#Lagos State Chapter

[transitranger327]

Sundari Twilight, Chapter 2: The Eminent Ones

Day 7: What If?

Barriss’s quest to help the Galaxy outside the war lead her to discover Duchess Satine Kryze’s desperate transmission. Ahsoka decides to use her history with Mandalore to help out. They journey there with an Obi-Wan who is not in his usual state of mind.

Notes: This chapter specifically was written for @sapphicahsokatanoweek 2024, but the whole fic really does fit “What if…Ahsoka and Barriss went with Obi-Wan to Mandalore?” If anyone wants to make fanart of the outfits I describe, please tag me when you post it! This is sort of a mirror version of “Kenobi’s Shadow” by Greg van Eekhout (Obi-Wan’s pov during “The Lawless”) More notes can be found at the end, below the cut

—

“Brother, how can you be sure?” Savage had never found the same deep connection to the Force that his brother had. “The galaxy is filled with quadrillions of beings making choices that affect the future.”

“No, no, no, there are very few beings alive that can affect my old master’s grand design.” He had never felt a disturbance like this before. The visions Maul had were now playing out differently than before. “We must be cautious, my apprentice. Our plans with Death Watch and the Crime Families are under a new threat.”

—

Two girls were basking in each other’s warmth. One, newly knighted and unsure of her future in the Jedi Order. She was curled up on a bed, resting her head on the chest of the other, a padawan who hasn’t felt unsure of anything since she was resurrected by an avatar of the Force. But they were united in a shared love for doing good in a galaxy that detested it. 

The padawan inhaled the sweet scent of her partner’s hair, a mix of fragrant oils and sweat, with the faintest hint of salt from their previous activities. “Did I ever tell you that your hair is beautiful?”

“Only three times every day, Ahsoka.” The knight had thoroughly enjoyed her time with her beloved, and was somewhat saddened knowing the war would conspire to separate them again. “But it makes up for the days I never get to hear it.” She got many compliments from others about her choices in hoods and scarves, but very few people got to see what was underneath. 

A computer’s chime pierced the tranquility of their room. Barriss’s slicing program had discovered a new request for aid that could go unnoticed. She kissed Ahsoka’s breast before sliding off of her and into a chair in front of her computer. Ahsoka turned on her side and watched her lover fiddle with the device. “What did you find?”

“A transmission sent the Jedi council, personally. From…Mandalore?” “That’s a bit strange,” Barriss thought, “Why is Mandalore contacting us directly? Surely they could reach out thru the Senate.”

“Put it thru.” It hadn’t been all that long since Ahsoka had last interacted with Mandalorians, so she was curious what was going on. 

A blue hologram of the Duchess of Mandalore, on one knee, erupted from the computer’s small holo-projector. “This message is for Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’ve lost Mandalore. My people have been massacred, and Almec is the Prime Minister. There’s no time to explain everything now, but Almec has the support of the crime families”—she looked over her shoulder before continuing—“Obi-Wan, I need your help.” A Death Watch commando with a horned helmet approached her from behind as the transmission ended. 

Ahsoka’s resolve steeled. “We’re doing this, we’re going to help Obi-Wan.”

“What do you mean?” Barriss wasn’t quite sure how to follow her partner’s logic. 

“I thought it was obvious. The situation on Mandalore is obviously bad. Almec used to be the prime minister before he was the center of a corruption scandal and stripped of his power—a scandal some of my students there exposed.” A small smile crept onto her face, remembering Korkie, Lagos, Soniee, and Amis. “If crime families have aligned with Death Watch to put him back in power, something went very wrong.” 

“But why won’t the Republic assist them? Weren’t Death Watch working with the Separatists?”

“Death Watch and Dooku are no longer friendly. The Senate isn’t even helping Republic worlds, let alone a neutral system like Mandalore.” Then Ahsoka began laying out her plan. “The Council is going to show this to Obi-Wan, but they’re not going to be able to help him without Senate authorization. But Obi-Wan’s still going to help, because Satine is personal to him.” She let the unspoken “Like we are to each other” hang in the air. “I’m guessing he’s gonna borrow the Twilight to try and sneak onto Mandalore.”

“I take it that’s where we come in to help?” Barriss was grinning, she was starting to see the pieces fall into place. 

“Exactly. We ride along with him to Mandalore. This is a covert mission, but I have contacts there that he doesn’t. We can’t be wearing anything Jedi-related, or anything that looks like what we normally wear.”

“Should we still bring our lightsabers?”

