#'how did so many people vote to kill a teenager' because hes fake. also they were probably also teenagers

[roseworth]

all love but some people take jason's death way too seriously. i don't care that he was a 13 year old. he got vibe checked and my only regret is that we cant kill him again

[yumedoca]

Non-Urusei Yatsura fans, which of these IS NOT an actual character? (Answers)

The poll is over and thanks to all who voted since it's pretty fun to see how UY characters may seem from an outsider's POV! And since many were curious, here are the answers for the poll. The characters are listed in no particular order, except for the last who will be the fake one so if you just want the actual answer, just scroll down to the end; and since the poll was aimed at non-UY fans, I'll provide context for the real characters' descriptions so there will be character spoilers ahead!!

A cow monster, who is also the most handsome character in the series.

This is Rei, the female lead (Lum)'s ex-fiancee. The description I gave may sound kinda weird but it probably wouldn't sound as weird if I had stated that he has two forms: one being a mostly humanoid form and the other which is the cow monster one. He swaps between forms at random, mostly depending on his mood and comedic timing.

A princess who wants to lose her virginity.

This is Princess Kurama. She's the princess of the alien race, the Karasutengu (Crow Goblins). Since her royal line was fading away because there were no more humanoid men on her planet, Kurama decided to find a suitable man to mate with, but has no luck when it comes to that since her standards are way too high for the any of the males in the series.

A fire breathing bumblebee.

This is Ten. Like his cousin Lum, he is an oni alien and his abilities are to fly and breathe fire. Ten ended up getting a good number of votes in the poll and I'm guessing it's because people thought I meant a literal bumblebee. I gave that description to poke fun at his character design and I'm pretty sure most UY fans were able to recognize him from the description, and his resemblance to bees has been stated in canon too. But if you did vote Ten because you thought he was an actual bee, I am so sorry, please don't kill me, I should have added the word 'alien' or 'kid' to the description.

A school nurse who regularly beats up her male students.

This is Sakura. She is a shrine maiden and a school nurse at the main high school in the series. I don't think I need to give much of an explanation for her description; she's hot and all the male students are horny so it shouldn't be a surprise that she beats them all up.

A woman hater whose diet consists of baseballs.

This is Tobimaro Mizunokoji. He hates women, which is most likely a result of spending time with his rival's sister who treated him horribly when they were children (and she still does, by the way; we'll talk about her next). Oh, and as the description says, he can eats baseballs whole.. and is able to spit them out entirely too.

A teenage girl who kills boredom by plotting and attempting murder.

This is Ryoko Mendo. She is a rich, well mannered young lady and her favorite hobby is torturing her big brother and his rival (aka baseball boy from above) in many different ways for fun. I wanted to add a bit more to explain exactly how sadistic she is but the wiki does it better, so have that instead:

She will throw grenades and bombs at people while acting calm and composed, and yet will cry over them when they return to her charred to a crisp. She often acts in total secrecy without telling anyone of her plans, such as setting bombs in a giant Christmas Cake, turning a giant Christmas Tree into a firework, and retaliating to people by setting off bombs near them. She also shows an interest in black magic, having used hypnosis and voodoo dolls to torment her brother.

So yeah, she's fucking insane and I love her for it. Have my favorite Ryoko image ever as a bonus:

A sheltered girl who ends up falling in love with her brother.

This is Asuka Mizunokoji, younger sister of baseball boy from above. I feel like her she needs the most context since I think this might be the most questionable description of them all.

As per tradition, the women in the Mizunokoji family are not allowed to meet a single male until they are 15, this includes their father and brother; which is the case for Asuka. Because she has never seen a man, she doesn't know what they are (or anything that falls under 'men', like father, brother, etc.) and was raised in isolation by her mother and her family's all female guards. But her first, unfortunate encounter with a man, which happened before the arranged day ends up terrifying her and as a result, she gets a phobia of men, no matter who they are... unless they are a 'big brother'. You see, when her female guards' explained to her what men are, they unintentionally had them sound.. scary; but they also tell her about 'big brothers' (since she'll have to meet hers) who are a special type of man who look like her and are very nice. Eventually, she finally meets her big brother, Tobimaro (who didn't even know she existed till then by the way), but since the description on what a 'big brother' given to her was incredibly vague and because she has no knowledge of how siblings work, she ends up falling for him unaware of how big of a taboo it is. Naturally, it is a one-sided crush since Tobimaro knows better but that won't change the fact that it causes a lot of trouble for him.

Ok, I'll stop here because that took forever to write. Also, I took some help to write the above part from Asuka's page on furinkan.com, I needed a reference for the entire paragraph because Asuka and her shtick needs one hell of an explanation.

A TV addict with zero social skills.

This is Shingo. He is a boy who went missing during an experiment when he was small and because of that, he grew up by himself (asides from some animals) in a jungle. His only source of entertainment there was a TV, which only has historical dramas. As a result, he became very attached to TVs (he used to think the TV was his grandfather, and no I will not explain), even after he was found and brought back to society. He is also terrible at socializing since he grew up on Japanese historical dramas which are incredibly outdated. He is already weak when it comes to interacting with men, but he is the worst when it comes to interacting with woman since he has no respect towards them (again, because historical dramas). I find it funny he got a lot of votes and according to tags, it's because his description sounded more normal than the others, which makes it even funnier because he's like the only character who actually watches TV (asides from watching TV during lunchtime and stuff).

A cowardly kid who aims for a life of crime.

And here it is, the fake one! With how many characters there are, it was hard to come up with someone (for some reason, I can't be creative when I really want to be) but after I posted the poll I realized that there is a minor character who fits half of the description: He is a kid who aims for a life of crime, but he is pretty strong willed and isn't exactly what you would call cowardly or timid (His name is Kintaro, in case you are wondering- he is only in the manga and 80's adaptation).

And that is all! Thanks for joining me here and I hope you have a great day ahead!!

[drwcn]

Not to bring up the distasteful teenager memory of Twilight LMAO, but yall remember that part of the story where it is revealed after Rosalie turns into a vampire she goes and devours every single one of the men who r*ped her.

Fierce Corpse!Qin Su coming for Jin Guangshan’s life.

JIGGY was always looking for ways to make a fierce corpse wasn’t he? Well consider this.

Madam Qin confronts JGY, but it was already too late. Qin Su was already pregnant. JGY, being the dumbest smart person, realized he has fucked up, but what to do? It’s not like he can tell Madam Qin he knocked up his own sister accidentally. Unknowing of this, Madam Qin then went to Qin Su to tell her the truth. Surely even if that degenerate won’t stop this marriage, once Qin Su finds out they are related, she wouldn’t go through with it.

Well, little did Madam Qin expect, once Qin Su finds out, she’s so overcome with disgust she takes her own life (canon compliant, I think? idk what that episode was about to be honest. I always assumed Jiggy drugged her to keep her quiet, but Qin Su was the one to take her own life. Jin Rusong is at best a ball of cells at this stage and abortion is a staple trope of cdrama don’t @ me. I take no criticisms.)

Well shit, now Qin Su is half a step away from death. Jiggy discovers this first, and is like O.O oh feck, but also... opportunity????  He recruits evil gremlin extraordinaire Xue Yang, and beginner’s luck takes them to a successful resurrection.

*cue Mary Shelly shaking her head from beyond the grave or... in the future....technically.*

Qin Su is rightfully like wtf JGY, but Jiggy is like aight sis i know you’re mad, but hey now that everyone knows what’s the deal here, I think we have a common enemy: Jin Guangslut. Should we kill him or should we kill him?

Xue Yang: yo so .... you still gonna get married or what?

Qin Su: if you even think about getting married i swear to god -

JGY: ....okay, how about “fake” marry. Once dear old Dad is dead, we can...idk have an amicable separation. I can even set you up on a date with a guy I know in the fierce corpse community. His sister is still in my basement come to think of it -

QS: what

JGY: what

QS: you are a fucking nutjob, Jiggy, you know that? I can’t believe I was attracted to you.

JGY: first of all that’s hurtful, but... hey at least you didn’t insult my mother.

QS: why would i? our mothers are innocent. *deep sigh* okay fine, how should we kill JGS, I vote for castration. Also *points to the black veins on her paste-y complexion* this is gonna be a problem.

XY: *quirk an eye brow* realllly starting to see the family resemblance now. Don’t worry I got make up to cover that up. Also gotta find you some blush, so you don’t look so ... undead.

~

JGY “so we get prostitutes -”

QS “No. Jiggy, I’m sensing some internalized classism. Let’s just sic Xue Yang on him and be done with it.”

JGY “....you were less bossy before.”

QS “I was also less dead before. Also, Xue Yang doesn’t mind, do you dear?”

XY *eating the candied pastries QS got him* “Nah, not at all, jiejie. I can wear a dress and get dolled up if you want, but I want silk and the dress needs to be tailored. Bespoke. *points to his plate* These are great. Do you have more?”

JGY: *facepalm* what have done.

QS: created a fierce corpse you can’t control. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it brother?

~

QS “I feel bad for Chifeng-zun. If I had to sit and watch you and Lan Xichen make eyes at each other over the guqin day in and day out....”

JGY “Oi, you’re not even my real wife.”

QS “Doesn’t mean I can’t nag you. Also, you have an issue, you know. You can’t just murder your way to the top.”

JGY “I wasn’t -”

QS “Save it. If you give Xue Yang enough candy, he’ll tell you anything.”

JGY “NMJ is a problem. He disrespects -”

QS “You think maybe the reason he thinks you’re a untrustworthy little shit is because you are...an untrustworthy little shit? Also he’s always violent and aggressive towards you...yeah ‘cause you’ve been playing Terrible Temper Tango on repeat for weeks.”

JGY “.....................” *well sis does have a point, maybe i should re-evaluate my strategy “Then what do you suggest I do?”

QS:  I believe Xue Yang calls it “when it doubt, fuck it out.” 

JGY: ...............................you two need to stop hanging out together. 

~

Jin Guangyao and Qin Su spend many nights in the secret chamber plotting together. Apparently the Jin crazy can both be inherited and developed. Qin Su decides her second life is rather nice, and having power is nice too, but she’d rather have some friends. 

*Jiggy and Qin Su’s Ten Step Plan to Un-Fuck the Cultivation World*

Aka Jiggy’s illegal but necessary emergency U-Turn. 

Step 1: Start playing some nice music ffs, and maybe when NMJ is in a better mood, the venerated Triad can be the venerated Triad. ;) 

Step 2: start treating MXY better. He could be useful as a loyal brother. 

Step 3:  Sic him on Nie Huaisang. They seem like they could do well together. Also, the easiest way to get through to NMJ is through his little brother.  

Step 4:  Make Jin Guangshan disappear.

Step 5: Speaking of little brothers, they’re gonna have to eventually deal with Lan Wangji. Even Qin Su’s 78 year old grandma with cataract can see he’s just a liiiiittle hung up on Wei Wuxian, who is unfortunately....dead. 

”How do you suppose we fix this particular problem?” 

”Isn’t there some cultivator prisoner found guilty punishable by death in your single minded cleansing of your political enemies?” 

"Of course. Go on I’m listening, mei-mei.” 

”So while you were off being shady, I did some research. There is a spell. I think a potential trade off could be made if we bargain right. Their soul, which was forfeit anyway, in exchange for a lifetime of protection and financial stability for their families.” 

“>:) dear sister, where have you been all my life I’ll never know.” 

Qin Sun, “Just make sure they’re not too hard on the eye. Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to be the shallow type but one never knows.” 

Step 5: Jiang Wanyin needs an emotional laxative like... last year. Look into resurrecting Jiang Yanli. Once she’s alive, all that Yunmeng Bullshit will resolve, and you will also have a Lotus Pier forever grateful for Jin Guangyao and Qin Su’s kindness. If that doesn’t work...idk get Jiang Wanyin a dog. 

“Okay, hooow are you going to get a woman to give up her soul to -”

“Can we fierce corpse her? Wei Wuxian had a bunch of undead ladies hanging around right?” 

“........worth looking into.” 

Step 6:  Jin Zixuan. Yikes -

JGY “I didn’t kill Jin Zixuan. Wei Wuxian did.” (note: CQL washed WWX of any responsibility for the deaths of others by making it so that the Song of Turmoil caused him to lose control. This, in fact, is not what is written in book canon. WWX did lose control by himself without external influence. I can cherry pick the plot points I want to keep.) 

QS “..........but you sent him to his death.” 

JGY “..........”

QS *Deep sigh* “Who can we throw under the bus this time for Jin Zixuan’s death, Jigs? Someone that won’t be missed...got it. Su She.” 

JGY “He’s loyal to me, he’s an ally -” 

QS “Listen here, once you resurrect Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian, you will have the eternal gratitude of Yunmeng Jiang and Gusu Lan. Who gives a shit about Su Minshan that simpering turd.” 

JGY: True. *he’s understood by now that he could get rid of those who would talk shit, belittle, and disrespect him...but he could always do more with a couple of important influential people who would spread words of his goodness. Stubborn righteous cultivators like the Jiangs, Nies and Lans.* “Also Jin Zixuan’ll be an undead, not able to inherit. We’re safe.” 

QS: “Exactly.” 

Xue Yang: eating candy......... *eye roll* 

Step 7: Because Step 6 didn’t work out, forget about Jin Zixuan. 

JGY: “you know... maybe Jin Zixuan moved on.” 

QS: “Would explain why we couldn’t call his soul back the way we called back Jiang-gu’niang.” Qin Su glances back at Jiang Yanli’s soul-infused clay body in the process of being reanimated (lifted this idea straight from Inuyasha - ahem- kikyo.) “It’s probably better this way. I don’t like the thought of sharing the control of Lanling Jin with more people.” 

JGY:  “Ah, blood of my blood you are indeed.”

Step 8:  Reveal Jin Guangshan’s evil deeds. Once they kill Dear Ol’ Dad, they can just blame EVERYTHING on him and have him be the disgrace of the entire cultivation world, and them the unfortunate children left to do his bidding and trying the best they could to salvage what they can from his trail of ruins.

Step 9: Reunite Wen Ning and Wen Qing. Lie. Blame it all on Jin Guangshan who is too dead to argue in his own defense. If Jiang Wanyin finds out about Wen Qing...well, information gets around. 

JGY “So about that Date.” 

Qin Su: “Yes I distinctively remember you promising me eligible young men of the Fierce Corpse Community.” 

JGY: >:) I’m here to make good on my words. 

Step 10: Reap the benefits of a world restored. 

[dachi-chan25]

Haven't done this in a while but I had the time so why not?

1.- Pizza Girl by Kyoung Jean Frazier

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really did like it, reminded me a lot of "Convinience store woman". Like clearly our protagonist needed thrapy ASAP to help her deal with her dad's death, her pregnancy, her attraction to women and hell just for existing as an Asian woman in the USA, but I liked how messy and obsesive she was and how the author allowed her to be fucked up and take bad decisions, I love to see female characters simply exist, it's also a pretty short read so I definitely recommend it.

2.-The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Daría is a persian teen who is really involved in her cultural background and feels that the most important thing one can be is authentic, so that's the name she and her friends take for their clique. But everything comes crashing down on her when she discovers she is adopted, and soon follows an identity crisis. I loved it so much, it felt pretty realistic, like Daría could be self absorbed and unlikeable at times, but who wasn't as a teen? And we get such beautiful heartwarming moments between Daría and her family and friends. Totally recommend it.

3.- The Mall by Megan McCafferty

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Cassie has her life completely mapped out but nothing goes quite as planned, first she gets mononucleosis and after she gets better gets dumped and fired almost simultaneously. Determined not to let it get the best of her, Cassie gets a brand new job, reconnects with an old friend and even finds a hidden treasure. This one is so much fun, all the 90s references and the growth Cassie goes through is amazing, honeslty i would love to see this as a Netflix movie.

4.- Luster by Raven Leilani

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was hard, Edie is a very raw character, at first she seems flippant even when describing disturbing facts about her past or details about her relationship with a much older man she seems to be talking about something that happened to someone else all this to cope dealing with her solitude, her trauma, her self hate. And gosh it was so intresting to see her interact with Rebecca and Akila, especially Akila as Edie finds kinship in this young girl not only cuz they are both black but because they are both lost and afraid.

5.- Lakewood by Megan Giddings

🌟🌟🌟

Lena decides to participate on a financially compensated medical experiment so her mom can get proper medical care and to lessen their debts after her Grandmother's death.

So I had many mixed feelings about this, on one hand I liked that we are adressing how sistematical racism has permited experiments on black people with no consequences at all and how it has been happening for decades, but there were certain parts of the book that I couldn't enjoy as much because they were very trippy like I get we are on Lena's mind as things are becoming muddled up because of the medications and all those mind games and the words they have her memorize and repeat but all of it took me a bit away from the story. Still I do recommend it just be aware there is quite a bit of body horror in this so if you are sqeamish better skip it.

6.-The Voting Booth - Brandy Colbert

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Marva and Duke meet on election day as she helps him find the precint he is registered on.

This is very enjoyable, the story is very straightforward, and it insists on our right and responsability to vote even if we feel our vote alone can't possibly change all the injustice we see in the world. And also the romance was cute and developed slowly as Marva and Duke are just knowing each other. Really cute and quick read.

7.- Such a fun age - Kiley Reid

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Emira works as a babysitter for the Chamberleins' . She loves her little charge Briar, although she feels preassured to seek a 'real job' by her friends and by her own economic troubles. Emira soon finds herself in the middle of a tug of war between her boss Alix who tries to befriend her, and Kelley the guy she is dating.

So much drama. This is a great example of what performative activism looks like, first Alix is completely nuts, from her obsession to be seen as this wonderful understanding girl boss activist and the down right creepy sense of entitlement to Emira's friendship and intimacy. Like it doesn't surprise me she chose to victimize herself instead of recognizing it had all been a misunderstanding. And even then she still wants to seem atractive to the man she feels victimized by. Girl no.

