering Walkers as if she was born for it. Her thick accent and turn of phrase could make anyone stop and stare. Bright eyes and a brighter smile. It was no wonder that Zoie quickly became second in Newnan and loved by pretty much everyone. She could see the best in everyone, even the worst of us. She brought out our best, even Richard "The Dick". Newnan has not been the same since she was taken from us and some may never recover. [hr] [center][img]http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9h18wbf7c1rsin77o5_500.gif[/img] "We are all survivors here." - Sophia Harris[/center] The one handed engineer. She built walls around us but not around her heart. Even with a single hand she still left a mark on all of us. She was creative and smart. Found ways to reinforce the walls and our morale to keep us going. She never stopped fighting for us and died trying to save the lives of all of Newnan when the armory caught fire. She might have been a little OCD but that didn't matter, she made us all better people and helped to bring us together in the end. [hr] [center][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/0d283e5a102eee9880e4e457334aa9d9/tumblr_nkp0dbvzus1qjod8to2_500.gif[/img] "Back up. You're stepping on my dick." - Bridgette Vinters[/center] What can we say about Bridgette that she didn't already say about herself and in a more colorful way than any of us could have ever dreamed of. The woman was a walking curse dictionary but beyond that she was a loyal friend and sister in arms. She stood a head above the rest, both literally and figuratively. She died in the heat of battle and there is no doubt that she now resides in Valhalla, making even Loki blush by her come ons, mischievousness, and cursing. [hr] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/ac418ed6dfcf16815e376f57fdde5273/tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif[/img] "Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever." - Astrid Hansen[/center] Our Shield Maiden. Astrid was born in the wrong time but that didn't matter. She stepped to the beat of her own drum. A true Valkyrie until the end, she was bitten and walked away from Newnan to die on her own terms. Astrid was quiet and never said much but she didn't need to, everything she needed to say was written on her features when she looked at you. There is no doubt she is sitting in the halls of Valhalla beside her sister Bridgette smirking as she waits to pick up her shield and fight once again. We continue to fight for her. Her shield is now ours to bear. [hr] [center][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcycgbL1XD1r2o2n9.gif[/img] "Vous voulez sortir avec moi, n'est-ce pas?" - Édouard Riviere[/center] Though never a member of Newnan, he did come to Franklin and boy did he ever leave a mark. Granted we are still not sure if that is a good or bad thing. He wasn't exactly easy to get along with. In fact he seemed to go out of his way to get killed - which he did eventually. The cabbage though will never be forgotten and we still wonder to this day just what Froggy would have done with this one.... [hr] [center][img]http://www.everyjoe.com/files/2008/12/bones_panhandle-sc27-28pt_0158.jpg[/img] "Now, let us try the same trick… ON FIRE!!!" - The Great Bazhooli[/center] He wasn't with us long but in a short time he left his mark. The knife throwing circus performer, his presence can still be felt thanks to his little orange companion that still walks the streets of Newnan. The Russian from Not Russia, he found a home that would have welcomed him for years to come had he only survived but as we know, not all of us do. The world is less colorful now that he is gone but he is watching over us from that Big Top in the sky. [hr] [center][img]http://quotepixel.com/images/quotes/life/life-quotes_6368-1.png[/img][/center] These names above are not the only ones which we lost. There were so many more. Some we never got were able to get close to, some that were quiet members of our town who did their jobs and kept us together without us even knowing it. There were even those we only knew a brief second of time and then they were gone. Those like Marx, Tryke, and Tom. Yet no matter the life, they all were cut short by this world around us but we are still breathing. So each step we take, every day that crawls by we must continue to live. Not only for ourselves but in their memory. We keep moving forward so their deaths were not in vain, so they can continue to live on in our hearts and our minds. We will see them again; but not yet. Not yet. Today is a new day and with it dawns so many possibilities. [hr][hr][center][h1][color=ed1c24][i][b]Catching Up[/b][/i][/color][/h1] [youtube]https://youtu.be/b1UeaM9DpIY[/youtube][/center][hr] The day drew to a close and the people of Newnan were left in shock. There was nothing we could do to bring back