Ahsoka thought for a few beats. “On one hand, they are Jedi items. If we’re caught with them, whatever crime families are running the place will know what’s happening. But, if Death Watch are involved, their leader has a Darksaber, and it would be a bad idea to encounter him without one.”

“Perhaps we carry them inside our disguises. We don’t show them off, but we can still access them if we have to.” 

“I love that idea.” She draped her arms over Barriss’s shoulders. “Plan for the best…”

“…Prepare for the worst.” It was a little catchphrase they had developed, their two signature styles. The knight had always favored making plans, while the padawan was ready to change things when circumstances worsened. 

The knight leaned in for a kiss from her lover, who always obliged.

—

Obi-Wan Kenobi hated flying. He even considered taking Anakin up on his offer, to come along and fly the Twilight for him. But he couldn’t bring anyone else. Two Jedi would attract too much attention. This was personal. This was something he had to do alone. ”For Satine,” he thought. 

As he entered what could generously be described as a bridge, he almost missed R7-A7. Barely registering it, only as a friendly droid. “R7, set the stealthiest course you can out of here.” A few cheerful beeps later, a flight plan popped up on his screen. A low flight to the pass under the flight restrictions, the public airways to blend in on active scans, and a “malfunctioning” transponder to avoid passive detection. None of the Republic Military patrols (which he outranked, ironically) were going to stop him. The sublight engines quietly roared to life, and soon enough he was en route.

After an uneventful hyperspace jump, a distant feeling of dread crept over him. Like the mission was going to fall apart. Quiet doubts began murmuring if he was even doing the right thing. He was experienced enough with his own emotions to not be consumed be them, but the edge he felt while packing was now blunt. 

A familiar voice snapped Obi-Wan out of his malaise. “Wow, you really must be preoccupied with Satine.” A Togrutan the same size and build as his student’s student, wearing greasy blue coveralls, had taken the co-pilot’s seat next to him. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that, yes, that really is Ahsoka. “R7, did he make any comment about you being here?” A few negative beeps followed, with a bit of what sounded like laughter.

“On the solo mission,” he thought, “that’s why her droid was here.” He slowly put his face into his palm, “Ahsoka, I just told Anakin he couldn’t come with me. And now you show up?”

“Barriss owes me ten credits,” she smirked, “I bet her you wouldn’t notice anything was up until after we left. I knew you would be too focused on your mission.” As she was talking, Barriss Offee—in a white headscarf and a dark purple cloak—approached the co-pilot’s chair and handed her a credit chip.

“You just keep inviting yourself on missions, don’t you.” Obi-Wan recalled the stunt she pulled at the citadel.

“Master, you’re the one who invited yourself on this mission without any official approval,” Ahsoka retorted.

Barriss continued in a Consular voice, “We’re just here to support you in whatever way we can.”

“You wouldn’t understand, this is…deeply personal”

“Wouldn’t we?” Ahsoka’s smirk had softened to genuine care. Obi-Wan looked at the two women in front of him. They had the same look of concern as when Anakin offered to help, trying to understand his personal agenda with his own.

“It’s not just who I would be help, it’s who I’d be fighting. Death Watch…”

“Has affected more than just you!” Righteous anger flashed behind Ahsoka’s eyes; Obi-Wan almost missed it. “You are not the only one of us to be hurt by them. You are not alone, Master!” 

With this plea, Obi-Wan relented. “I’m sorry, Ahsoka. I didn’t realize this was personal for you too. I just know they bring out the worst in me and I didn’t want anyone else to be hurt.”

Ahsoka took his hands, which had started trembling with anxiety. “You’re never alone, Obi-Wan.” It was the first time she had used his real name in a long time. 

“There are so many people who care for you,” added Barriss, smiling. “Let them help you when you need it.”

After a tender silence, Ahsoka asked, “So Master, what was your plan?”

“I was planning on breaking into whatever prison they’re holding her in, then escaping with her.”

“A simple extraction mission? That could work.”

In contrast to Barriss, Ahsoka had a lot more questions. “How are you planning on landing there? The docks are the only way in or out, and they would be under tight security now.”

“Well, I did bring a Disguise.” Obi-Wan opened his bag and pulled out the helmet of Rako Hardeen. Ahsoka flinched as she remembered when he faked his death.

“And if they ask for a landing permit?”

A smile—“I’ll try the old ‘I left it on the ship’ trick.”

The two younger Jedi started giggling. “Anakin would call that a good trick,” Ahsoka laughed, “but I’m surprised you would call it a plan.”