Kelley is the ultimate fake woke ally. Dude Robbie was wrong period, he had no business inviting people over to someone else's house no matter the color of his skin. You don't get to talk over Emira on matters of what a person of color should do or feel on certain situations. That said it was so funny when he and Alix called each other out for their fetishization of people of color and yet none of them actually gave a damn about what Emira thought/felt/percieved. They just wanted her stamp of approval so they could pat themselves in the back for being such good allies.

8.- The Life and (Medieval) times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

🌟🌟

Kit is working as a serving wench at the Castle, medieval themed restaurant run by her uncle, though she really wants to be a Knight, not only cuz the better pay would help around the house but because she really admires Joan of Arc, problem is the Castle management doesn't allow for anyone who is not a cis male to be a knight. Kit is set on changing that.

Ok so I feel a bit lukewarm toward this. Kit in my opinion doesn't get much growth, it seems she just can do whatever and her friends have to be ok w it, her romance w her friend feels pulled out of nowhere like Jett at one point tells her he is not intrested in dating her and then he is ???, those GoT references killed me, I get it I watched the show and sometimes even enjoyed it but it's not representative of anything medieval and Kit was always talking about how much she liked the actual history of the medieval times so...

Also as much as this book was about feminism and how we should fight for equal job oportunities, it feels as though Kit only cared about medieval woman who fought physically and not on the badass medieval woman, like idk it feels as a rejection of tradicional feminity like even the girl playing the Princess is a jerk. But I did like some parts, like her decision to confront her asshole dad to help her mom and the girls training together.

9.-Cien años de soledad de Gabriel Garcia Marquez

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

En Macondo, una población Colombiana a un lado del río, vemos como una de sus familias fundadoras crece, se expande y cambia a través de cien años.

Me encanto, hace mucho tiempo que no leía una novela de realismo mágico que me provocará tantos sentimientos. Creo que todos los personajes reflejan aspectos de la humanidad tan diversos y complejos que sería inútil tratar de enlistarlos todos.

Ultimadamente siento que lo que condenó a la familia Buendia a cumplir las profecías de Melquiades fue sus propia naturaleza que ellos nunca tuvieron intención de pelear, siempre sucumbian a las locuras o pasiones que los inundarán sin mesura alguna o consideración por las consecuencias. Y creo que aún así lo prefiero pues es lo que hace a cada personaje por confuso que a veces llegue a ser la repetición de nombres (que para mi es el simbolismo de una naturaleza y destino continuos) único e intrigante. En verdad espero que se den la oportunidad de leer este libro por lo menos una vez en sus vidas.

10.-The Monsters of music by Rebecca F. Kenney

🌟🌟🌟

This is a gender-swaped modern retelling of the Phantom of the Opera.

It was creative to make Mel, our Phantom, a true magical creature, and the singing contest was also cool. Like don't get me wrong I did have fun reading this but it also felt pretty unpolished like most characters were teens on the contest and that kinda made me roll my eyes a bit, like unless it's the Voice Kids age ranges are quite ample on this kind of shows, also kinda clumsy the addition of the magical elements with the modern setting, Kiyo didn't make much of an impression with me even when Christine is my fave on the original book. Still if you are a Phan like me you might wanna check this one out.

11.- Anna K by Jenny Lee

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is a modern americanized ya retelling of Anna Karenina.

Not gonna lie this made me cry so much at the end. I really liked Anna and Vronski together so much, and I don't like the love at first sight trope, but here it felt so inevitable. Anna was so self contained until she met him and could truly explore being herself and they really loved each other so much. Also I liked the treatment of the side characters Kimmie and Dustin were well developed and I really enjoyed this one can't wait to get to the second book.

12.- Wonderland by Zoje Stage

🌟🌟🌟

It was ok, but I was actually a bit disappointed cuz I had such high expectations for it. Like for about half the book I was really into the atmospheric vibe the book pulls you into, but as we get the reveal it started to go down hill for me, and the ending left me feeling meh. But maybe it was just not my cup of tea.

13.-Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book is so well crafted!!! I love how it goes back and forth between past and present , first it feels as if history is repeating itself, then as both narratives unfold we start to question and discovering things and the twist at the end was chillin and masterful, I truly and wholeheartedly recommend it.

14.- The Girl with the louding voice by Abi Daré

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Adunni, a teenage girl, flees from her husband to work as a maid in Lagos, though everything she has ever wanted is to study.

This broke my heart, as it reflects how people coming from rural backgrounds get taken advantage of in the City, like similar things happen here in Mexico, but also it made me glad to see Adunni fight and keep her spirit so no one could ever silence her.

15.- The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Immanuel does her very best to fit in Bethel, follow the scriptures and the Prophets words, but nothing seems to be enough to erase her mother's sin especially when the Darkwood seems to pull her in. As a plague starts to ravage Bethel, Immanuel has to face her past to save her people.

So frickin' good !!!! This story is great, mainly about the explotation of woman and young girls by people in power (in this case a church), the atmosphere is always tense, Ezra and Immanuel 's relationship is very well developed and one can really see how loyal they are to each other. A great option for horror fans.

[danwhobrowses]

America, We Need to Talk

For some reason in these past years the concept of ‘Reason’ and ‘Sense’ has departed your country, I’ve hissed, I’ve simmered, I’ve hit my head against the wall hoping that in the end IN THE END the collective mass of the American People will open their eyes, stop making excuses and realise that for 4 years, America has not become ‘Great Again’ I’ve resisted the urge to unload many a time, but news that Donald Trump is to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is just too much, because this is literal horseshit. For some part it feels like they’re only trying it just so Republicans can force a rhetoric as if Trump did a better job than Obama - who won in 2009 for easing religious tensions, preventing Nuclear Weapons distribution and profiting, working towards fixing climate change and assisting with the UN - as people die of COVID, cities burn and violence against peaceful protests continue to ravage your country.

I have to say that again, Ravage, because I feel as though some people are blind to the matter at hand. Donald Trump will say something and his cult of followers will believe it, when someone disagrees and presents evidence it’s deemed irrelevant or forged, if a Democrat says something on the contrary they need a full powerpoint presentation to prove it, somehow this mentality has poisoned the American society when the louder people will say something in confidence only for the rest of the world to read and think it’s one of the dumbest shit they’ve ever read. This isn’t just coming from a Brit, this is coming from family in Chicago, a co-worker who moved out of America and worked in the army, Italians, Greeks and someone who was in Hong Kong during the riots. The people who believe in Democracy, Majority Vote, Free Healthcare, Fair Wage, Equal Rights AND international peace that doesn’t look towards World War Fucking Three look at your country in shame because the state of your leadership and how it’s been allowed to continue with ridiculously boneheaded and stubborn reluctance to see the truth. So let’s start with the boiling point shall we, a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination? Have you learned anything from the last year? Or has the far-right got the prize so by the balls that this nomination is used as a cheap add-on to coincidentally peacock the Trump administration in its build to an election. The nomination to Trump has been cited to be in favour of the following things; Israel-UAE relations (aka ‘Saving the Middle East), Serbia-Kosovo deal (aka ‘Saving the ‘Middle East’’), Inter-Korea relations and likely the support of Jerusalem and Hong Kong, and in face value that may sway the common person who knows nothing about these deals. But a simple amount of research cuts most of these at the legs. Let’s talk Serbia and Kosovo, since it’ll directly involve Israel, relations were tense but they have not been at war, they are peacefully not talking to each other. The media will have you think that Peace has been brokered by Trump only in this but in reality Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo’s independence, the tensions are still there you can just travel there now. This is an agreement that’s been build up since the economic and trade agreement in 2013. If that year isn’t surprising you that is 3 years before Trump was elected, when Barrack Obama was in office - Republican Public Enemy Hillary Clinton was at the forefront of that when she was Secretary of State. So no, Trump hasn’t saved the Middle East by this deal, mainly because Kosovo and Serbia are in Europe, they have been part of the EU for quite some time and the deal is already jeopardized since Serbia won’t build an embassy in Jerusalem if Israel recognize Kosovo as independent - which was part of the original deal. Also for all the Republicans’ use of ‘fear by Communism’ to slander their opponents they sure love to rub shoulders with countries also rubbing shoulders with Russia and China. So this segues into Israel-UAE, the Arab Nations have mainly been reluctant to recognize Israel as independent. On the 13th August a deal was struck called the Abraham agreement establishing Diplomatic Relations. Except, this was in the making since 2012 and only delayed to help progress Israeli-Palestine conflicts (which Trump’s actions with Israel led to Palestine cutting ties with the administration and his ‘Peace Plan’ falling apart 3 years after announcing it). UAE and Israel had been in conversation before Trump was signed in, but only made headway when the FDD - already funded by the UAE - took over. For 3 years USA did little for the relations, UAE and Israel doing it themselves, it’s only now do the US mediate a peace agreement, which meant that Trump didn’t really do much in terms of convincing both sides, he just made sure things didn’t get out of hand - which was never close to happening since there is little tensions. It was Kushner who requested the meeting and Mossad also had a huge part in it. Also I want to add that the US are only buddied with these two out of fear of Iran - you know, that country that Trump almost goaded into war in January after bombings and the death Assassination of General Soleimani who helped the US in the wake of 9/11 track and hunt down the Taliban, as well as fighting ISIS, how peaceful was that? The Middle East is still in Civil and Proxy Wars, no saving has been done there, the US just were there for Israel and UAE to confess that they’re friends. Which leads me to Korea. The Olympics helped more than Trump did, a shared effort where both countries had to travel and accommodate each other. Tensions may’ve eased in 2016 but they were far from resolved and in 2020 not much is better. Korea still antagonize one another and the North still antagonizes the US, any ‘peace’ the Trump Administration will claim to towards Korea faded quickly. And finally, Hong Kong, the US may be supportive and rightly so but this is again fear of Communism, it should’ve happened sooner but the US was hoping for that big and meaty trade deal with China. And this isn’t months I’m talking about it’s years, the proposal first took place after the Umbrella Movement...in 2014, it was annually brought up in Congress but postponed until the Senate decided to. And after Trump signed it he said he might veto it in favour of the China trade deal

“We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I'm also standing with President Xi: he's a friend of mine." - Donald Trump, November 2019

So really, this Nobel Peace Prize is the product and efforts of other people that set events in motion that Trump was there just to sign his name on. Meanwhile, in the country he is President of, the COVID Death toll has officially risen to 190 Thousand. 20% of COVID deaths are in the United States. Tear Gas/Pepper Spray - which is a recognized chemical weapon not allowed to be used in warfare - is used by Trump Supporters along with paintballs to attack peaceful protesters and Trump calls that peaceful because ‘Paint is not bullets’ - as someone who has been hit with Paintballs from safe range, they will hurt like a bitch and if you don’t wear protective gear they can do enough harm to crack and sometimes even break bone, the asthmatic co-worker I aforementioned that was in Hong Kong also notes that Tear Gas is awful, it may not kill you but it is far from peaceful. In the same breath Trump refuses to condemn a 16 year old carrying an AR and shooting someone in the head. He has also refused to condemn Epstein’s financier Ghislaine Maxwell and ‘hopes that she’s well’...the sex trafficker, but when you mention late Civil Rights leader John Lewis and his words are ‘can’t say one way or the other...he didn’t come to my inauguration’. This is your leader. The embodiment of the standards the country upholds itself to, it baffles me and many many others that the American People Chose a racist, bigoted, misogynistic, careless, self-important, naive, power-mad, severally-bankrupted, reality tv personality man-child, who is also intending to use US Taxpayers money to cover lawsuit fees against him alongside all his other golf trips. The man literally said that no other president has done more for Black People than he has, this is while he profusely condemned Kaepernick taking a knee to protest Police Brutality against Blacks and POC only for years later the world support it as BLM protests still happen because action has not been taken. We’ll also see what happens on the 14th regarding the Felony Hearing of the officers in Buffalo who pushed over Gugino and gave him a brain injury which he is still rehabilitating from after Trump tried to sell him as an Antifa member. Just in case you’re unaware, antifa stands for anti-fascist but Trump will paint that again in ‘Fear of Communism’. If you actually look up this stuff, the web of Trump’s lies unravel, and yet people just forget about. The man is a pro at gaslighting I’ll give him that, I mean leaking e-mails that condemned Clinton right at election time was some cutthroat stuff, but a man who needs to rely on preying on xenophobia, paranoia, fear, racism and invests mainly on smear tactics and dismantling, is not someone who can lead a country to prosperity, the amount of leeway this man gets from his supporters just hurts my head. So let me ask you America, truly, what is it that you want? Because it can’t be this, can it? Protests, Riots, people refusing to wear a simple face mask to limit the spread of a deadly virus because they think it’s a fake thing that the entire world decided to get in on with WHO just to spite Trump? Teenagers carrying guns? Refugees refused asylum and kept in cages? Do you want to keep spending your savings just to go to the doctors? or do you think that ‘Patriotism’ is blindly defending your country’s flaws and clinging to archaic and outdated thinking because centuries ago your country prospered in it? I’ll tell it to you straight: America is not the greatest country in the world, it hasn’t been for a long time. I don’t know what your history books tell you; that Native Americans were fine with slaughter, that the US won WW2 with the military might they always had, that Vietnam was a moral victory, but the present day should tell you that your country is a mess, and the man who has been at the helm for 4 years will not fix it in another 4. There’s only so much of Obama’s policies he can plagiarize as his own; he has left the UN, left the Paris Agreement for cleaner air and energy and all his original campaign members have been arrested, an alarming amount of people associated with him are facing criminal charges - is that not a red flag? Don’t let your thoughts that as a patriot you have to support your country no matter what, true patriotism is not just the love of your country but the hope and strive to better it because you can love it but accept that it has flaws. I mean even I’ll admit that the UK has a lot of its own shit to deal with, doesn’t mean I hate where I live I just know it can be better. If this were anyone else, hell if this were a Democrat the Republican party would be booking them a flight to the other side of the world with the stuff Trump has done and let to continue on with afterwards, through him you went from the United States to an Absolute State and the rest of the world wonder if this will either lead to World War 3 or a Second American Civil War You don’t have to like Joe Biden, but he clearly looks like the lesser of the two evils here, and at least in 4 years time America under him won’t be on fire. If you still don’t like him someone new could be elected after, but right now you are on a downward spiral and need someone who can put you back into a stable place, that man is not Donald Trump. The man who wants to intercept mail-in voting and outcry its ‘risk’ of tampering when he himself voted by mail is not a truthful leader, the man who tried to cancel the World Health Organization when they simply asked to not call COVID a racist name that incited xenophobia after decrying cancel culture is not a moral leader, and the man who said that COVID would peter out and suggested injecting disinfectant into the lungs to combat it only to now suddenly buy out all the experimental treatment so that they can try and engineer a cure in time for the election campaign, is not a wise leader. All the stuff you see in these coming months is just an attempt to win your vote, for the most part it’ll be Trump stamping his name on something other people worked on for years and claiming that he did all the work. So make sure you actually check the truth of these things, research and fact-check yourself with valid, neutral sources. Take off the blinders, take a breath and actually see the full picture. And please, as well as not letting this man have the Nobel Peace Prize Don’t give this guy have a Second Term

[purplesurveys]

288

How was your Halloween? My girlfriend’s parents invited me to their house since they had a Halloween party thing going on. It was the purest, sweetest thing of them to ask me to come over and it’s my favorite Halloween ever. When was the last time you skipped school? I *hate* cutting a class but I had to do it for my broadcast class because my prof triggers my anxiety every meeting and I wasn’t feeling particularly well that morning. What color was the first pet you had? Orange. It was a goldfish. Have you ever had fake nails? Nope. How many vacations have you been on? Too many to count at 20 years, dude.

Have you ever fallen asleep on the phone with the person you like? Yeah, that’s how I fall asleep quicker.

Do you own/want a snuggie? I’m not sure what that is but probably no. When was the last time you went to a concert? April 2017. Coldplay. How tall are you? I don’t think you can call me tall...I���m 5′2″. Or possibly even just 5′1″. What did you do today? It’s only 8:16 in the morning so not much. I’ve just rolled around in bed and checked Twitter, then I went downstairs and started this survey. I’ll start on my readings after but I really just need to take a survey first haha. Do you know anyone who is a total health freak? Both of my best friends can be but they tend to be inconsistent. I don’t know anyone who watches over their health all year long. Who was the last person you met? The last new person? Probably one of the girls currently applying for our org. Her name’s Moira. Would you rather save your best friend or your mother from dying? Without any shadow of a doubt, Gab. What color is your mousepad? I don’t use a mouse. What was your favorite year of high school? 3rd and 4th. I was still fixing myself up and figuring out who my friends were in my freshman and sophomore years. Current favorite song? I don’t pick favorite songs, not even current ones. Ever had a teacher call on you when they know you're not paying attention? I never did that. I was always horrified at the idea of being called out. Would you be more afraid of drowning or being buried alive? Buried alive. It’s rare. Do you wear makeup every day? Nope. Tell me about your boyfriend/girlfriend? :) There are enough of my surveys to let you know about her. Have you ever gone to the ER for something that could have killed you? I was never rushed to the ER. Even when I had a dangerously low platelet count and a 39.5ºF fever when I was 12, we had to wait hahahaha. Guess there are people who needed the help more. Should you really be doing something more productive right now? Yup, and I’ll be on it as soon as I finish this. Do you like pulling all nighters just because? No, my wiped out teenager ass can’t even keep up with all-nighters anymore even if I wanted to pull one. Have you ever lived out of your car? No. How many closets are in your house? One for each bedroom I guess so 4? Does your family own more than two houses? No. We do have another house and it’s where I grew up for half of my life so far but that’s my grandmother’s.  Have you ever eaten at Olive Garden? Nope. Does your family vote on a lot of things? Nah just the elections. Would you marry someone who could never have sex, for medical reasons? I know I would stay with Gab if that turned out to be the case. What about someone who was guaranteed to die in five years? All the more. Did you see Paranormal Activity? Yeah. I saw the more jump scare-y ending when I was 12 and haven’t tried to view it again since. Who was the last person you texted? My girlfriend. Do you have a protective father/older brother? Yeah my dad is, just doesn’t show it a lot. I know he secretly is when we’re at a sketchy mall and he quips about walking from a distance behind me so that we’ll try to see if anyone starts to cat-call me. And then he’d beat them up. It hasn’t happened but if it does then my dad and I would be a tag team because I can’t let him do all the work lol. Do you go out every weekend? Not every weekend but almost all of them. Do you drink alcohol or do drugs? I drink, but I would never do drugs. Does it snow a lot in the winter where you live? Winter? What a concept. Where do you go/want to go to college? University of the Philippines. We call it UP but that’s the full name for the curious. Do you have any step-parents? I don’t. Does your cell phone have a full keyboard? My phone’s keyboard comes up on the screen. It’s not a Blackberry. Have you ever had a friend come over when you're sick? No, I don’t ask them to do that. Do you like cornbread? I don’t think I’ve had them. Did you know human eyes can see more shades of green than any other color? I did not know that, and I’m also too lazy to verify this. Thanks for the random tidbit, though. Do you know what year your mother was born in? 1971. Have you ever been in an airplane? Yup, a bunch of times. Is it really late at night right now? Not late at all. It’s 8:35 AM.