those we had lost but never the less we felt the emptiness for months to come. Even today we still do and yet the world keeps turning and each day the sun rises again after the dark night. A little bit of hope grows between the tears of grief as people settle into the routine of day to day life. Survival is not enough, we had to learn to live again. Some of us have, some of us haven't. Over the months so many things changed. With the attacks of Newnan it was revealed we needed more people to defend the city, walls were no longer enough. Our greatest danger was not the Walkers but the people who crept in without us knowing and ripped our hearts out as they caused others to stop beating. The people of Franklin joined our ranks about a month after that devastating day. Taking refuge in buildings outside of our walls. A way to keep people close but still keep them away from the actual sanctuary we had behind the steel. Yet we knew this was not good enough but we couldn't leave the defenses vulnerable to another attack on from the outside Clock Tower. So a third wall was constructed around a six block radius at the north side of town and that is where the people of Franklin now live their lives. They spend much of their time within the outer wall and the inner wall. Mingling with the rest of the folk but come the end of the day they sleep still beyond the center of Newnan. We have seem to have found a peace over the last eight months that we had not known in some time. There was another attack from Eden but once they caught wind that Zoie was dead they seemed to have backed off. Granted they are not gone. There is still traces of their presence in the area, something that Ryan has helped us defend against and look out for but still, they are not gone. Should we have attacked them and just ended it? Perhaps but peace is a rare thing and we take what we can get. Newnan has known no deaths in eight months and that makes some of us worried. The longer we go without death the worse the feeling gets. Every time we have gone through a lull we get back handed so hard by fate. We can only hope that we are safe for now. Could we really stand another set of losses like the ones we have survived? Even if we did, would we lose ourselves so completely we would forget what we were fighting for and become the very monsters we feared? Only time will tell but for now we have an unsteady peace. We have been able to get to know each others and some relationships have blossomed, some have fallen apart. Keep moving, keep moving forward. And so we have. Summer ended and fall began. The harvest was not as much as we would have liked. The tornado that tore through Newnan ruined so many of the crops and we lost a cow or two. It made for a lean harvest but it was a peaceful time. Fall fell away and winter set in. Mild at first, like so many winters in Georgia but over the last month the cold has turned bitter and now over the last weeks the snow has fallen. Snow that rarely falls in Georgia came down in sheets for close to two weeks and buried a city unprepared. Two feet in some areas of the city, over three in other parts. The winds kicking up and pushing it around. The city has done what it can to clear as much as possible but it has been slow going. On top of that it has slowed the preparations of the upcoming wedding yet Miss Sally said, "to hell with the lot of you, we are getting this wedding done. We need this as much as they do." No one was going to argue with the old maid. She is the elder and mentor of Newnan and while not in charge every listens to her. A tough old bat to survive any life this long, even tougher to survive this world as it is with unwavering determination. And so the day is here and we begin... [hr][hr][center][h1][color=ed1c24][i][b]Date:[/b][/i] February 14th, 2011[/color][/h1] [youtube]https://youtu.be/L0YY7V7YdO8[/youtube][/center][hr] The sun had risen and the sky was clear that day, the first bright sunny day in weeks. Tatiana could feel the warm sun rays on her face, shinning in through the window. Opening her eyes she smiled to herself as she felt her beloved curled up behind her and holding her close. The snow was still deep around their house, coming up a few inches above the windowsill but that didn't matter. Warm sun rises were always welcome. Then it dawned on her what day this was... This was her wedding day. [color=a187be]"Ack! Get out, get out! You vere supposed to leave last night. You cannot see me on our vedding day! Is bad luck!"[/color] she yelled as she tumbled out of bed and scrambled to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and hiding behind the old wooden door. The click of the lock could be heard as she made sure Jack wouldn't try to get a last minute kiss before he left. [color=a187be]"Are you moving yet? Go on, get out! Meg be here soon, she get you out! Go, get out! And don't forget to get your tux from Miss Sally, she said yesterday she had finished with the alterations last night. Love you, now get out!"