“I suppose he does have an influence on me. What would you suggest?”

“You know I taught at the Royal Academy,” Ahsoka started revealing her plan. “I still have contacts, and Barriss and I can convincingly fake the landing paperwork.”

“And your disguises?”

“You’re looking at them.” Barriss was now sitting at a computer console. “It’s pretty easy to not be recognized when you’re famous for one outfit.”

—

After a landing that was rougher than expected (Ahsoka had rewire a power junction in-flight), the three Jedi descended the Twilight’s landing ramp. Obi-Wan and Barriss led the way, as Ahsoka wanted to reduce her chances of being recognized from her last encounter. A Death Watch trooper approached them. “State your business.”

“We’re here to purchase merchandise for export.” Barriss handed over a datapad with forged permit, “Electronics, mostly.”

“Our vendor wishes to remain anonymous,” added Kenobi’s filtered and modified voice.

After a brief look-over, the Mandalorian gave his approval. “Well, it looks like you’re authorized. Please, enjoy our city.”

When the three managed to exit earshot and enter the tunnel, Ahsoka commenced attempts to contact any possible allies. Written messages, voice messages, browsing local holo boards. Within a few minutes, she began receiving a transmission. 

“Ahsoka, am I glad to hear from you.”

Despite the anonymous transmission, she recognized the voice. “Soniee, is it? We heard the Duchess’s call and are here to help.”

“Good. We can’t keep this line open, just meet us at these coordinates.” A location popped up on Ahsoka’s comlink before the transmission ended.

She turned to her companions, “Shall we?”

—

When the three disguised Jedi reached the agreed-upon destination, a Mandalorian in familiar armor was waiting for them. She was a mystery to two of them, but for Ahsoka, it had only been a few months.

Simultaneously, they asked, “What are you doing here?”

—

Notes: “Merchandise for export” is definitely a euphemism for black-market goods. I actually don’t remember how often Ahsoka says “Obi-Wan” in TCW, but I’m reasonably certain she never says it to his face.

[coquitokisses]

Trusting Again | chapter 001: the accords

Word count: 1953

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— 2016 —

After the whole situation in Lagos, we're finally back at the compound. I'm currently in the kitchen with Vision attempting to bake cupcakes for Wanda, we've been trying to make her feel better with absolutely everything. And we've kinda.. failed. She hasn't left her room.

"Are they burning?" Vision asked while looking into the oven

"I don't think so." I stood beside him and looked too

"And you're sure it said 20 minutes?"

I turned to look at him. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to know?"

"But you were the one reading the recipe from the internet, miss Cat."

"They're gonna turn out fine, don't worry." I said walking over to the fridge and I took out the three different colored frostings we bought earlier. "Pink, white or red?"

"Definitely red, that's her color." He said

"It sure is."

I took out the red frosting and I left it on the counter as I looked for the little piping bags we also bought, we prepared for this shit like it was some sort of project.

"This is rock hard, Cat." he said as he touched how hard, and also cold, the frosting was

"Well yeah, it was in the fridge, we have to heat it up a little bit." I said grabbing the frosting "Hey, what do you think if we do some..."

I was cut off by the door opening and then Tony appeared.

"Something is definitely burning." he said walking towards the kitchen

"I thought you were gonna be at that speech thing you had." I told him

"Well, I was and now it's over" he said "And we have company, Cakelina, so behave."

I was gonna talk again but I saw Secretary Ross come in and Vision and I just stood there kinda confused.

"Should we tell Captain Rogers?"

"Yeah." I said

Well this will be interesting. Vision left the kitchen and I put the frosting back in the fridge, I turned off the oven and then when Steve and Wanda came down, we all walked over to the conference room. And by all I mean all of us.

"What the hell is happening?" Sam whispered sitting next to me

"I don't know." I sighed leaning back on my chair

When we were all sat down, Secretary Ross started talking.

"The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt." he said looking at us "You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives.. but while a great many people see you as "heroes" there are some who would prefer the word "vigilantes""

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" I asked him

"How about "dangerous"?" He replied "What would you call a group of US based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

None of us said a single thing. He moved to the side and turned on the tv behind him showing some pictures and evidence about the events from the last 4 years. He showed from the New York attack when Loki came to the last event that was in Lagos yesterday. Wanda immediately stopped looking at the tv and turned her chair.

"Okay, that's enough." Steve said

Secretary Ross looked over at the man that was with him before he talked again.