[mshellbrat]

                                               banner by: Arienhod

Hey guys! Sorry, I’ve had a really rough week (been helping my sister move) and it took me longer to get this out than I thought it would. I want to apologize especially to anyone who I didn’t reply to...I’m working on it.

This is the second story in my Olicity Arrow/BTVS verse ‘Anything But Ordinary’. It will pick up in London with Felicity, Oliver, Thea, and Meredith going to meet the Council. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading and I would love to know what you think! :-)

Summary:  Felicity, Oliver, Thea, and Meredith explore London and get their first taste of The Council of Slayers and Watchers. Digg, Roy, and the Lance sisters try to hold down the fort back in Starling without them.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!...except my original characters and their imaginary organization... :-)

Here goes!...

To say Felicity was nervous was an understatement. She was nervous, she was anxious, she was stressed, she was excited, she was vaguely nauseated...okay, she was more than vaguely nauseated. She kinda wished she had one of those convenient sick bags they kept in hospitals...the ones with the plastic bag connected to the hard plastic circle that fit right over your mouth...

Riley Finn smiled and shook his head as he leaned closer to her. “Felicity, breathe. You're going to be fine.”

They were standing in front of the headquarters of the Council of Slayers and Watchers. The building looked old and regal and historic. Of course, Felicity knew it couldn't be that old. The old Watcher's Council headquarters had been bombed back in 2002 by minions of the First Evil. And that wasn't intimidating at all! She was here to meet several of the warriors who actually fought back the Armies of the First Evil!

“Sure,” Felicity nodded, “right. This is going be awesome. Really!” She took a shaky breath. “I can't wait to meet legendary heroes and scores of super-powered teenage girls who all have years and years more experience than me. I'm sure I'll fit right in.”

Oliver's presence at her back was a warm comfort. He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. “No, you won't fit in. You'll stand out because you're remarkable.”

She huffed and smiled lightly at the familiar compliment. “I've got your vote, at least?” She turned her head and smacked a kiss on his cheek.

“Always.”

Facing the front again, looking back up at that imposing building, Felicity's nerves quickly returned. “If I can only get them to overlook the fact that I had a defective gene and got called super late and...”

Thea scoffed from Felicity's other side. “That's just because you're so awesome the world wasn't ready to handle you yet. It needed time to prepare.” She grinned and bumped against the blonde's shoulder. “You're looking at this situation all wrong, Felicity. The world could only handle so much awesomeness at once. It's also why I just found out I'm a witch. They needed to make room for us. They should be grateful. We've arrived.”

Felicity blinked and turned her head to look at the younger Queen. “Did they breed the arrogance into you or was it something they fed you?” she teased.

Thea smirked. “I'm a Queen. We're perfect from birth.”

“Excuse the lack of red carpet, Miss Queen,” Riley told her. He lifted a brow at Felicity. “You ready?”

“As I'll ever be,” Felicity nodded. She sucked up her courage and forced herself to climb the steps and open one of the huge ornate doors. Here went nothing.

Riley led them to the reception desk. It was situated in an unassuming if lavish entrance hall. The tile floors and walls in complimenting shades of warm beige gave the appearance of understated elegance and sophistication. A blonde woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, wearing a loose bohemian style purple dress, sat behind the desk playing on her cell phone. It was alarmingly normal.

Personally, Felicity had been expecting something a little more...nondescript elevator deep into the earth a la Section One, but that could just be because all the lairs she'd visited lately were underground. The Slayer's Council, it seemed, were much too civilized for that. Which made sense as they were in jolly old England with all the very civilized, very British people, who would inevitably find an underground compound of slayer training awesomeness to be utterly crass and vulgar.

“You're babbling in a British accent in your head right now, aren't you?” Oliver whispered.

“Shut up,” she whispered back.

Riley cleared his throat to gain the receptionist's attention. She rolled her eyes before sitting down her phone and painting a wide fake smile across her lips. She glanced up at Riley. “Welcome to CSW. How may I help you?”

Her accent was American. That caught Felicity's attention and she examined the other woman more closely. Then she gulped. The stranger was a slayer. Felicity knew it, could feel it deep inside her bones. She was staring at one of her slayer sisters. This was actually happening!

Riley frowned. “We have an appointment with the Council, but I was told to ask for Rona if Buffy wasn't available.”

The slayer pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “Aren't you Buffy's ex?” Then her gaze slid to land on Felicity. A flash of instinctive aggression flared, predator recognizing predator, but her smile quickly turned genuine and curious. “Hi, I'm Maria, who are you?”

“I'm Felicity.” “Where's Macey?” Felicity and Riley spoke at once.

“Nice to meet you,” Maria nodded, then her expression soured and she rolled her eyes back to Riley. “Macey's on lunch. I'm covering for her.”

“Great,” Riley grumbled. He glared at the woman's borderline disrespectful attitude, “is Buffy available?”

The slayer snorted. “Yea, that would be a no. The General stays busy.” She turned back to Felicity. “Buffy and Dawn are at a lunch meet with some members of the Witches' Council. Something about a late bloomer witch coming in for training. I'm sorry you missed her, but I'm sure she'll catch you later.” She lifted her brows. “I don't recognize you. First time here?”

Felicity nodded nervously. She could practically feel Riley fuming. She sent him an apologetic look. “Is Rona available?”

“Sure thing,” Maria picked up the landline and hit a number. She waited for an answer before speaking into the receiver. “Hey Mace, you guys about done? Rona has an appointment out here. Finn, a slayer named Felicity, and...” the blonde leaned to the side to look beside Felicity and focus on Thea. Then her gaze slid up to the brunette's face and her mouth gaped open. “HOLY SHIT! You're Thea Queen!”

Thea grinned at Riley smugly. “I told you, I was born perfect.”

“She's the new witch,” Felicity filled in, carefully avoiding looking in Riley's direction.

“I would kill for your wardrobe,” the slayer told Thea still obviously stunned by her presence and the revelation of her supernatural status. Then she rethought her statement and edited herself, “or just your net worth.” She frowned. “I drive a Jetta.”

Thea snickered. “Noted.”

“I'm dead serious,” Maria said. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Also? Your brother is like SMOKING...” both Thea and Felicity stepped to the side to reveal Oliver standing behind them. The girl fell back forward and her face twisted in horror. “...hot.” Her voice trailed off to an embarrassed squeak.

Oliver smirked. “I'm flattered.”

The door behind the reception desk swung open to reveal another blonde, this one with long curly hair, big blue eyes, and wearing a pink dress. Felicity recognized immediately that she was staring at another slayer.

The new arrival scrambled to stand opposite the desk from Riley. “I am so sorry, Riley. I meant to be back by now. I know, it wasn't cute.” She spun to glare hard at Maria. “You should have notified me! I was expecting them.”

Maria's eyebrows shot up. “You were expecting Thea and Oliver QUEEN?”

The other slayer froze. Her head jerked around and she goggled at the Queen siblings. “WHAT?”

Felicity cleared her throat and tried to salvage the situation. “Hi, I'm Felicity Smoak. Riley was kind enough to escort us here. This is my...boyfriend?” she looked back at Oliver.

Oliver cut his eyes at her. “Partner.”

Felicity nodded and warmth filled her chest. She smiled at him. “Partner.” She turned back to the front. “This is my partner Oliver and his sister Thea. Thea's here for witch training.”

The new girl was still stunned. She nodded dazed and pointed toward Felicity. “You, I was expecting. You, I spoke with on the phone.” She held out her hand for Felicity to shake. “I'm Macey.”

“The first call I made?” Felicity realized.

Macey nodded. “When you thought we were all dead. It wasn't cute. I decided to let Rona handle it.” She turned a glare on Riley. “The infamous Queen siblings I was NOT expecting! That is also not cute!”

“I told Buffy,” Riley said.

Macey closed her eyes and huffed. “Of course, you did. And Buffy didn't bother to tell anyone else because she's Buffy!” She opened her eyes and stared exasperated at Felicity. “What did she think? He'd wear a hat and mask and no one would recognize him?”

Felicity winced and bit her lip. “You'd honestly be surprised.” Oliver poked her in the side.

Macey rubbed her hands over her face. “Do you have any idea how many sex-starved teen and twenty-somethings we have back there?” She hooked her thumb toward the door. “He's going to need a bodyguard to keep them from humping his leg. We're just lucky Faith's in Cleveland.”

Riley snorted. “True that.”

Felicity ground her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the two slayers. “Oliver's taken. He's mine.” Realizing how bad and possessive that sounded, she scrunched up her forehead and nose turning to Oliver. “Sorry.”

Oliver shrugged. “Tell Dare that.” Thea cackled out loud.

“Just be ready to defend your territory,” Maria advised, speaking back up as she pushed to her feet and walked toward the door. “Slayers be bitches.”

Macey nodded. “We're the nice ones.” Then she put back on a professional smile. “But welcome to CSW! Our home is your home! Please follow me and I'll escort you to Rona.” She waved toward the door and turned to lead the way. Riley, Felicity, Oliver, and Thea fell in behind her.

They were led down a long series of hallways. Maria peeled away at some point, waved goodbye, and disappeared through a side door. Macey turned them again, found the door she wanted, knocked and pushed it open. There was a pretty black woman who looked around thirty with long hair standing behind an office desk. She was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. She was also glaring down at her cell phone. “I swear, Buffy Summers is going to hell. Do you know what she just texted me? 'Running behind. Handle it. BTW a wild Oliver and Thea Queen might appear. Prep your Master Ball.'” She shook her head. “That's a direct quote.”

Macey made a cute huffy noise. “That's not Buffy. Dawn sent that text. Buffy doesn't know a Pikachu from a Gyarados. She still gets confused by Candy Crush. Pokemon is beyond our fearless leader.”

“Figures,” the woman rolled her eyes and tossed down her phone. She looked up and zeroed in on Felicity. She smiled genuinely and stepped forward to offer her hand. “Felicity? Nice to meet you in person. I'm Rona Jordan.”

Felicity shook her hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for helping me out before. I know I was a mess on that phone call.”

“Understandable,” Rona shook her head. “You got thrown into the deep end with no swimming lessons. From what I've heard, you've handled it better than most.”

“I had a lot of help,” Felicity told her. She turned and motioned to her companions. “I'm assuming you know Riley, but this is my partner Oliver and his sister Thea. Thea just found out she's a witch.”

Rona winced and reached out to shake Thea's outstretched hand. “You have my sympathy. I promise, Willow should be back soon.” Thea was deeply confused.

“Dawn will be overseeing your training,” Macey explained, “and she's...temperamental.”

“And you?” Rona looked Oliver up and down. “Damn, you really are that hot. That is just not fair.” She pointed to Felicity. “You better be ready to...”

“Piss all over him?” Felicity said. “I've heard.”

“The Bitchettes are in residence,” Rona warned. “They live for American tabloids and I'm almost positive at least a few of them have pictures of him tacked up on their wall.”

“There might be a shrine,” Macey muttered. “It's not cute.” Then she turned to smile widely up at Oliver. “But YOU are!”

“You are going to be fun to look at,” Rona agreed.

Felicity snorted. “Wait until you see him working out shirtless.” She looked from Rona to Macey. “Tell me you have a salmon ladder around here somewhere.”

“We have an everything around here somewhere,” Rona said.

“He comes in shirtless?” Macey sounded breathless.

Felicity smirked at her irritated partner. “Oliver comes with all kinds of surprises.”

“Yep,” Thea nodded. Her expression was sly. “And he makes excellent bait, don't you, Ollie?”

His expression was dark and unamused. Felicity threaded her arm through his and leaned against him. “Oliver's an archer. He can hold his own.”

Rona nodded consideringly. “We can work with that. Formal lessons? Contests? Do you have any experience with moving targets?”

“I get by,” Oliver said. Felicity winced at his tone, Thea snickered loudly, and Riley grinned from ear to ear.

“He could train with the Watchers,” Macey said. “They can start on basic defense. Humans aren't completely defenseless.”

Rona nodded. “We also have ranged weapon specialists and an enchanted shooting range. They can evaluate your form and accuracy with both stationary and moving targets.”

Thea's eyebrows shot up. “Do they have tennis balls?”

Riley lost his fight with his laughter at that. He shook his head and looked to Oliver. “Now you know how Cross and Case felt when you wanted a rundown of her resume and training qualifications.”

“Eat it up,” Oliver glared at the other man.

Felicity was just trying to decide the best way to calm Oliver down and sooth his wounded pride when her ringtone went off. She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the message.

Meredith: Can I come yet? Tell them I'm friendly!

Felicity snorted and sent back her own text.

Felicity: You want me to lie?

Felicity received back a string of poop emojis from her temperamental cousin. She took in a deep breath and blew it out.

When she tuned back into the conversation she found that Rona and Macey were still discussing the best possible training programs for Oliver and his new life of danger. She figured a change in subject before Oliver completely exploded couldn't hurt. She thought they could hide the fact that he was an asshole for at least the first day. First impressions and all that. She cleared her throat to draw their attention. “SO...what exactly is the Slayers' Council's protocol on dealing with Traditional half-vampires?”

That definitely got their attention. Both slayers stared at her slack-jawed. Rona recovered first. “Explain?”

Felicity winced and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “You see, I have this cousin named Meredith...”

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I would love to know what you think. :-)

[hotelconcierge]

The Subprime Directive

no one likes us / i don’t know why

I.

Trying to extract useful information from the 24-hour thinkpiece cycle is like trying to learn English by listening to low fidelity death metal: the signal to noise ratio is very, very low. (Admittedly, kind of a silly comparison—one imbues the audience with depraved bloodlust for unspeakable atrocities, the other is a genre of music.) The cacophony of 40,000 anhedonics exhausting every topical combination of syllables would be enough to institutionalize the Dalai Lama; words are infectious; once you find yourself forming political opinions about internet memes, your life is game over, A + B + Select + Start. I mean damn, I love pattern matching as much as the next former toy-sorter, but sometimes it’s okay to accept that a cigar is a cigar and a butterfly in New Mexico was having a bad day.

If you do want to stay “informed,” instead of doing something worthwhile like working at a soup kitchen or practicing the yo-yo, my advice is that you train yourself to zoom out. No one post-puberty will make a significant error of deductive reasoning. Nothing horrifies a teenager like hypocrisy: the first thing we learn out of Eden is how to circle A —> B around into Z —> A. Logic is easy, ask any expert on Aether. Nor will anyone worth rap battling commit a decisive factual error. Our flat earth has enough case studies to support even the most whacked ideology, ask any schizophrenic. Further, we humans of latitude have practiced the art of the squeal since our first lung expansion. We may be terrible at diagnosis, but we are the GOAT at identifying symptoms. So when you roll up your sleeves to shadowbox with a Bad Argument, you are going to face an internally consistent worldview backed by genuine hurt and fitting examples. This is why change is so difficult, and why other people are so infuriating: the problem is not bias, it is incompleteness. The only way out is to spot what is not included, the lie of omission, which requires perspective. Any given data point is both true and meaningless, a straight line across points makes you Nostradamus. Most arguments are nonsense, but when everyone chooses the same type of nonsense, that tells you something very interesting indeed.

With this methodology in mind, it is my contention that three of the most prevalent post-election news trends are designed with a single goal in mind: to prevent you from looking too closely at this picture—

—while humanity gets crunched into Google AdWords and fed to Cthulhu. The end of all things will be search engine optimized, at least we can take comfort in that.

Trend the first - Fake news: “Solving the Problem of Fake News” (New Yorker), “Donald Trump Won Because of Facebook” (New York Magazine), “Fake News Expert On How False Stories Spread And Why People Believe Them” (NPR), “Students Have 'Dismaying' Inability To Tell Fake News From Real, Study Finds” (NPR), “How Fake News Goes Viral: A Case Study” (New York Times), “How to Destroy the Business Model of Breitbart and Fake News” (New York Times), “The plague of fake news is getting worse -- here's how to protect yourself” (CNN).

Trend the second - Post-truth: “This Article Won’t Change Your Mind” (The Atlantic), “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds” (New Yorker), “Why facts don’t matter to Trump’s supporters” (Washington Post), “Why People Continue to Believe Objectively False Things,” (NYTimes), “Why We Believe Obvious Untruths” (NYTimes), “It’s Time to Give Up on Facts” (Slate).