[/color] Tatiana yelled from the other side of the door before turning and starting the shower up. She was glad she had at least remembered to let the pipes drip the night before. The last thing she needed was frozen pipes that morning. Her dress hung in the bathroom, covered with a large sheet to keep it clean. It had a been hard to find but in the end Meg had come through. A run into Villa Rica north of Newnan had paid off. Granted they weren't supposed to go out "dress hunting" and Ash was none to happy when they returned covered in blood but they had managed to find a perfect dress for the day. It meant several days shoveling out the pig sty but Tatiana hadn't cared. She had a wedding dress. Miss Sally had spent a week sewing it here and there to make it fit the little dove but the old woman seemed glad for the work. [center][img]http://www.nerdly.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/fb-108-3.gif[/img][/center] In fact many of the people of Newnan (and those from Franklin that had joined them) seemed excited about the wedding. People were running around, making decorations for the wedding, planning out a reception, and more. Everyone had seemed to come together to help with every little task. Even Sana helped out by getting Tatiana used to riding side saddle in a lead horse for the beginning of the ceremony. Granted Richard was no help but at least he hadn't sabotaged the wedding, yet. During the Winter, the people of the Medical Garden had put in for a greenhouse and even Ryan was helping. Finding tulip bulbs during a run and bringing them back. He had cleared out three shelves in the green house to grow flowers just for the wedding. The green house was in the grassy knoll where the viking ladies had made camp their first weeks in Newnan. It was a good place near the center of town and got a lot of good light. A space heater had to be brought into the green house over the last month but the flowers were holding strong, even if they were threatening on dying. They just had to get through today. Ryan had already been up for an hour by the time that Tatiana had rose and was out in said Greenhouse right now. [color=fff79a]"Come on little babies, you know you want to hold on just a few more hours,"[/color] he said as he tended to them. He was usually restricted from entering the green house or medical garden without someone else but over the last week he had been granted a little bit of leeway to keep an eye on the flowers for the wedding. Ash kept a close eye on him but he wasn't stupid enough to steal anything right now even if he did keep telling Ash and Tatiana that they should just let him take some of the Mary Jane from the garden and keep Dick high as a kite until he leveled out. Whistling to himself he pruned and trimmed the flowers: Tulips, wild flowers, babies breath, and so forth. [color=fff79a]"God damn we need someone who knows how to arrange these fuckers. Wonder if Meg has any ribbon left over from the decorations. Bubbles needs to at least have some way to carry these down the isle,"[/color] he muttered to himself as he pulled out a tooth pick from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. Chewing it for a moment he pulled his jacket up tight and started out of the green house, locking it up tight before trudging through the snow towards the Mess Hall. The streets were not clear fully yet but there were people out and about already shoveling snow to try to clear everything enough and salt the ground enough so people at least wouldn't slip during the wedding. It was supposed to be outside but it had been too cold. Plans had shifted to move it inside but Ryan took a good look around. The sun was out and it was warming quickly. [color=fff79a]"Fucking Georgia weather, we'll be in shorts tomorrow, god damn swinter has arrived,"[/color] he chuckled as he loosened his coat. It might actually be warm enough to have the wedding outside. Decorations were supposed to start getting set up in the next hour or two but people were holding off until they got the final word from Meg, since she was leading this little thing, on whether or not to set up outside or in. Be a hell of a thing. Three feet of snow and still being able to have an outdoor wedding. Oh well, Ryan thought to himself - reception would be inside either way but a ceremony outside wouldn't be bad. Looking at the ground as he kicked at the snow he noticed something green trying to break through. Leaning down his fingers ran over the soft leaves before plucking a four leaf clover. [color=fff79a]"Well damn, my lucky day."