Pause—why do these articles, I suppose it’s too meta to call them “fake news”, exist? I mean, human intransigence has been around since at least the 1980s. And yes, Breitbart sells souls wholesale, but for every article penned in blood by Mephistopheles there are 666 million (Snopes confirms) incorrect tweets, tumblr posts, reddit comments, and Facebook memes. Where do people really get their news? The Urban News Network has no wish to enter such murky waters, nor do they want you to ponder their 2016 election blindsiding and whether, perhaps, maybe, their self-righteous sensationalism even contributed to this abhorrent outcome. No, quite the opposite:

Private browsing and Adblock if you must click the links, these sites will give your computer herpes.

Denunciations of “fake news” both aggrandize the media and flatter their readers—who, after all, are being informed by the Pulitzer-winning journalism that America needs. This crowd is even more pleased by articles on our innate resistance to facts, social science skin flicks brought back pay-per-view. Fake news is a concrete, solvable problem, but “Post-truth”—and note that anyone who uses this phrase is not just drinking the Kool Aid but is doing a keg stand with it—“Post-truth” is cozily fatalistic. “Some people, they just can’t handle facts. What can you do?” Needless to say, every human intransigence piece references the Trump administration in either the first or last paragraph, except the Atlantic piece, which compensates via a cartoon illustration of a Trump supporter being unable to handle facts.

It’s comforting to know that everyone else is dumb, else Facebook would be out of business. But imagining that 3/4ths of the U.S. is occupied by orcs is actually a little scary. It’s too many people to hate, and they have guns, and besides, it’s no fun to be disliked. “Why would they be angry at us?”

Trend the Third - The Oxy and the Pity: “The Original Underclass” (The Atlantic), “2 of a Farmer’s 3 Children Overdosed. What of the Third — and the Land?” (NYTimes), “‘Deaths of Despair’ Are Surging Among the White Working Class” (Bloomberg), “Study: Communities Most Affected By Opioid Epidemic Also Voted For Trump” (NPR), “Orphaned by America’s Opioid Epidemic” (Washington Post), “Disabled, or just desperate?” (Washington Post), “Why The White Working Class Votes Against Itself” (Washington Post).

Not everyone absorbs information through the cultish repetition of buzzwords. So, to accommodate visual learners, the Washington Post has been kind enough to provide photos.

He returned in torn jeans and, with nothing better to do, went outside. He limped to the truck and fiddled with jumper cables. He set a fire inside an iron bin and burned some trash. He inspected a sheet of aluminum he had found, wondering how much he could sell it for. He walked into the woods and walked out. He looked at the road. A car hadn’t passed in a long while. It was 1 in the afternoon. The day already felt over. (Washington Post)

Madie Clark looks in on her granddaughter Zoie Pulliam, 10, and a visiting relative at their home in South Charleston. Clark moved into the bedroom where her daughter Amanda Pulliam and son-in-law Austin Pulliam died of heroin overdoses. (Washington Post)

This is poverty porn. Orphaned kids and burning trash and mothers trailing secondhand smoke and framed pictures of Jesus. Sunburns and Frito-Lays and rotting teeth and AM country radio in waiting rooms. Dead grass, chronic pain, highway-Walmart-highway tessellated on a map. The loss of manufacturing jobs. A people devoid of purpose, seeing no option but to kill the pain or else themselves.

If you think the above paragraph is accurate, then I bet you think rap music videos are an accurate depiction of urban black life. It’s a stereotype, a stereotype constructed for your convenience. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your half-forgotten high school reading list. I don’t dispute that Dogville is accurate for some portion of the white working class. But it’s far from the whole picture.

Per fivethirtyeight: Clinton did well in medium-income, high-education counties; Trump did well in high-income, medium-education counties, pictured above. No one in a town of 95k median income is so overwhelmed by “economic anxiety” that they spaz out into intravenous heroin. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain is predicated on education, or lack thereof—class, not income. And to the neutral pH water crowd, that’s terrifying.

Different monikers have been proposed for the Urban News Network audience: blue tribe, White People, upper middle class, Aspirational 14%. For simplicity, I’m going to use “liberals,” but please do not interpret the following blast of vitriol as “conservative,” “leftist,” “anarcho-marxist,” or otherwise politically motivated. You will not find a policy proposal here. This is a critique of people.

The alt-right contends that a liberal belief in “multiculturalism,” uttered as a slur, is undermining the foundations of civilization. They’re delusional. Liberals don’t believe in multiculturalism at all. In its purest form, liberal ideology only recognizes two types of people: liberals, and the tragically misguided—who, if not for their brainwashing, would listen to hold music and take Zoloft like any sensible person. Oh sure, you can consume your culture. Dress how you will, eat your ethnic food and celebrate your ethnic holidays (how exotic!), place your religion on the mantlepiece, complain about white people on any number of white-people-owned forums and newspapers. Be as cultural as you want, as long as you choose cash or credit and don’t contradict the superculture. Zizek voice:

“The tragedy of our predicament, when we are within ideology, is that when we think we escape it, into our dreams—at that point, we are within ideology.”

Liberals do not want to look at cultural values, they do not even want to acknowledge that cultural values exist, because that would mean they have a set of cultural values, and ain’t nobody gonna FaceTime that abyss. So how do liberals explain the people who read magazines about car radios? If the FOX demographic contains human beings with thought-out opinions, then they are terrifying. But if they are would-be Tesla owners who have been cruelly deprived of Cotillion lessons, who have been tricked by Steve Bannon into liking Harley-Davidson and hydromorphone, who, as the saying goes, are “voting against their own interests”—then nothing needs to change.

As of late, this blog’s essays have been obsessed with a particular theme: how, in a capitalist society, defining yourself against something perversely encourages that something to exist. Your freakout alerts enemies, exes, and passing contrarians that they should rush to the other side; your panic deepens; soon enough you’ll pay the opposition to set up their bowling pins just so you can see them get knocked down again. But if/when your rage congeals into boredom and it’s time to silence a group once and for all, a different tack is required: pity.

The media coverage of the opioid epidemic aims to turn rural America into an Oppressed Group. It is the final bombardment of a culture war campaign that has been going on for decades, spearheaded by 600 episodes of This American Life crying “Look, even these savages have some nobility!” The Hallmark cards for Trump voters are not an attempt to heal a divided nation, they are Liberals Going Their Own Way. We want other groups to be post-truth, deprived of free will in an incoherent and unjust society, because this allows us to completely ignore them. For their own good.

Sam Altman of Y Combinator asked Trump supporters to explain to their vote. A few highlights:

“He is not politically correct.” Note: This sentiment came up a lot, probably in at least a third of the conversations I had.

“He is anti-immigration.” Note: This sentiment came up a lot.  The most surprising takeaway for me how little it seemed to be driven by economic concerns, and how much it was driven by fears about “losing our culture”, “safety”, “community”, and a general Us-vs.-Them mentality.

“He is anti-abortion.” A number of people I spoke to said they didn’t care about anything else he did and would always vote for whichever candidate was more anti-abortion.

I humbly submit that NONE OF THESE ISSUES were discussed in the run-up to the 2016 election. “Political correctness” prompted an eye-roll and a mention of a rogues gallery weakman (e.g. Milo Yiannopoulos). Immigration was always discussed in terms of economic anxiety or xenophobia/racism, never in terms of “loss of culture.” As to abortion...“What is this, 2004? Who cares?”

I have no idea if Altman’s sample was representative, methodology not printed, standard disclaimers apply. But I am concerned. As Hollywood liberalism disappears deeper and deeper into its own fractalizing asshole, those outside its cultural sphere—in America, France, England, and elsewhere—will feel progressively less heard and respected, which will prompt liberalism to bury its head all the more. “How come the white working class uses government programs while railing against handouts?” Because you are the government. They’ll take what they can, but they’ll be damned if they beg for it. “Why are all these hicks voting for authoritarianism?” Exercise some basic cognitive empathy, please. They’re not voting for authoritarianism. They’re voting for fuck you.

All I’m asking for is honor in dueling: when someone raises a specific complaint, address that complaint, not what you think that complaint should be. I’m not saying that you have to be nice to Trump supporters. I’m not saying their opinions aren’t—arguably—myopic, evil, stupid. But it's far better to say that someone has stupid opinions than to say that someone is so stupid that they are incapable of having a meaningful opinion. Liberal insistence on the latter has turned political discourse into a vacuum where everyone can scream yet no one feels heard. You should see what it’s done to their kids.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

A WAY TO GET STARTUP

So don't even try to bluff them. But the importance of encouraging startups. But if you want to have them as colleagues, you have to take a long detour to get where you wanted to take being blocked off, and you always get more attention for that. Instead of thinking of the future may be surprisingly small.1 Almost everyone's initial plan is broken. In a startup you feel like a late bloomer than a failed child prodigy. There are also a couple things you could do to beat America at the national level. Installment plans are a net lose for the buyer, though, is the beginning. The student was stealing his smells!2

A parent added: In our country, college entrance exams determine 70 to 80 percent of a person's future. If this were true, Yahoo would be first in line to buy Suns; but when I worked there, the servers were all Intel boxes running FreeBSD. Another advantage of admitting to beginning writers that the 5 paragraph essay is really a list of n things like the pros, with numbers and no transitions or conclusion.3 If Sun runs into trouble, they could probably do it. A lot of people trying to be Thurston Howell.4 The same principle prevailed at industrial companies. If Sun runs into trouble, they could drag Java down with them. Three have been acquired: Reddit was a merger of two, Reddit and Infogami, and a lot of hours.5 If he had technologists working for him who made more than he did, because they'd been there longer. So we have no idea what our average returns might be, and won't know for years. Till recently we weren't clear in our own minds about the source of the problem.

More often than not it makes it easier for people to start startups.6 The course of people's lives in the US. Get Your Hopes Up. But most of the winners will only indirectly be Internet companies; for every Google there will be zero. So I think the rate of people who know the language who will take any job where they get to the point where they could raise millions from VC funds if they hadn't first raised a hundred thousand from Andy Bechtolsheim.7 So why do so many people argue with me? We couldn't have started Viaweb either.

Other players were more famous: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann.8 So did Apple. Experience suggests b is a thousand times more likely. There are times in most of our lives when the days go by in a blur, and almost everyone has a sense, it's not a problem for big companies, and sales depends mostly on effort. Better to make everyone resonate at their frequency if they want to avoid disasters. I wouldn't be too optimistic.9 So the only way to get rich, why doesn't everyone want to do most of the world. No room for more startups A lot of governments experimented with the disastrous in the twentieth century. Don't push it too far.

Those worried about America's competitiveness often suggest spending more on public schools. Isaac Newton and Jonathan Swift both lost money in the South Sea Bubble of 1720. Each is, by itself, enough to kill them off. The way I worked, it seemed like programming consisted of debugging.10 The name of a variable or function is an element; a segment of literal text is an element; a new block is an element; an element of a pattern, or a format directive, is an element. And what made him so good was that he liked us. Startups are easier to start in America because funding is easier to get. But Y Combinator runs on the maker's: office hours. Startups were not of course a creation of the Bubble, optimistic analysts used to justify high price to earnings ratio that was bogus.11 And while governments might be able not only to pull off a form of exemplary punishment, or lobbying for laws that would break the Internet if they passed, that's ipso facto evidence you're using a definition of property be whatever they wanted.

There is definitely an aspect of a band reunion to Y Combinator. But the importance of encouraging startups. The seed funding business is not a regional business, because at that stage startups are mobile.12 And we were careful to create something beautiful is often to make subtle tweaks to something that already exists, or to combine existing ideas in a slightly new way. But it seemed worth spoiling the atmosphere if I could save some of the fancier bits of New York or LA. The question is not whether you can afford the extra salaries.13 Family to support This one is real. You can't fake this. The design paradox means they're choosing more or less at random.

Only a small percentage of hackers can actually design software, and it's not what you might think.14 Investors looked at Yahoo's earnings and said to themselves, here is proof that Internet companies can make money. The crazy legal measures that the labels and studios have been taking have a lot of time in bookshops and I feel as if I have by now learned to understand everything publishers mean to tell me about a book, and perhaps a bit more in proportion to its ability to assemble large and disciplined organizations win needs to have a qualification appended: at games that change slowly. For the future, places that don't have startups will be to look around you for things that solve the mundane problems of individual customers. They just don't want that to be possible. It would be unthinkably humiliating to fail now. We probably all know people who, though otherwise smart, are just comically bad at this. The shielding of a reactor is not uniform; the reactor would be useless if it were about Facebook. Wufoo took this to heart and released their form-builder before the underlying database.

Maybe the alarm bells it sets off will counteract the forces that push you to overhire. It's because the nerds are getting rich. To do good work you have to do to get the most done? Are there walkable neighborhoods? Real standards don't have to stop doing it, but by default you change what you're doing, your servers keep crashing, you run into a chicken and egg problem here. Don't Get Your Hopes Up. He wrote that programmers seemed to generate about the same amount of code per day regardless of the language.15 The European approach reflects the old idea that each person has a single, definite occupation—which is not far from the idea that each person has a natural station in life. This doesn't work in small companies. It worries me a bit to be saying this, because it reflects a model of work from the 1970s. I can tell, succinctness power.

Notes

Cook another 2 or 3 minutes, then their incentives aren't aligned with the exception of the resulting sequence. This kind of intensity and dedication from programmers that they discovered in the trade press. Articles of this model was that professionalism had replaced money as a single cause.

In retrospect, we met Rajat Suri. I'm sure for every startup founder or investor I saw this I mean this in terms of the fake leading the fake leading the fake leading the fake. They thought most programming would be enough, even to inexperienced founders should avoid raising money in order to pick a date, because a she is very common for startups to kill their deal with the bad VCs fail to understand technology because they believe they do, so buildings are gutted or demolished to be about 50%. Survey by Forrester Research reported in their graves at that game.

There can be more at the lack of understanding vanity would decline more gradually. That's why there's a continuum here. It's a strange feeling of being harsh to founders is how much you're raising, have been peculiarly vulnerable—perhaps partly because companies then were more at home at the command of the next year they worked.

Now many tech companies don't.

Lecuyer, Christophe, Making Silicon Valley it seemed thinkable to start with consumer electronics and to a group of Europeans who said the wage differentials prevailing at the time I know what they do on the parental dole, and both times I bailed because I realized that without the methodological implications. If anyone remembers such an interview, I'd say the raison d'etre of prep schools improve kids' admissions prospects. Top VC firms expect to make money; and with that of whatever they copied.

But his world record only lasted 46 days. There are aspects of startups as they get more votes, as I know of any that died from releasing something stable but minimal very early, then you're being starved, not because Delicious users are stupid. Currently, when the problems all fall into in the usual way of doing that even if they do for a startup with a few that are only partially driven by money—for example, to mean the company than you expect. We invest small amounts of new means of production.

This is a big VC firm or they see you at a regularly increasing rate. Teenagers don't tell 5 year olds the truth. Users judge a site not as hard as everyone assumes. The dictator in the bouillon cube s, cover, and there are signs now that the guys running Digg are especially sneaky, but it's not inconceivable they were buying a phenomenon, or invent relativity.

It may have to decide between turning some investors away and selling more of the most useless investors are also the main reason kids lie to them.

Security always depends more on not screwing up. Pliny Hist. Ian Hogarth suggests a good way to find users to recruit manually—is probably a cause. One to recover data from so many different schools of thought about how the stakes were used.

We consciously optimize for this at YC.

And since everyone involved is so pervasive how often have valuation caps, a well-known byproduct of oligopoly.

Sheep act the way we met Charlie Cheever sitting near the edge? P rn letters. But there's a continuum here. In this respect.

See particularly the mail on LL1 led me to try your site. It seems justifiable to use those solutions. This just seems to be. You're investing your own.

The latter type is sometimes called an HR acquisition. It's a case in the field.

So it may have realized this, but they seem to like to fight back themselves. Hint: the source files of all, economic inequality was really so low then as we think we're so useless that in practice money raised as convertible debt, but its inspiration; the point I'm making, though I think I know, the work goes instead into the world will sooner or later. An investor who says he's interested in us!

[its-lifestyle]

Imagine if someone asks you, in all seriousness, “Should I choose death or life?” I’m sure you’d answer: “Choose life!” Who the heck would be moronic enough to answer death? Unfortunately, some people did. When a 16-year-old girl in Kuching who was contemplating suicide put up an Instagram poll asking that question last week, almost 70% of respondents voted for death. And, apparently, that triggered her choice to kill herself.

The story hit headlines all over the world – once again, we’re in the news for the wrong reasons! In London, the incident was raised in the British Parliament to Instagram chiefs, there for an inquiry on addictive technologies.

There was talk of charging those who voted for her death with abetting suicide. Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said suicide rates and mental health issues were rising. Yes – so what is your ministry doing? What are our cities, schools, communities doing?

Suicide is preventable. Suicidal feelings are often short term and specific to situations. Restrict the means to suicide – firearms, poisons or whatever – and suicide rates drop. Suicide bids with paraquat, a pesticide, were once common in Malaysia because of availability.

Most suicidal people have ambivalent feelings about dying. My father operated on many patients who had attempted suicide by poisoning. All wanted to live afterwards. To give them a chance at life again, he would remove their eroded oesophagus and put the stomach higher in the chest as a conduit, a pioneering technique he was well known for.

Today, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people (15 to 29 years) worldwide, after road accidents, the World Health Organisation says. Every 40 seconds, someone dies from suicide.

In Malaysia, one in five youths have suffered depression and 10% have had suicidal thoughts, the 2017 national mental health survey found. Mental health measures are urgently needed.

Mental health issues are rising, especially among teens; social media use is growing, and teens are heavily into it – can you see where this is going? In February I addressed my column to teenagers out of concern (“Just be the individual that you are”, Feb 24; online at bit.ly/star_teens).

Social media has not been around long enough for us to draw hard conclusions, but research indicates increased time on social media has a negative mental impact.

In March, the American Psychological Association released results of a national survey showing a sharp increase in youth experiencing negative psychological symptoms – and specifically among those born in 1995 or later, the “iGen”. The biggest spike in symptoms occurred in 2011 – soon after the boom in social media began.

The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or outcomes (attempts or deaths) increased by a shocking 47% (from 2008 to 2017). Depression also shot up. But no corresponding rise was seen in older adults.

Another study, in The Lancet medical journal, found social media contributed to low self-esteem, poor body image, poor sleep, online harassment and more.

Instagram has often been deemed the most detrimental to mental health. So concluded a study by Britain’s Royal Society for Public Health in 2017. Snapchat followed closely. All platforms had negative impact – except YouTube.

Instagram is full of wonderful pictures of people with perfect lives. Think about how that impacts an impressionable 14-year-old whose life has problems….

I spoke to a few teen users of Instagram. Most used it to keep up with friends. Some talked about fomo (fear of missing out). Tara, 19, tells me: “I have Instagram knowing it’s wrong. It’s a young person’s thing. But I’m aware of its dangers.” She says images can seem “fake” and “not real”, yet are influential.

The British Sun newspaper has called the app “Insta Sham” because of “ridiculously fake” photos of influencers doing extreme makeovers or creating unbelievable “bikini bodies”.

“People don’t think about the subconscious messages being sent. When you spread something dark, it can catch on quickly and influence people,” says Tara.

Instagram recently introduced “sensitivity screens” to block self-harm images following the death of a 14-year-old British girl, Molly Russell, who apparently was prompted to take her own life after viewing disturbing images on Instagram.

There’s one immediate solution to this: parents should restrict phone time. Ban phone use at night. Or forbid certain apps. It’s a hard battle to fight – I constantly negotiate screen time with my two children – but a necessary one.

Life on screens can be desensitizing and dehumanizing. We click away mindlessly, even in life or death polls. We don’t see cries for help. Suicide can often be a rash act, so when someone reaches out, for goodness sake, help them! Peers supporting peers can be powerful.

What really went wrong in that case last week was the lack of humanity. Online, we lose emotional and physical connections. Meaningful conversations. Eye contact. Hugs. A listening ear. We need to relearn being human again.

Human Writes columnist Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at star2@thestar.com.my.

from Family – Star2.com http://bit.ly/2X852gf

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/roy-moore-vs-doug-jones-watch-alabamas-senate-race/

Roy Moore vs Doug Jones: What to watch for in Alabama's Senate race

Tuesday's Alabama special Senate election seems more like something out of a Will Ferrell comedy, but sadly, this is the state of America right now with Republican Roy Moore duking it out against Democrat Doug Jones. Moore's wife Kayla attracted some major headlines as she spoke at a rally Monday evening with this: And her comment which was quickly picked up everywhere. The fact that she had prepared this statement in advance says so much about their view of the world and how out of step they are with it. "Fake news says he doesn’t like women in leadership positions, yet he supports me as the president of the Foundation for Moral Law, that he started 15 years ago today. So happy birthday, Foundation for Moral Law. Our chairman is also a woman and a prominent officeholder in the bank, not to mention all of the women that work in our campaign, and there are many. Fake news would also have you think that my husband doesn’t support the black community. Yet my husband appointed the very first black marshal to the Alabama Supreme Court, Mr. Willie James. When he first took office as chief justice many years ago, he brought with him three people from Etowah County; two were black, and one of them is here tonight. We have many friends that are black, and we also fellowship with them in church and in our home. Fake news would tell you that we don’t care for Jews. I tell you all this because I’ve seen it all, so I just want to set the record straight while they’re here. One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them." Alabama voters headed to the polls Tuesday in Alabama’s special Senate election and faced two choices: Either continue the “Trump miracle” in Washington or allow “decency” to prevail back home. At the center is Roy Moore — “Judge Moore,” to his supporters. The 70-year-old Republican was twice ousted as state Supreme Court chief justice after flouting federal law, and now he’s attempting a political resurrection amid accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. In Moore’s path is Democrat Doug Jones, 63, a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen who killed four black girls in a 1963 church bombing. More than two dozen people stood in line in the chilly morning air early Tuesday morning at Legion Field, a predominantly black precinct in Birmingham, to cast their ballots in a stadium office. Blue-tinted posters of college football players and cheerleaders lined one wall, and about 20 Doug Jones posters were planted near the parking lot. “I do not want to see Roy Moore go in there. We don’t need a pedophile in there,” said Teresa Brown, 53, an administrative assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who was voting at Legion Field. “We need someone that’s going to represent the state of Alabama, work across party lines ... just be there for all the people, not just a select few of the people.” Al Bright, 63, who does refrigeration repair, voted for Moore. “I just believe regardless of the allegations against him, I believe he is an honorable man,” Bright said. Bright said he realized some people criticize Moore because he was removed from office because of actions he took to try to block same-sex marriage in the state. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that because I believe in that as well,” he said. “I feel the same — marriage is between a man and a woman.” Mary Multrie, 69, who works at a children’s hospital and voted for Jones, said she was not influenced by accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore because she already did not like him. “He’s not a truthful man,” Multrie said of Moore. “He talks about God, but you don’t see God in his actions.” Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said early Tuesday that turnout for the special election could be as high as 25 percent of registered voters. The winner will take the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 Senate majority. A routine election in Republican-dominated Alabama wouldn’t be expected to alter that balance because Alabamians haven’t sent a Democrat to the upper chamber of Congress since 1992. President Donald Trump notched a 28-point win here in 2016 and remains popular in the state. But Moore’s baggage leaves the outcome enough in doubt that both Trump and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, have weighed in with last-minute robocalls trying to sway voters. The intensity also has spawned a steady stream of fake news stories that fill social media feeds of interested people in Alabama and beyond. A media analysis, in cooperation with Facebook, counted as many as 200 false or misleading reports heading into the weekend. One website claimed one of the women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct had recanted. She did not. Meanwhile, Moore’s detractors took to social media to claim he had written in a 2011 textbook that women shouldn’t hold elected office. He didn’t. In his final pitch before polls opened across the state at 7 a.m. CST Tuesday, Jones called the choice a “crossroads” and asked that “decency” prevail. “We’ve had this history in the past, going down the road that ... has not been productive,” Jones said. “We’ve lagged behind in industry. We’ve lagged behind in education. We’ve lagged behind in health care. It’s time we take the road that’s going to get us on the path to progress.” At his own election eve rally, Moore again denied all the allegations, calling them “disgusting” and offering voters a clear measure: “If you don’t believe in my character, don’t vote for me.” Earlier in the day, Moore cast himself as the victim. “It’s just been hard, a hard campaign,” he said. For Alabama, the outcome could be defining. Democrats and moderate Republicans see an opportunity to reject a politician who is already regular fodder for late-night television. Alabama’s senior senator, Richard Shelby, confirmed publicly that he wrote in a “distinguished Alabama Republican” rather than vote for Moore. Many Republicans, however, see an opportunity to defend the state’s conservative, evangelical bent in the face of unfair liberal criticism while delivering another victory for Trump and sending an anti-establishment senator into a federal government that has been reflexively unpopular among Alabama majorities for generations. Trump’s campaign architect and former White House adviser Steve Bannon told Moore supporters Monday evening the race is a “national election” that will determine whether the “Trump miracle” continues. Moore says he is aligned with the president and he makes similar arguments to Trump, blasting “the elite” in the “swamp” of Washington, D.C. For Jones to win, he must build an atypical coalition, maximizing turnout among African-American voters and white liberals who often don’t combine for more than 40 percent of the electorate, while coaxing votes from enough white Republicans who can’t pull the lever for Moore. One of Jones’ celebrity backers framed the choice as being much less complicated. “I love Alabama,” said Leeds native and former NBA basketball star Charles Barkley, “but at some point we’ve got to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘We’re not a bunch of damn idiots.’” As Alabama votes to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the choice between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has taken on outsized significance. Moore has faced allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers, dividing the GOP and giving Democrats hope of picking up a seat in a reliably red state. Here is what to look for in Tuesday night’s results: WHAT IS THE TRUMP DRAW? Alabama has once already proven the bounds of President Donald Trump’s political influence. He endorsed Moore’s GOP rival, Sen. Luther Strange, in the September primary, campaigning for him in Alabama hours before he was trounced by the state’s conservative voters. Now Trump has wagered a greater sum on Moore’s candidacy. The president resisted calls from his party’s senior leadership to abandon Moore after the sexual misconduct allegations surfaced. He directed the Republican National Committee to re-enter the race on Moore’s behalf, repeatedly attacked Jones, and recorded last-minute robo-calls on the Republican’s behalf. A GOP defeat in the deep-red state would speak to the limits of Trump’s ability to sway and motivate Republican voters. WILL DEMOCRATIC TURNOUT EFFORTS PAY OFF? In recent days, Democrats have pulled out the stops for Jones, including recorded calls from former President Barack Obama and visits from high-profile surrogates. They’re trying to boost turnout among those most likely to be aggravated by Moore’s controversial past, including black voters, and make inroads with suburban women_who proved to be pivotal to Democratic victories last month. Strong turnout and Democratic gains on both those fronts could point to trouble for Moore, and for the GOP going into next year. WILL DEMOCRATS END THEIR SPECIAL ELECTION BAD LUCK? Despite a ripe political climate, high-profile coverage, and huge injections of cash, Democrats are winless in five contests for vacant Republican congressional seats this year. All have been held in reliably Republican strongholds, but the defeats have still taken their toll on a party in a struggle for its identity. Wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and Maine in the November off-year election have provided some sorely-needed optimism for the 2018 midterms, and a Senate seat pick-up in Alabama would add pep to the party’s step. HOW WILL IT AFFECT RETIREMENTS? Sensing a difficult midterm election looming, 16 Republican members of the House and two in the Senate have already announced they will not run again next year. The retirement gap_only six Democrats in the House and one in the Senate have said they won’t run_can be an early indicator of what’s to come in a midterm election. (A more even split of retirements exists for lawmakers retiring from Congress to seek another office.) Republican leaders are anticipating more retirements on their side from lawmakers in competitive seats where members are facing challenging and expensive contests. A Democratic victory statewide in Alabama could foretell a dire year ahead for Republicans, which could send more Republicans to announce their departures on their own terms. WAS ROY MOORE WORTH IT? The Republican Party’s decision to maintain support for Roy Moore stands to be a defining choice for years to come. The party chose to embrace a one-time pariah for reasons of political expediency, and then doubled-down in the face of troubling allegations of sexual assault and harassment. For the president, it’s a matter of practicality_a loss would narrow the GOP’s thin majority in the Senate even further at a time when his agenda faces critical tests. But other Republicans worry it’s a short-term ploy that has sacrificed their moral authority, and that may come back to haunt them in the coming year. Republican lawmakers have spent the past months struggling to answer questions about Moore and his long history of divisive comments, and should he win, his presence will loom large in the Capitol and on the campaign trail. If Moore keeps the Senate seat in Republican hands, it may justify the backlash for some GOP officials. If he loses, the GOP has stuck by a candidate despite accusations of sexual impropriety, and who has alienated vast swaths of the electorate, with nothing to show for it.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[j-writes-and-suffers]

NaNoWriMo Day Four

Lucien blinked, clearly confused. “Fandom?”

“It’s… it’s a term teenagers use to mean like... the people that are fans of a certain show or movie or book series? Like, there’s a Lord of the Rings fandom, and a Star Wars fandom, and a Harry Potter fandom. It’s just like… people that are really interested in something.” Philip found himself struggling to explain the term, suddenly questioning his own teaching abilities. “I dunno if that made any sense, sorry. I can google it if that would help.”

“No, no, I understand. I didn’t know the term, but I’m familiar with the concept. I was a pretty nerdy kid, I’ve been in plenty of fandoms.” Lucien paused, rubbing his chin as he thought. “What exactly did you have in mind, though?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Philip sat up straighter, bouncing in his seat. “So, I want to ask everyone we see what their favourite book series is. We’ll put up the votes on a board behind us or something. When people see tons of votes for books that aren’t their favourite, they’ll get pissy, and ask what the deal is. At which point, we tell them, ‘I dunno man, guess you’ll have to come to Book Club and fight for the honor of your favourite book.’”

Lucien nodded as Philip spoke, waiting for the rambling blond to finish. “That’s not a bad idea. I don’t know how many people will be bothered enough to actually show up, but it’ll certainly be an improvement on our certain numbers.”

Philip smiled, setting his tea down so he could clap his hands together. “Yes! Yay! I’m glad you like it. We should also make up like little posters and cards and stuff to hand out.”

“It would take a while to draw out enough cards…” Lucien frowned. “I don’t know if we have the time.”

Philip laughed. “You don’t have to draw them out, old man! You just design one on the computer, and print a bunch of copies. You’ve got printers and shit, don’t you?”

“Old man?” Lucien raised an eyebrow indignantly. “But yes, we do have a printer. I’ll go see if it’s got enough ink. You work on designing the cards. God knows I couldn’t do it digitally.” He slipped out of the lounge to check on the printer, leaving Philip to work.

The energetic younger man was still bouncing as he pulled out his laptop. He switched it on and opened up Word to get to work. Illustrator or something would’ve been better, but that shit was expensive, so he would make do. He adjusted the blanket on his lap to get comfortable, sniffling and rubbing his nose. Was he catching a cold? He didn’t think he’d been that wet or that chilly…

Ignoring his growing congestion for now, Philip tried to focus on designing info cards. He struggled to stay on task, however, as he found himself sniffling and sneezing with growing frequency. Groaning in frustration, he set his laptop aside and got up to search for tissues. After searching for about five minutes, he noticed the box that had been sitting next to the couch the entire time. Feeling like a massive idiot, he sat back down, grabbing a tissue just in time to muffle yet another sneeze.

“If I’m getting sick, I’m gonna kill myself…” he grumbled, picking his laptop back up to work. He’d gotten most of the card written out and was just working on design elements, like font and layout, when Lucien returned. “There you are. I was starting to wonder if the printer goblins got you.”

Lucien rolled his eyes. “Very funny. I normally have student workers handle the technology, but they don’t start until next week. Have you got the cards ready?”

“Almost.” Philip replied, turning the computer so Lucien could see the screen. “What do you think? Should I make the ‘Book Club’ part bigger, or would that make it too big compared to everything else?”

“Well, I personally would make it bigger, but that might be because I need new glasses.” Lucien leaned in closer to better read the screen. “Aesthetically, it’s good now.”

Philip laughed, “You really are an old man! You’re blind, and you can’t work a computer worth shit.”

“I can so!” Lucien huffed. “I got the printer set up just fine.”

“Yeah, and it only took you nine years. God, I bet you still have a flip phone, too.”

“For your information, I do not have a flip phone. ...It’s a Blackberry.”

Philip busted out laughing. “Holy shit! I was just fucking with you… What the hell are you doing with a blackberry, you crazy old dinosaur?”

Lucien made an indignant noise. “I’m not that old! I just don’t do well with touchscreens. I need an actual keyboard to type on.”

The younger man was still cackling. “Do you also still watch movies on VHS cause you don’t know how to set up Netflix?”

“... I don’t want Netflix. I have all the movies I need already.”

“Oh my goood! Your place must look like a time machine to the late ‘90s!” Philip’s mockery was cut off by a sneeze, and he buried his face in a tissue. “Ugh…” He groaned, rubbing his nose, which was starting to turn red.

Lucien frowned. “Are you alright?”

Philip nodded. “Yeah, just a cold, I think. Shouldn’t be a big deal. I’ll just take some NyQuil when I get home.”

“Are you sure? If you’re not feeling well, you should rest tomorrow. I can take care of the Book Club booth.”

“No! I’m fine! I want to help!” Philip insisted. “I’ll be okay, really!”

Lucien nodded. “Fine, but if you still feel bad tomorrow, I’m sending you home.”

“I guess that’s fair…” Despite his words, Philip pouted.

“Don’t whine at me. Come on, we need to get the cards finished so you can go home to rest.”

“Right!” Philip perked back up, having completely forgotten what they’d been working on. “What’s the name of the printer?”

Lucien looked dumbfounded. “The name? I… I haven’t named it. Do I need to? Do you think ‘Oliver’ is a decent name?”

Philip sighed and rolled his eyes. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out myself.” He got up from the couch, laptop in hand. “Where is the printer?”

“This way.” Lucien gestured for the younger man to follow, leading him across the first floor to an alcove with a printer, a copier, and a scanner. “Here. Do you need me to do anything?”

“No! No… I’ve got it.” Philip was honestly afraid of what Lucien might do to the poor printer. “I just needed to see what brand it was… I’ve got it now.” He selected the right printer on his computer and hit print, gesturing dramatically to the machine as it started spitting out sheets of cards. “Ta-dah!”

Lucien smiled, somewhat amused and somewhat legitimately impressed. “Very nice.” Once all the pages were printed, he took them from the printer tray, tapping the edges to align all the sheets. He set them on the guillotine-style paper cutter, slicing the columns and rows apart until they had stacks of neatly-cut cards.

“Damn, how do you even maneuver that thing?” Philip gaped at the creaky, unwieldy old blade, which was likely older than him. “I’d probably cut my whole hand off trying to use it.”

“Years of practice.” Lucien shrugged. He gathered up the cards, piling them all into one neat stack and brushing the scrap paper into the trash. “Do we need anything else?”

Philip paused to think. “Uhm… Do you have like… a chalkboard or a dry erase board that we can bring to put up? To record the votes?”

Lucien nodded. “It’s up on the second floor, though. Would you help me bring it down?”