[/color] [center][img]http://24.media.tumblr.com/81a39d0a4ca9fa8de3c10824221901aa/tumblr_mphog5DvoN1spksw8o1_250.gif[/img][/center] Sana had fallen asleep the night before in the horse stables. Edgar had become her personal favorite since she moved into Newnan and with the cold lately she had been keeping an especially close eye on the horses. Feeling a cold nose push against her she rolled onto her back and grumbled under her breath. Pushing the snout of the large beast away from her and sitting up with a long yawn. Straw was stuck in her hair and dirt was on her cheek. Another nudge and she rolled over to stumble up onto her feet. [color=f7976a]"I'm up, I'm up!"[/color] she snapped at Edgar, her joints popping as she rolled her shoulders back. Shaking her head she got to work on feeding the horses and making sure the space heaters had worked enough the night before to keep their water from freezing. Everything seemed alight so she snatched up her cap from the hay stack and slipped out of the stables. Pulling it tight on her head and shielding her eyes from the sun as she trudged back towards hers and Bryn's house. Opening the back door, it closed hard behind her. Tossing her jacket on the back of the kitchen chair she didn't even notice she was tracking in a trail of mud with each step she took. Her boots caked in the stuff as she went sleepy eyed towards the coffee maker. Pouring a cup she took a long sip and then spat the stuff out into the sink. [color=f7976a]"TEA???? BRYN!!! Why the fuck is there tea in the coffee maker!!!!"[/color] she screamed at the top of her lungs. [center][img]http://68.media.tumblr.com/ec86b597ff6213408ab3d4bd116ca7ac/tumblr_n1zukaKsfw1qg39m0o3_250.gif[/img][/center] Jim rubbed his hands together and then blew into them as Mike stood next to him on top of the outer wall. They had come onto shift about an hour before and were very happy to see the sun had risen without a cloud in the sky but it was still damn cold up on that wall near the gate. The roads outside of the wall still had not been cleared more than just enough to be able to keep the gates functioning. There were tracks from the horses in the snow but other than that it still looked freshly fallen. "Well, as much as I hate all this snow, at least it has made guard duty a bit easier. The dead seem too frozen to be able to be much of a bother," Mike chuckled as he adjusted his rifle that rested on his shoulder. "Ain't that the damn truth. Hell, no one wants to bother with this shit," Jim added as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Just glad the walls are hol...." Jim tried to continue before he stopped mid-sentence as the sound of an engine cut through the morning air. "Dick already in the shop this morning?" he asked cocking a brow and looking back towards the city. "Naw man, that ain't coming from inside the wall," Mike quipped at he pointed down the main road leading up to the gate and small trail of smoke could be see in the tree line. "What the fuck is that?" Jim asked as he squinted his eyes trying to make it out. "You're guess is as good as mine, might want to call it in," Mike answered as he pulled the Walkie from his belt and handed it over to Jim. "Right." Jim took the walkie and turned the radio frequency to Ash's main channel that he kept on. "Boss, we got engine sounds at the south gate." Looking over at Mike and then back towards where the sound was coming from the sound grew louder and louder. "What the fuck is that." Jim lowered the walkie as he looked again. Suddenly from the curve in where the road should be something came speeding out from the south headed towards them. It was a four wheeler, well it wasn't and it was. It was a Four Wheeler, in a pontoon boat??????? And the snow was being pushed left, right and behind it as it cut over the top most of the piled snow towards the gate. On it was a figure, a scarf billowing in the wind behind them and a long thick coat over them. Hair was shaggy and dark under cap and their face was mostly covered by the scarf. Seemed the area around the eyes was the only skin that could be seen. "Boss... we have a .. guest?" The vehicle, if you could call it that, came to a slow stop about forty feet back from the main gate as Mike took aim, looking through the scope. Gloved hands rose up into the air as if they were surrendering after they turned off the engine. Standing up with their legs on either side of the four wheeler in the pontoon boat, they waved and kept their hands in the air. "Identify yourself," Mike called out. Pulling the scarf down with one hand they kept their other hand up in the air. [color=0072bc]"Dr. Thana Martin, Lt. Commander U.S. Navy,"[/color] she said in a thick Georgia accent. [color=0072bc]"Though since there be no U.S. anymore, guess you be callin' me retired,"[/color] she said with a chuckle. Jim just stood there looking at the woman as she pulled the scarf back up, the color leaving his face as he pulled the radio back up to his face. "Boss... you need to get up here... Now."