“Yeah, of course!” Philip hurried up the stairs.

Lucien followed, his much longer legs allowing him to catch up despite a much slower pace. “It should be over by the study desks… the physics and chemistry students love to use it for homework.” He led Philip to a corner of the second floor, filled with desks, chairs, and outlets. There was a row of computers on one table, and up against the wall, as promised, was a large whiteboard.

The younger man grabbed one end of the board, attempting to tug it across the floor. It creaked and groaned, barely budging an inch. “What the hell?”

“The wheels are locked.” Lucien chuckled. He gently nudged Philip aside, flipping the locks with the toe of his shoe. “Try it now.”

Philip pulled the edge of the board again, and to his relief, it now rolled smoothly over the floor. Though technically carpet, the flooring was that awful, flat compacted ‘business flooring’ carpet that was basically tile made of fibers, so it didn’t impede wheels in the slightest. Lucien walked along beside Philip, waiting to help him carry the board down the stairs.

“I’ll take the front end. I know the building better than you, so walking backwards won’t kill me.” Lucien grabbed the other side of the board, slowly backing down the steps. He could’ve walked faster, but he knew Philip’s tiny legs wouldn’t allow for that. He froze for a moment as the younger man’s breath started to hitch, instinctively tightening his grip on the board. Lucien felt the weight all shift into his hands as Philip unthinkingly moved to cover his mouth.

As soon as he realized what he’d done, the blond turned bright red, grabbing his end and stammering apologies. “Shit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even… Oh god. Are… are you okay?”

Lucien nodded. “No harm done. I saw it coming.” He shrugged the offense off like it was nothing and continued down the stairs.

When they reached the first floor, Philip immediately let go, exhaling heavily. “Shit, I’m out of shape…”

Lucien smiled. “I’ve gotten used to the stairs, but they were murder the first year I was here.”

“This whole university is half stairs.” Philip whined, “My office is on the fourth floor! I almost died moving in.”

The older man smirked, biting back a laugh. “Are you sure English is your passion? You seem to have quite a flair for drama.”

“Rude!” Philip huffed.

“I’m rude?” Lucien laughed aloud this time. “How many times have you called me old tonight?”

“Well, that’s different!”

“How so?”

“Cause it’s true!” Philip replied.

Lucien gasped, faking legitimate offense. “How dare you! Out! Get out of my library!”

Philip put on his best puppy-dog begging face. “You wouldn’t kick me out… you like me too much.”

“You’re right.” The lanky man conceded, “But you do need to go home and rest. So get out anyway.”

“Fiiiine…” Philip grumbled, as if he had just been assigned a terribly arduous task. He stuffed his laptop back in his bag and headed for the door. “See you tomorrow.”

“That you will. Goodnight, Philip.” Lucien beat the younger man to the entrance, pushing the gargantuan door open and holding it.

“N… night.” Philip smiled sheepishly, waving with his free hand as he made his way down the stairs.

[insert-witty-comment]

Continued from Part 1Chapter 15 starts off with Swerdlow getting a job with a food distributor company run by four brothers, all of whom were assholes with Mob connections. They also had him impersonate of them when talking with vendors or to the school of one of their daughters. Anyway, during this time Swerdlow somehow embezzled three-hundred-thousand dollars without remembering doing so, but the handwriting on the checks used was not actually his. He did, however, open some fake accounts at the bank on behalf of the brothers, during which he met a Russian bank teller who knew about his great-uncle and apparently stalked him for a bit.Also during this time, Swerdlow came into contact with a support group for UFO abductees. He arranged the meetings at his house to his wife’s annoyance, and this went on for a bit until “I realized that the support group was an avenue for borderline lunatics to parade through my house”. Ultimately the group leader ended it with this announcement;“She said ‘It’s all Satan. Satan runs through our minds and tells us false stories. He makes his demons look like aliens in order to fool us. I went to my church, they sat me in a chair, and started to pray. Strange voices came out of me and I spoke in tongues.’”The congregation cleared her after this, so she went home and destroyed all of her UFO crap. According to Swerdlow; “I thought she was nuts, even nuttier than people thought I was”. I don’t really think that’s possible, but okay. Also during this time;“I became obstinate and aggressive, especially toward my family and friends. They have all since remarked that I seemed to simply change overnight into a very evil person. Strict with my children, I yelled and screamed at them constantly. I wanted their toys picked up and put away, even while they still played with them. Of course, I now realize that set the future stage for years of therapy for them. Even my own mother started to call me Hitler. At the time, I kind of liked it.”I think you should be the one undergoing “years of therapy” if you think that your mom calling you Hitler is a good thing, Swerdlow. So during this time, a guy with a French accent claiming that he was from Madagascar called him, but he couldn’t remember the conversation afterwards. A week later, a man from the “Real World One” company approached Swerdlow, convinced our hero to give him several thousand dollars to build affordable housing on Long Island’s east end, and then ran off into the sunset with the money, presumably laughing his ass off.After that, the Madagascar guy then tried to con Swerdlow out of his money, but he got arrested for “trying to buy green cards and then propositioning the female prosecutor.” Meanwhile, helicopters were still buzzing Swerdlow’s house, so he called the FAA to complain, and as a result he was notified that he was under investigation by the Federal Postal inspectors the next day. Around this time, a “friend of a friend” recommended that Swerdlow go to see our dear old friend Preston Nichols. He does so, tells Nichols his story, and Nichols offers to give something he calls the “Wilhelm Reich Procedure”. This unlocks some of Swerdlow’s repressed memories from Montauk. Nichols then invites Al Bielek and Duncan Cameron over, and to his horror, Swerdlow recognizes Cameron as the face he saw in his window as a teenager and from Montauk. He is then possessed by a grey who claimed that because Swerdlow was “one of them”, they could claim his body whenever they wanted to. Nichols responded by saying that Swerdlow “was a human being with a soul from God”. The alien called Preston “Pressed On” and cursed him, saying that Swerdlow was needed to carry out his mission. Then another alien literally yanked the first one out, and moved into Swerdlow’s body. This alien identified itself as a Draconian named “Gengeeko” and told them that an invasion force is currently coming to Earth, and that they would use it as a staging point to access the rest of the galaxy, hence the reason why so many alien races are interested in Earth. The alien then warned Nichols against using his equipment or contacting his Pleiadian friends, and proceeded to attack him. Cameron and Nichols restrained him, and the alien said that humans are weak, and that the Draco Empire would protect them in exchange for raw materials and workers. He also reveals to following;“Our leaders were well aware of the impending invasion, gradually preparing the world population via television shows and movies.”Does this mean Stranger Things is supposed to also be seen as preparation for an alien invasion? Well, better start stockpiling Eggos.“Even rulers in some countries were humans with Draco soul-personalities. The reptilian within my body expanded upon his ideas by saying that the United Nations would be the forum for a central planetary government.”The UN as an effective form of government? Now you’re just being ridiculous, Swerdlow.“United States leaders were in league with Draco allies without realizing it. Some of the leaders of this planet have prepared escape plans to Mars where equipment was already being activated, as well as to other planets and moons in this solar system. Mars has a huge underground facility built by the Sirians over 500,000 years ago.”So our leaders are ditching us, of course. “So long, and thanks for all the votes!”The alien finally said that Swerdlow was once an ambassador to his people, and thus his body could be used before leaving his body, after which we learn that unlike every piece of pop-culture depicting them ever, psychics do not, in fact, get nosebleeds from using their powers. No, they get rectal bleeding(seriously). Moving on.Chapter 16 is just about how when Swerdlow went on a cruise with his wife in the Caribbean, he saw a ghostly white woman floating above the bed, dreamed about shooting down an airliner with his mind, realizing that an airliner did crash at the time that dream happened, was exposed to radiation by a passing UFO and cured of his radiation sickness by some greys on the moon.Chapter 17 describes another time Swerdlow used the WR procedure with Nichols and Cameron. Another Draconian named Tubor possessed him and called humans weak and fragile, and explained that Swerdlow had already agreed to serve as a liaison between them and humans in this way, because he was once the Sirian ambassador to them and negotiated a trade deal. He also reveals that the Draco were hanging around Montauk to observe the mind control experiments, specifically those using sexual methods. Tubor was then kicked out by a Sirian named Mishka, who taught Swerdlow how to protect himself from hostile possession. He also stated that he lived on a space station called the Calumba between Earth and Mars to monitor “interference” in this solar system.Over the next couple of months, Mishka, Mishka’s assistant Marshak, Tubor and Gengeeko all used his body to dispense information.“I was given information that the USSR was in league with the Draco and allowing them to use Soviet bases for advance operations. But the USSR would eventually break up into smaller nations and disrupt the agreement. When this happened, I was told that this was a deception to lull the rest of the world into a false peace. The various Soviet governments were closely aligned with each other. When the opportunity was right, the Soviets would pounce on unsuspecting countries. In this way, the Draco had a powerful ally on Earth to do their dirty work for them.”So this is Putin’s master plan? I don’t really know what he would get out of it, but whatever.One night at 2:00 AM, Swerdlow was summoned to his living room where he met Mishka and another Sirian that had human features. This Sirian held up his hand;“’Hello, Father’ he said. Quite shocked, I asked him what he meant. Giving his named as Elsinob, he told me that his age was the equivalent of 400 Earth years. In the mid-1500’s, he continued my soul-personality was a professor at a university in central Germany. At the time, I was abducted by greys. They took a genetic sample from me and sold my sperm to the Sirians who used it in a hybridization experiment.”So Elsinob reveals that he wanted to meet his biological father and that their minds were linked. He also revealed that Swerdlow’s testicles were implanted with a device that increased his sperm production and made him “extremely fertile, and also that the Jews were created as a joint effort between the Sirians and the Draco, and that the Ohaluan Council gave them the Torah as well as their language of Hebrew. Elsinob then told Swerdlow to return to bed.Chapter 18 starts with Swerdlow meeting a blind New England psychic who helped “deprogram” him. However, she started trying to separate him from Cameron and Nichols, and ended lying to him in order to get money from him. She did, however, reunite him with his “twin flame” Mia, who “became my balance in hyperspace” and boosted his abilities, to the point where he could do “absentee healing”, read minds and call up aliens whenever he felt like it. However as a result of his looming sentencing date for the embezzlement charges, Swerdlow became incredibly depressed and tried to kill himself by driving his jeep into a tree with his eyes closed. However, when he opened them, he found that he was driving slowly on a completely different road. After that he became even more depressed and developed anorexia, and tried to slash his wrists with a pair of scissors until his wife guilted him out of it. Apparently, the prosecutor in the case had threatened to send his wife to prison as an accomplice if he didn’t confess to the embezzlement.“No one wanted to believe what I was saying. After my lawyer read a manuscript that I had written about my life, he told me that I would go to prison forever if I published it. He said that I would be labelled an insane man and put into a federal mental institution. Whenever I went to his office, black helicopters literally hovered outside of his window the entire time I was there.”Seeing no way out, Swerdlow kissed his sons goodnight, left a goodbye message for Cameron on his answering machine, and resolved to kill himself.“I thought about the pain and sorrow my parents and children would feel. I realized that my wife would be relieved that I was gone. I had always been an annoyance to her. Besides, I thought that she was having an affair with her boss.”Well that’s… sad. Anyway Swerdlow took a handful of Prozac pills and a bottle of Russian vodka and was starting to fade away when Cameron, Bielek and Nichols practically kicked his door down to save him. They told him that they cared for him, would be there for him and probably had a The Monster worthy hug-out, just with four middle-aged conspiracy theorists/psychics. Sometime after this, Swerdlow underwent another WR procedure and found himself being transported from Montauk to the Middle East right in front of Jesus Himself. A voice in his head ordered him to shoot Jesus, but it turns out that he didn’t shoot Jesus after all! Instead he dropped the gun and ran away, but he knew that Jesus forgave him. Next he appeared at the foot of the cross, and extracted some blood from Jesus’s big toe. When he looked up, Jesus was smiling at him. He then appeared on Mars were he handed the vial of blood over to Cameron, before abruptly coming out of the trance.“I remembered that the blood of Christ was to be used to clone a body with an android brain. A duplicate of Jesus, it would have a government mind! The second coming would be staged!”…………………………………………………Yeah, so how many chapters are left in this? Eight? Fuck.So after this project was completed in the underground Mars base (accessed by a captured UFO in Area 51) the government would use the android-Jesus-clone (did I really just type that?) to control the masses.“The government also hoped to activate the defense systems on Mars and the Moon before the Draco invasion force arrived. This was a race against time. The government needed to have the people of Earth trust them and believe everything they were told. Who more would they trust than Jesus Christ Himself?!”I don’t even……Let’s just move on. So after “the Jesus episode” (as Swerdlow calls it), in Chapter 19 our hero reveals that the survivors of the Montauk Project are acting as sleeper agents, ready to activate at a moment’s notice, whether to form vigilante groups to act against government enemies, establish satanic cults to capture more people for experiments or to prepare for the alien invasion. They were also tested with the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing. He then goes on a tangent about how China is filled with millions of Jewish descendants of refugees from the Roman conquests and that they will eventually join with Israel annihilate “the Moslem fundamentalist countries”, possibly using Sirian laser and sonic weapons.“The Moslem fundamentalists are the only resistance force that would be detrimental to the Draco invaders upon their arrival. Accordingly, the Draco want them eliminated to ensure a smoother transition of power.”Because I guess even space-faring alien races can’t take over the Graveyard of Empires. He also learned that twelve alien races created life on Earth, and that they’re still sticking around the solar system, shooting down any human probes that get too close.Chapter 20 describes how Swerdlow always had the ability to read minds since he was a child, but he suppressed it because no one believed him. Here he explains that psychic powers are not the result of LSD use during pregnancy, metal rods jammed in fetus skulls, sex magick or whatever other stupid crap these books came up with, but instead its all based on your DNA, just like everything else, which could occasionally be opened up in a “Kundalini activation”. In order to fill more pages I guess, Swerdlow repeats his story of how he was abducted and trained by both the aliens and Montauk crew. He also said that the Montauk Boys’ body cells were used to store information (somehow) and transferred his energy to boost a psychic in the chair through the use of a computer. Eventually, he didn’t need the computer anymore and could do it at will, which he used to “ruin the experiments through mental interference”. To change his focus, he was assigned to preparing the other kids ranging in age from four to twenty-five (anyone older was sent to be slaves for the greys because by that point their “mind-patterns” couldn’t be altered). He apparently enjoyed this due to the influence of his former life as a Nazi. However all of this experimentation damaged his digestive and nervous systems and he’s nearly blind and deaf, instead having to rely on perceiving their “energy fields”, auras and mind-patterns. These powers could be amplified by electromagnetic energy from computers, phones and televisions. However, despite these drawbacks, he is incredibly powerful.Chapter 21 is about his sentencing, which was set for February 27, 1992. In exchange for a confession, he was a promised a four month sentence in a “country club prison camp”. However, he was somehow informed that a “major power” was sending a nuclear missile into a “small Middle Eastern country”, and Swerdlow was somehow able to tell the government about the attack. Because of that, his lawyer informed him that his sentencing had been moved up.“Even though I had given him my last dime, this lawyer constantly hounded me for money. Repeatedly, he told me that he would continue to represent me even if I admitted to committing the most heinous of crimes. I just could not understand him. It seemed that the prosecutor, who was his friend, and the government had all teamed up with my wife to drain every last asset from me for as long as possible; then discard me when there was nothing left. I suppose that this is typical of the legal profession.”Welcome to the American legal system, Stewart. So anyway, on the day of his sentencing, Nichols, Cameron, his parents, sister and wife all showed up, and he was sentenced to thirty-three months in a federal prison camp. It turns out that his lawyer lied to him. Swerdlow became depressed again because of this, and his blind deprogrammer was telling him that going to prison was part of her alien friends’ plans. He boarded a plane to Kentucky after his wife yelled at him when he was hugging his kids, and considered jumping on another plane to flee the country when he saw some alien skywriting that convinced him to stay.Chapter 22 is about his experience in prison. So his belongings were confiscated, and he immediately thinks about Holocaust victims losing all of their things in a melodramatic way. He then proceeded to start sobbing extensively. He eventually met the other inmates who immediately assumed that he was part of the Mafia because he was from New York. Most of them were just drug dealers, pot growers or tax evaders and were all very kind. The prison itself was a nightmare rife with corruption and abuse, but Swerdlow became a teacher in a GED program, and ended up teaching the inmates all about auras and mind-patterns. He used his abilities to cure some aliments and do dream analysis. He was constantly on the phone with his deprogrammer, the aliens were sending him telepathic messages and cloud messages (which he was able to erase), and Nichols mailed him. However, the government blocked all the letters, so Swerdlow threatened them over the phone and “caused a small earthquake in Kentucky because I could not contain my anger”. Also, his wife was cheating on him the entire time he was in there with his boss and in fact worked with the prosecutor to imprison him. However, while in the camp, he did learn that the prisons are just models for the New World Order envisioned the future would be like, Japanese banks are a front for US and German money, the US Postal Service is a front for a British bank, foreign troops are trained in the US, and that the AIDS virus was created in an American lab and released in St. Louis, Missouri in 1967. Finally, his fellow inmates informed him that there are indeed groups of organized rebels hiding in the mountains with massive arsenals ready to revolt and conquer bird sanctuaries across the nation!In Chapter 23, Swerdlow is transferred to a prison camp in Pennsylvania. The inmates here are much different.“These prisoners, mostly from the northeast, were unfriendly, arrogant and wealthy. Many were lawyers and this actually pleased me. I felt that they were finally where they all belonged except they were breathing!”That’s…. harsh. Anyway, once again, Swerdlow became a teacher, both for GED and English Second Language for a large amount of illegal aliens from Latin America as well as some Middle Eastern former terrorists. He also taught them about “the truth behind the American government”, which delighted the terrorists. He also wrote a book on teaching GED and ESL, which was quickly taken by the government with his name struck from it. He also met a guy named Peter Filatov here, and you can tell that this was written in the 90’s because they had good first impressions due to Filatov being Ukrainian and Swerdlow being Russian. Swerdlow told everything already mentioned in this book, and they both wrote a book together.It was at this point that Peter Moon sent Swerdlow a letter asking permission to tell his story in the Montauk books. His deprogrammer told him to refuse, but Moon put his name in the acknowledgements of Experiments in Time, which one of the prisoners was reading. Because of this, Swerdlow became a celebrity. Oh, and Swerdlow also managed to charm the “beautiful” female guard who processed the mail into smuggling contraband in for him. He also claimed that he tried to heal actor Dack Rambo of AIDS, but failed because his chemotherapy treatments weakened his heart too much. Swerdlow still talks with him in hyperspace, though.After a letter to a congressman, Swerdlow was transferred to a Philadelphia military base, right next to where the Eldridge was docked. During this time he learned that there are government emergency stockpiles all over the country, and that there was a hyperspace transit system grid across the nation. He also corresponded with NASA to interpret an image beamed from a comet near Jupiter that said the comet would turn Jupiter into a sun, which would melt the frozen moons of Jupiter and Saturn, thus creating more Earth-like planets. In the last six months of his sentence, he was transferred to a halfway house in Brooklyn, which was in the middle of constant gang wars. There, a security guard pressed him for information about UFOs. Swerdlow also stopped talking with his deprogrammer after she started taking credit for his information and talked smack about Nichols and Cameron.Swerdlow gets out of prison in Chapter 24 and gets a job helping mentally-handicapped adults. Apparently this was even worse than prison because he wasn’t allowed to actually treat the patients and the supervisors tattled on everything. He tried to help the patients, but while doing that his wife forced him into the garage while she continued to cozy up with her boss. Here, he became a radionics teacher to heal mind-patterns and used his radionics machines to keep his place of employment calm and healed epileptics. He was advised by a friend to contact a woman in Oregon named Janet Dian, because they had a lot in common.Chapter 25 describes Dian. Swerdlow describes her as looking like a model, having a gentle, angelic voice, and was already married. He was telling her about the Montauk Project when he suddenly had the urge to blurt out that he saw her leaving her husband, moving to New York, marrying Swerdlow and having a child with him. Amazingly, after only one phone call, she was receptive to this plan (really makes you wonder what her husband was like). They apparently lived a past life together and were remembering each other, in which they were both aliens and Swerdlow was a diplomat who was shot down in a fiery explosion a millennia ago. Swerdlow also used his incredible powers to travel through hyperspace in order to bang her literally every night.However, Swerdlow got into a fight with his wife, and she ended up hospitalizing him, which finally convinced him to get a divorce and move back in with his parents. At the same time, Dian was trying to flee from her abusive husband with the help of her mother. They met in New York City and immediately hit if off in a hotel room. Dian used her abilities “to remove an etheric object from my solar plexus”, which was planted there by Swerdlow’s deprogrammer as a means of influencing him. Since then, the deprogrammer has begun a negative attack campaign trashing him. Dian went to her mother’s house in Missouri and informed Swerdlow that she was pregnant two weeks later. Because of this, her mother was kicking her out, so she had to move in with Swerdlow. So our hero gathered his family together to explain the circumstances, and was about to drop the news of her pregnancy when his sister announced it. She found out a week before from telepathic messages received from her dead relatives via Ouija board. She never just never mentioned it until then because… I have no idea.So anyway, the parents are fine with Dian moving in, and Swerdlow discovers that they’re perfect for each other. Finally, we move into Chapter 26, in which Dian finally divorces her dickwad/Lonnie of a husband, and gives birth to boy named Zachary via Caesarean, however much like Swerdlow was as a kid, Zachary is described as “an old soul” that is already incredibly adult. Anyway, Dian and Swerdlow are happy with each other due to being “other-halves” which is different from twin flames because they’re split from the same “Oversoul”. Anyway, the Swerdlow family is living wonderfully now (as of 1998) and Stewart has devoted his time to using his powers for helping others. He invites us to “join me in an effort to save our planet and mankind from destruction.”Finally, we have an Afterward by Moon.“We can be grateful that our current times and moral climate do necessitate labeling of these experiences of an insane individual.”Oh, really?So basically Moon says that love is indeed the key to our salvation, and puts in an ad to hire Swerdlow for a lecture or to practice all of the crazy shit he talked about in this book. Moon also states that Swerdlow is coming out with a new book; The Healer’s Handbook: A Journey into Hyperspace that will cause its readers to “be moved beyond your current horizons and propelled to new vistas of consciousness”, whatever that means. However, looking at that book reveals it be short and more of a guide book about hyperspace and having little to nothing to do with Montauk, so I’m going to skip over it for the next entry in the series, The Music of Time. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with Moon’s words of wisdom;“Whether you are bored, abducted or being strangled by a member of your domestic environment, there is a new reality which awaits you.”Thanks for reading, and Stay Strange.The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time OverviewMontauk Revisited: Adventures in Synchronicity OverviewPyramids of Montauk: Explorations in Consciousness OverviewEncounter in the Pleiades: An Inside Look at UFOs OverviewThe Black Sun: Montauk’s Tibetan-Nazi Connection Overview via /r/StrangerThings

[dachi-chan25]

Riverdale Meta? Theories?

So @lostinafictionaluniverse made some amazing questions about the finale and what’s to come to next season, and this is my attempt at guessing/figuring out the answers so here I go:

-Who the fuck was Cliff Blossom doing business with in Montreal?

A: Well I think it’s pretty obvious it’s Hiram Lodge (aka Daddy Dearest) not only because FP’s comment to Hermione in episode 8 but also for the conversation Archie overheard at episode 9 where Penelope and Clifford mention then were the ones who sent him to jail and when Hermione and Ronnie discover the Blossoms sent a monthly income to Hiram.

Now my prediction as to what was the business about I think it was something crooked but not the drugs, my guess is that Hiram tríed to play Clifford as he did with Ethel’s dad (and probably many others) but being just as dishonest as him, Cliff managed to turn things around and send him to jail, or maybe they really were partners and Clifford dug up some shit on Hiram and sent him to jail to have the business all to himself.

-

Why the fuck did Cliff Blossom kill Jason? (yeah yeah I know – bcos Jason wanted to expose his business, but I need more than just a narrative that emerged!)



A: So a theme very prominent in the Blossoms (and in Hal Cooper who is also a Blossom xD) was the legacy and the importance of keeping the name of the family in a high and important place, Cheryl was the black sheep because her parents see her as someone that causes trouble (too volatile, too emotional, too needy, in resume weak) in contrast they have their golden boy: Jason. Penélope gives a pretty accurate description of the father-son relationship they have on episode 12: “He (Cliff) was grooming Jason to be his heir!” that’s pretty telling tbh, she didn’t say ‘he was his son’ or ‘he loved him’ but make an emphasis on Jason’s role in the family and their status quo among the Blossoms that we also get to see on episode 9 with their sticky maple ritual and the whole coven/vampire from Twilight look from the board an insight about the Blossoms as a family, as soon as Jason was dead they came to Riverdale to put pressure on Cliffy-boy to choose a new heir among them, that’s why they put on the whole Archie/Cheryl power-couple façade, to mantain the highest position among the family/business/

Now we have Jason, who was dating Polly (that bothered Hal more than the Blossoms of course because ‘ewwww incest’ but the Blossoms see it as ‘those babies are more pure Blossom than anything’ #I’m kinshaming you Penelope) which was not entirely good with his parents (they still don’t like the Coppers) but it’s really inconsecuential and they don’t try to separate them at the beginning, until Jason tells them Polly is pregnant at that moment they cared about their image and of course this wasn’t in their plans! Jason was supposed to finish school, go to collage and then take over the business, what do they do? Well according to what we’re told by Polly and her statement to Sheriff Keller they ordered him to break up with her, and he did (but I think he did so to pretend and gain some time to come up with a plan) for a short time, then they got engaged in secret with Nana Rose as their witness/supporter, I think by then he already had the idea of faking his death, but everything goes wrong, he ends up dead and Polly with the Sisters of the quiet Mercy.

Now in FP’s statement he says Jason went to him for a transport and money, which concides with what Trev tells to Betty in their ‘date’ Jason distanced himself from his friends at school and started selling his things, now I think as careful as Jay-Jay might’ve been, Penelope or Clifford were bound to notice the missing stuff and the wierd attitude, from there it was easy to suppose why, and that’s when Clifford confronted him, we know from Cheryl this was the day before they faked his death at the Sweetwater River, by then I guess Jason was too confident about getting away that he told his dad the things he always wanted to say but never dared in resume I think he told him he wasn’t going to direct the company ever, and not only that he threatens to expose him (the drug business) if he doesn’t let them (Jason and Polly) get away

I think Clifford had someone spying on Jason, and from there he knew about his plan of eloping and of his deal with FP, at frist Clifford confronts him to try to convince him not to let down the family and all that jazz, but when Jason refuses and on top of that threatens him, he loses it.

He indirectly warns the Coopers about Polly’s plans, and trusts that Hal’s hate and Alice’s need to keep up with appearances will keep Polly out of the way, he kidnapps Jason and takes him to the basement of the bar (we know Mustang was his acomplice) there he makes Jason spill the beans about how much he knows/what prove he has/ whom else knows about daddy’s secret business (in the video Jason was in pretty bad shape but I don’t think it was Cliff I think Mustang was the one to 'soften the boy’ for the interrogation) I’m thinking at this point Clifford was still giving him the chance to put this whole thing behind and retake his place as heir and maybe even help him support Polly or some other shit, Jason refused and Clifford was running Out of options, he couldn’t keep Jason there forever, and couldn’t let him get away and expose him, also every one in town already believed him dead, they even had a funeral for him! So his only option was to kill him.

I think he decided to do it himself because he thought a Blossom can only die at the hands of a Blossom, and it works as a parallel for grandpappy Blossom killing his own brother.

Why the fuck did he kill himself? (consumed by guilt and shame – yeah, yeah – tell me something I can believe)



A: Well what options did he have? Either way he was gonna loose the business and go to jail, the family would be let in disgrace, he killed himself, I think, to preserve the little pride he had and in that way he wouldn’t had to face the consequences for his actions, I mean can y'all imagine Clifford Blossom in jail? That pretentious fuck wouldn’t be able to endure it (and I don’t think Penélope would have helped him, all in all she truly seemed to love Jason, or at least she cared more for him than for Cheryl) and maybe it had to do with Hiram getting out of jail too, we know that even from inside Hiram had connections who knows what he could do to Clifford once he was in jail and Hiram free.

Who the fuck is the local component of Blossom’s business? (And it’s not the Serpents, I believe you FP)



A: Yeah I believe in FP too, but still I’m not 100% sure none of the Serpents had deals with Cliffy (look at Mustang for example) so maybe some are Serpents but again he must have had other people I think he disguises them as something else a motorbike gang is too obvious, and in Riverdale everything is about appeareances.

Who the fuck wrote “Go to Hell, Serpent Slut” on Betty’s locker? Where the fuck did they get pig’s blood? And a voodoo Betty doll?

A: Alice gives us a hint about this: she says some people have been attacking the Southside residents for the whole Jason ordeal and she wouldn’t publish Betty’s article because she doesn’t want her to get hurt. We can conclude it was the son/daughter of some of these that did that to Betty. But I think that was a red herring, come on guys who has a feaud with Betty? Ding,ding! Chuck FUCKING Clayton, so he tríed to get back at Betty on Jughead’s party but he utterly failed (and got punched and kicked out of the Andrews house) not only that but after solving/helping solve Jason’s murderer she became some sort of untouchable heroine (which just sucked for him cause it made harder to get her and he had to be sneaky) that is until Betty publish es her article, that gave him the perfect opportunity to scare her and publicy humilliate her at a very tense moment (aka Riverdale’s Civil War) and make other students see her in a bad light, honestly I also think Ethel was involved in the vodoo doll thingy after all we never really knew what they were talking about when Betty confronted him and wasn’t it weird that if Ethel was accosed by him she would defend him against Betty? Also who the hell told Chuck and Cheryl about the birthday party for Juggie? They sure as hell weren’t invited, we know none of the core four did it (Archie and Cheryl had a fallout, Verónica resented her family for sending her dad to jail, Betty was always bullied by her not to mention the Thing with Polly, Jughead didn’t even knew about it) Kevin would have never done something like that plus he seems not to be friends with Cheryl, Joaquin doesn’t even know them and that lefts is with Ethel who is very shady (at least about Chuck) and seemed very gleeful when Betty lost control so that’s my theory.

As for the blood, well I don’t know where they got it, but it’s a callout to the movie/book 'Carrie’ if you haven’t watched/read I’ll try to summarize it here: Carrie is a teenager with telekinetic powers, she is described as wierd by all the people (this is due to her very religious mother education that made Carrie very shy) and is constantly bullied by the girls in her school. So one of the girls feels bad about a particular nasty thing they do to her and decides to help her, Susie ask her boyfriend to ask Carrie to the dance and he agrees, at the same time other of the girls (Chris) is banned from the dance cuz she refused to take her punishment for bullying Carrie, and when she catches wind of Susie’s plan she decides to intervene, she arranges the votes so that Carrie and her date be King and Queen of the dance and when they go up the stage she pours a bucket of blood over her, this destroys Carrie because she had to stand up to his mom to go to the dance (the frist time she defies her) and was actually having fun and making friends (she was normal) so when she thinks people are laughing at her (just like her mom said they would) she loses it and kills everyone with her powers.

We, and Chuck, know Betty is struggling with her mental health and I think the pig blood was a way to taunt her about it, indirectly comparing her with Carrie.

Why the fuck is Mayor McCoy branding Archie as hero? Up until the point he saved Cheryl, Archie hardly did anything - it was all Betty.

A: Because he is the convinient choice, the investigation of Jason’s murderer was entirely a job of Betty and Jughead, the mayor can accept Betty as a heroine but she can’t be the public image of the safety and peace in Riverdale for her family’s involvement in the case (the whole Polly/Jason stuff) and she can’t absolutly sell Juggie as a hero, he doesn’t look the part, his dad is a known alcoholic and in jail, he was homeless, has a criminal récord (in the juvvie) and so on, not exactly Riverdale: the town with pep! Ideal hero.

Archie (Ronnie and Kevin too) was obviously with them when they turned in the USB proving FP’s innocence, and as we know after Jason’s death Archie became Riverdale High’ new golden boy (neither Mayor McCoy nor Sheriff Keller know about Miss Grundy) he lives on the good side of Riverdale, plays football and is popular for his music.

They try to sell the image that everything is as it was before, a place of innocence and peace were justice always triumphs and who is better to represent it than the perfect all-American boy and the girl next-door??

Anyway it’s pretty shitty and fake af, I’m so glad my girl Betty called them out on their shit.

Who the fuck are attacking the Serpents? Does that mean Juggie will be harmed too? (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

A: Alice says that they’re people trying to blame someone on the change of Riverdale (this losing of innocence that is the theme of Juggie’s novel) now Clifford killed himself so he can’t be the target and Penélope and Cheryl are victims in all of this, and the next who they find some guilt on the whole Jason affair is FP, yes he didn’t kill the boy, but by cleaning the scene and all that jazz he made it harder to resolve the case, now this combined with the prejudice they seem to have towards the Southside… Boom! A fucking civil war, before they could ignore the Serpents but now their righteousness and their fear that something worse happens to their kids or themselves makes them want to 'protect’ their town.

As for the hurting part, well Alice said there had been attacks, which is vague af, but I think it can go in 2 ways: They have been attacking shouthsiders for going up north, and these people they attacked are not a part from the Serpents (I mean it’s illogical af to believe half a town is a gang) I believe these cuz Juggie himself says about Southside High that it’s a normal highschool with all sorts of people, so I think the same applies to the whole Southside. Also the Serpents seem to always go on groups, I mean the only Serpents we saw alone in the Northside were FP (with Fred and on Juggies bday) and Joaquín (he was posing as Kevin’s boyfriend) plus I don’t see some suburban mommy or daddy (except Alice but she is an ex-Serpent so) attack a gang member on their own, so probably the people that got attacked was extra innocent.

My second option is that the attacks refer to vandalism, y'know some sneaky suburban moms and dads going together to the Southside in the middle of the night and leaving 'cute’ messages like the one on Betty’s locker or trashing the trailers a bit.

Maybe a mix of both?

As for Juggie I think that he will be a essential to the conflict between North&South Riverdale, and he will (with Betty’s aid) end the conflict, I don’t think he’ll be attacked I mean the Serpents sure as hell are gonna keep an eye out for him after FP sacrifized himself defending their innocence, but maybe he’ll get hurt in other way (I mean the writers hurt Jughead at every opportunity they have) still I think beanie boy can manage just fine.

How much is Cheryl’s spider brooch worth? Does that mean Juggie is rich now? Or will Cheryl ask for it back since she’s not dead?

A: Well she makes it sound pretty damn expansive but Cheryl is extra af and tends to exaggerate, so maybe not rich but with some money. I don’t think she asked for it, but I have the hc that Juggie gave it back after they rescued her (idk how expensive it is she gave it to him because she was gonna commit suicide that’s terrifying and I don’t think he would want to keep it) oh I think Ronnie did the same with Cheryl’s shirt.

Where the fuck is Nana Rose? Did Cheryl get her out before Thornhill burned?

A: Cheryl got Nana out of the house even before she drenched the place in gasoline, the twins seemed to be genuinely fond of Nana so for me is impossible to think she would let her burn, so she took Nana somewhere safe before.

Where the fuck are the Blossoms going to live now? At their closest relatives’ - the Coopers? (*incoherent sounds*)

A: LMAO I almost chocked can you imagine Hal, Alice and Penélope under the same roof??? *shudder* nah the Blossoms are loaded and they surely have other properties if not Cheryl’s spider’s brooch surely can buy them a house xD.



Why the fuck couldn’t Social Services find a foster home for Juggie in Riverdale so he could keep going to Riverdale High? (I know, cos there wouldn’t be drama – but really, why?)



A: I mean it surely was for the drama, but let’s think about it from an insider’s pov, so before anything the Social Worker must have talked and researched his mom (I’ll expand on it in the next question) and of course she must have went to see Mr. Wheaterbee, now remember on episode 12 he wanted Jughead to finish the semester from home because of the backlash he could potentially recieve about his dad being the killer, consider that the Social Worker has to have the child’s best interest in mind, of course I think she tríed to find something in the Northside frist (that’s where Jughead’s friends are and what he knows) but do y'all think that someone would take FP’s son in when all of them are prejudiced little fucks, surely when a Southside family offered the social worker realized it was the best for him.

Why the fuck is Juggie’s mom over-extended? (Whatever that means – Sure, him being at Southside beats him going to Toledo, but shouldn’t she be assuming responsibility for him?)



A: okay I won’t pretend to understand how Social Services work in the USA but I did some research. Over extended means to obligate (oneself) to do more activities, work, etc., than one has time for or can accomplish well. In context we can safely deduce Gladys can’t afford to support both JB and Juggie, in that case Social Services would ask for her permition to place him at a foster home which I assume she gives. I hope the next season explains Gladys’s apparent unatachment to her son.

Does a DUI really disqualify Fred from being a foster parent to Juggie?

A: Yes, Social Services must have the child’s best intrest in mind, and someone who drives drunk doesn’t scream responsible to anyone but Fred said his financial problems also influenced in him being ruled out as Juggie’s foster dad.



Why the fuck does Ronnie keep wearing her pearls if she’s so disapproving of her daddy dearest?



A: Appereances, she realized openly confronting her father can hurt her and her mom, and my hc is that is to remind herself to never let her father sway her or buy her again but who knows really? Maybe is the #aesthetic.

Why the fuck is Hermione being a shady bitch when she had a mini nervous breakdown just in the last episode when Hiram’s bag was found with Mustang?



A: The nervous breakdown was because she was scared of losing everything again (the SoDale is all they have left) I mean she wanted to leave town to avoid that, but then she calmed down she probs talked to Hiram aka the King of Shade moved some influences (I mean they already bought Mayor McCoy once) and it’s a pattern with Hermione really, everything that has to do with Hiram reverts her to her old shady self and now that he is coming back it only intensifies.

Why the fuck can Penelope be so cold and unfeeling? (Sidenote: I hate her)



A: But is she really? At Jason’s funeral she almost loses her composture with Archie, and when Cheryl asked about Jason and Cliffy’s discusion she got real mad, at the Riverdale Taste she bitch slapped Alice for her article on Jason’s autopsy… So no she is not unfeeling nor completely cold (but yes she is pretty hateful) I think her apparent nonchalance about everything has to do with being the Blossom’s clan matriarch, remember when that creepy woman at the Maple tapping mocked Cheryl for crying at the funeral or when Penelope banned her from speaking at the funeral? That’s because as I said before Cheryl was too emotional and in the Blossom clan that equals to weakness.

Being Clifford’s wife surely taught her that, at the funeral she was composed (with the exeption of that little slip with Archie and when Cheryl gives her speech) with Cheryl she loses patience quickly I think because in her fucked up way Penelope tríes to teach her to supress her emotions and stop showing weakness in the family.

Another thing I noticed is the weird obsession/pride she has for the Blossom name, and it makes me think perharps she is part of a smaller branch of the family which would make her and Cliff relatives, this would explain why she seems so pelased about Jason/Polly and the babies.

Now after Clifford killed himself she knows they automatically lost their supremacy as the Alpha Blossoms, the board is surely gonna sack them and I’m guessing she is doing some control damage and she needs to be in control of her emotions in front of them. Clifford told her they smelled blood from miles away and they would surely leave her and her daughter on the street at the frist chance they get

She can’t deal with Cheryl because her daughter’s open grief reminds her of her own and that is not what she needs right now (that is still super shitty btw I’m not saying she is not awful but she must have a reason to act that way)

Does Alice know where her son is? What does quiet adoption mean? Was it anonymous?

A: I don’t think so, when someone gives a baby for adoption you sign a legal form that prohibits you for looking for the baby/parents 'til he/she is 18, now I think if Alice knew where the baby was she would have try to get him back (she is a very impulsive woman and also pretty fierce when it comes to her babies) I suppose quiet adoption is not giving details about the mother of the child and all that jazz, and yes it was definitely anonymous Alice and Hal (but mainly Hal) didn’t want to lose the perfect couple image they had going on. The Coopers care too much about what people says/thinks about them.

She went to the sisters when she was four months pregnant? Did no one know? Wouldn’t she have started to show?

How the fuck did Alice and FP both go to Riverdale High when they were from Southside? Did the school district thing not exist back then?

A: That really depends on the woman, my aunt was already 9th months pregnant with my lil’ cousin and she had a little bump that could very well pass as tummy or bee compleately hiden if she was wearing sweaters, so I don’t think it really showed a not on Alice’s case. I doubt she told anyone but Hal. Well maybe because their parents wanted them to attend RH but I really don’t understand how the whole school district thing works, here in Mexico City we make an application for a certain number of options of highschools we would like to attend, we make an exam and based on the point we make we are accepted or not (the best schools have a higher requirement) so if anyone under stands how it works please explain it.

Does Jug not have his cellphone anymore? Why is he always calling people from phone booths?



A: Yes he does, in episode 12 at the beginning Archie tells Betty he is been calling and sending him texts, what I think is that more often than not he doesn’t have the money to afford a plan or credit and he uses the booths instead.

Do those Serpents all know Juggie from before? (Sidenote: He didn’t know Joaquin and Joaquin seemed to be FPs most trusted sidekick)

A: I don’t think so, Jughead never really approached his dad when he was with the Serpents and 'til episode 13 we have no interaction with Jughead and the Serpents, probs FP wanted to keep his son out of all that stuff.



Why the fuck did they not call 911 when Cheryl was drowning and decide to just ineffectively scream into space?

A: The moment they realized what she meant to do they were horrified they had no way of knowing if it was too late or if they could still save her and their frist instinct was to look for her, then it was a matter of acting as fast as they could to save her, who knows how long it would have taken anyone to arrive?





Did Hermione say something to Cheryl after Ronnie left? Is that why she decided to burn Thornhill?

A: I don’t think so, she and Ronnie were going to go to the Jubilee and what would she tell her 'Burn'em all!!!’ like mad King Aerys?? Nah, besides deep down Hermione must know it’s not Cheryl’s fault what her parents did to Hiram.





How much is FP still not telling? (I don’t buy that Jason came to peddle drugs for him, I still think he asked his help to expose his dad, Jason planned on getting kidnapped and they were planning to get a confession on tape, but things went horribly wrong and FP is languishing in jail because he feels morally responsible for what happened to Jason)

A: I actually do believe Jason went to FP as he says in his statement, making a lie believable implies mixing up some truth in there, and of course he ended up taking the whole blow for Clifford’s crime, and I genuinely think he said all he knows he has no reason left not to, Cliff is dead and Jughead is relatively safe, but him being in jail is finally attoning for all his bad decisions as he tells Juggie and is another step in his path of redemption/cleaning up his act for good.



Why the fuck did no one think to stay with Cheryl after she fell in the river? (They should’ve taken her to the hospital and left her there. Archie went there for his hand, didn’t he?)

A: I think it was Cheryl herself who refused their company, her near death experience and her creepy Jason vision must have given her the idea of burning down Thornhill as a rebirth and purifying action, still I’m guessing at least Verónica stayed with her to make sure she warmed up and that she was gonna be okay.



What did Fred mean when he said Hermione was at a crossroads too? Like she had to choose whether to be good or evil??

A: I think he said so because Hermione has the option of being honest and make the right decision or go back to be a shady business-woman along her shady husband.





WHY THE FUCK DID THE SERPENTS HAVE TO CHOOSE THAT EXACT MOMENT TO KNOCK ON FPs TRAILER??? (15 SECONDS INTO THE HOTTEST MAKEOUT I EVER SAW AND SECONDS AWAY FROM JUGGIE’S HANDS AND LIPS TRAILING OVER LORD KNOWS WHERE NEXT!)



A: Well of course was to stop Jughead and Betty from going all the way and set-up the conflict/tension between them in season two, but from the show’s perspective IDK WHY PRECISELY THEN!? SURELY THEY COULD WAIT TIL MORNING TO GIVE HiM THE JACKET!!!

Where the fuck were these Serpents when Juggie was alone and homeless? Plus they trashed the only place he called home and earned a living at with FP as their ringleader?



A: Because yes Jughead was FP’s son but he was not a part of them, of the Southside community, also if FP was okay with it why the hell would they intervene in his personal stuff.

Just how pregnant is Polly?

A: So presumably she was one month or so in July, next hint we have is on episode –: the maple tapping, according to my research the maple syrup season starts in February so by then Polly is 8 months along give or take (she can be Seven) so the mystery of Jason must have been resolved in a month or less and we’ll surely see her giving birth to the twins next season (that s if the writers don’t play along with the timeline)

Also I almost broke my FUCKING head trying to figure out how the tapping (February) was the episode before Juggie’s birthday (October) but then I remembres RAS saying that was kind of a stand alone episode and maybe that’s why it doesn’t fit the timeline.

Anyway I tried.

How the fuck is Hermione mixing alcohol with Valium? (Sounds really dangerous)



A: It is pretty damn dangereous, mixing them can produce:Confusion,disorientation,accidents,sedation,stumbling,ddizziness,nausea,loss of consciousness, adicction,brain damage,coma and death.

What makes me uncomfortable is how flippant Veronica sounds about her mom doing such a dangereous thing (I get it she is angry but this is very serious stuff) and goes on her merry way to fuck Archie like maybe check up on your mom frist????

What the fuck was the “something serious” Fred was gonna say to Archie at Pop’s at breakfast? (It sure as hell wasn’t about staying away all night, cos he seemed pretty chill with that)

A: Fred is always super chill about Archie’s sexual exploits tbh, I think he was gonna talk to him about Hermione trying to buy his share and about Hiram.



Why the fuck did Fred get up from his booth to face the gunman?

A: To divert the attention to himself and avoid Archie trying to be the hero (he shakes his at Archie, he ignores his dad and tríes to make a movie and then Fred stands up).



How the fuck did Fred manage to get shot when we saw a moment ago that the gun was pointed at Archie?

A: Well Fred is Archie’s dad, he must have jumped to protect his son, adrenaline can make you move real fast.



What about those fucking guns? Grundy’s, Alice’s and now the gunman’s? Are they the same? Are they different?

Who the fuck sent the gunman?

A: I found a clear picture of Grundy’s and Alice’s and they are indeed different, even if they are both revolvers, Grundy’s looks a bit older and from the design I think it’s a Colt, the muzzle of Alice’s gun is slightly larger and hers looks like a Smith maybe. i couldn’t find a good picture of the gunman’s weapon so I can’t be sure the model or type of handgun it is, but it’s most definitely different from Alice’s or Grundy’s. I don’t think anyone sent him, as Juhead said this was the final nail on the coffin of Riverdale’s innocence/safety, when there are conflicts/tension in a community crime is sure to follow.



Where did all that money come from, that was strewn on the floor next to Fred as he lay bleeding?



A: It was some of the money the gunnman tried to steal, I mean he had Pop at gun point and only one free hand to get the money into the bag, and he was crearly trying to hurry up, so after he shots Fred he gets scared (which probably means he is not a very practised thief) and runs with the money he has leaving on the floor the rest.

Wow so this is pretty long but I hope y'all find it not so boring. I would like to read more theories from the fandom guys!!

[djrelentless]

“Look Before You Leap”

(An Overview Of The Ferguson Verdict)

November 25, 2014 at 6:20am

What was originally going to be a private message to a facebook friend turned into a post and evolved into a blog. The more I wrote the more I had to say. So, this is what came out....

All hell has broken out over the United States tonight! And social media is driving a lot of anger as well. We went through this with the Trayvon Martin verdict. And the sad thing is that we will be having this argument again in a few months as the numbers of deaths of people of color come in from future protests and racial profiling shootings. And it's not just black folks who are the victims. There are many cops who are being charged with racial profiling and murder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-xHqf1BVE4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AG_-EXd9Es

But I guess what is most disheartening is seeing folks that I have on my facebook friends list posting a lot of Anti-American memes and statements making jokes out of the pain and suffering of Black People in the states and making judgements about a group of people that you really don't know. I was very tempted to send a message to one that read: "Dude.....you're going a little heavy on the America bashing posts these days."

I am just as upset about the state of things in my home country too, but generalizing about people and places you really don't know is no different than Americans who think Canadians live in igloos and say "a-boot". If you're going by what you read and find online...don't. Many sites are set up to point out extremes. The major divide that is happening in the US has to do with The Right Wing being still upset over Obama being elected. They are not gonna let it go until he is out of office. They have made it their mission to discredit and destroy anything that Obama supports. And what is even sadder is that the poor uninformed Right Wingers (basically white and racist) don't realize that they are mere pawns in this propaganda as well. The "not-middle-class" family living in the midwest in a trailer park think that they voted against Obama in the last election when they really voted against themselves. The Republicans are gonna benefit from that last election....not you.

It is the Republicans securing their interests for the future. And trust me....the "Average Joe" (white, black or whatever color) is not included. The bad habits that the rich acquired during the Reagan and Bush years have spoiled the Republicans. That character in "The Wolf Of Wall Street" is real! They don't care about you and I. All they want to see is how much money they are going to make.

The racial bias in the United States is at an all time high. And as a person of color I can tell you it is real. I'm a fairly educated and a politically aware person and I still get discriminated against and racially profiled. After many witnesses and in some cases (video of police attacks) verdicts like this really damage what's left of race relations. Like the Rodney King and O.J. verdicts.....what little compassion and understanding that is on the table gets trampled. This cuts deeper every time a situation like this happens and I'm afraid that an all out race war is lurking under the surface. The extremes want it bad. The Republicans and FOX want it bad. It will keep everyone busy while the corporations continue to buy up the power and votes in the US. So, you see....this is bigger than some teenager getting shot. And our words shape and form what is to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvE-1qAs1W4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrdPpkHYOdc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy_QTljnDJQ

Another thing to consider is the Bill Cosby allegations. Social media is driving his demise in public opinion. Being a person who was sexually abused I believe he has a serious problem. The time period that his fame came was about the same time as Sammy Davis Jr. And we all remember that his fame in the Brat Pack (Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin) took a major hit when he married Swedish actress, Mary Britt. Even John F. Kennedy shunned him and would not allow him to perform at his inauguration because of it. Bill Cosby was considered a hero in White America. For African-Americans who lived in low income housing and no where near the middle class, his TV character during the late 80s and early 90s was unrelatable. That family did not represent the reality of Black America and many felt Cosby was a new version of "Uncle Tom". And the reason I bring this up is that the fall of a major Black Man is the United States puts him back in his place. The Republicans have not been able to put Obama back in his place. He's the president....what can they do but be big babies and say "we're not gonna play with you"?

And although many people of color would like Obama to come out and say the truth about his treatment in The White House, it is not going to happen. Or at least it won't happen until he is well out of office. Often when I watch Obama speaking, his pauses are very evident of self editing. It looks like he is fighting the urge to say "Ya'll have no idea what these muthafuckas are doing to me." Of course, that is total conjecture on my part, but I feel for the man. He has to walk a very difficult line as the first Black President. His words and actions are all historic and he knows it. So, he chooses them very carefully.

I have one facebook friend who seems to go out of her way to bash Obama weekly. The funny thing is that she's a drag queen who hates Republicans as well. I have another facebook friend who loves to bash the US, but has never even been to any of the major cities to get an idea of what he is talking about. It all reminds me of when I went to Greece and spent most of my trip explaining that most Americans didn't vote for George W. Bush. It was more interesting to explain to gay men that I met in Athens that their fetishized image of Hip Hop artists like Busta Rhymes and Jay Z were in vain. They didn't believe me that they men would just as soon beat the shit out of them rather than accept their advances. It's funny how people cherry pick what they want to believe or accept. I have another friend who posted a question about blackface and I couldn't believe how many people did not understand how and why blackface would be offensive.

But don't get me wrong....I'm not saying that all these police shootings are unjust. I'm sure not all of the people of color who are stopped and frisked are saints. In the case of Eric Garner, apparently he had sold illegal cigarettes. Did he deserve to die of a choke hold? Absolutely not! Were there reasons to stop him? Yes...there was. Like in the case of 12 year old Tamir Rice who was shot and killed for reaching for an undistinguishable air gun when confronted by the police. A very sad story, but what in the hell was this kid thinking reaching for any type of gun while being confronted by the police?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/24/justice/cleveland-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

It's been said many times before, but somehow when times are hard, jobs are scarce and things are not going in your favor it is hard to remember that prejudice is taught. Social media has done wonders for sharing information, but unfortunately it has also helped in spreading hate, lies and misinformation. Before I post anything I try to at least fact check or check the source. With so many people with plenty of time on their hands there's many fake news sites that plant stories to get hits (no different than the folks who post photos everyday to see how many "likes" they will get). I guess, it's a self esteem thing. I try to post about what I truly believe in, what I am working on or promoting the things I like. I try to stay out of threads and conversations that I know nothing about. Giving uninformed opinions only make you look stupid and usually agitate the situation that you are commenting on. Look before you leap.