"For the past 4 years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision, that's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate" he started saying "But I think we have a solution."

The other man gave him like a book and he then put it on the table.

"The Sokovia Accords, approved by 117 countries it states that The Avengers shall no longer be a private organization, instead they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary." he explained

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place." Steve was the first one to talk "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross said and Steve looked at him not responding

Thor is not even from earth, let's start there. He doesn't even live with us in the compound.

"If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences." he said "Compromise, reassurance, that's how the world works, believe me this is the middle ground." he pointed at the Accords

"So, there are contingencies." Rhodey said

"Three days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords, talk it over." Ross said as he started to walk away

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked him

"Then you retire" he said before walking out

"Well this was fun." I looked at Sam

"Tell me about it." he rolled his eyes

We then went to the living room.. and the bickering started. Steve talked and Rhodey talked and Natasha talked too. And I'm just waiting for them to shut the hell up so we can all agree that we are not signing this.. thing.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor which is one more than you have." Rhodey said to Sam

"So let's say we agree to this thing, how long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam responded

"117 countries wanna sign this, 117, Sam and you're just like "no, that's cool, we got it" " Rhodey said

"How long are you gonna play both sides?" Sam looked at him

"You need to chill" I told them "Both of you."

"You've been awfully quiet since Secretary Ross left, you're okay with this too?" Sam pointed at the Accords while looking at me

"I'm literally just waiting for you guys to stop bickering like kids so we can all come up with a decision here" I said "As a team."

"You haven't said anything, literally anything."

"Well I think this is complete bullshit." I rolled my eyes

"See?" Sam looked at Rhodey

"I have an equation." Vision spoke

"Oh, this will clear it up." Sam said

"In the eight years that Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially." he said "During the same period the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve looked at him

"I'm saying there may be a causality." Vision responded "Our very strength invites challenge, challenge incites conflict and conflict breeds catastrophe." he said "Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom" Rhodey looked at Sam

"Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal." Natasha looked at Tony

"That's because he's already made up his mind." Steve said

"Boy you know me so well" Tony said before standing up "Actually I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache, that's what's going on, Cap, it's just pain" he walked over to the kitchen "it's discomfort.. who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" he looked at us

That might've been Sam tho.

Tony took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on a little basket on the counter and he showed us a picture of a young looking man. He then started telling us who he was and how he died in Sokovia.

"There's no decision-making process here" he started saying "we need to be put in check, whatever form that takes, I'm game" he shrugged "If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less we're no better that the bad guys."

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve said

"Who said we're giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions, this document just shifts the blame."

"I'm sorry, Steve, that is dangerously arrogant." Rhodey spoke "This is the United Nations we're talking about, it's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas and agendas change." Steve replied

"That's good, that's why I'm here" Tony said "When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that, if we sign this we surrender our right to choose." Steve told him "What if this panel sends us somewhere where we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us?" he said "We may not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now it's gonna be done to us later, that's the fact" Tony said "that won't be pretty."

"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda spoke

"No, don't say that." I grabbed her hand "You'll be fine."

"We would protect you." Vision told her

"Maybe Tony's right" Natasha said and we all looked at her literally shocked "If we have one hand on the wheel we can still steer, if we take it off..."

"I'm sorry, babe, but that's a little hypocritical coming from you" I cut her off "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?"

"I'm just.. I'm reading the terrain" she looked at me and then looked over at the guys again "We have made some very public mistakes, we need to win their trust back."

"Focus up, I'm sorry, did I just mishear or did you agree with me?" Tony said to her

"I wanna take it back now." Natasha said

"Oh no, honey, you can't retract it" I chuckled "You know how he is."

"Even Catie knows it." He pointed at me

I immediately scrunched my nose in disgust. "Ugh, don't call me Catie, you know I don't like it."

"But Catie suits you."

"No it doesn't." I shook my head

"No it doesn't, Tony, look at her face!" Nat said

"Cat is a hideous nickname, by the way." Tony said and Nat and I just bursted out laughing

"Look who's talking! Tony is the most basic nickname and it also makes you look kinda hispanic."

Tony gasped. "That's racist." He pointed at me and I just rolled my eyes laughing

"I have to go." Steve spoke as he stood up from his seat

He left the room and Nat and I looked at each other kinda confused.

"So.. is the meeting over now?" I asked

"Well I suppose." Tony shrugged

I nodded and then I realized that I left the cupcakes in the oven. "Shit.." I stood up from the chair "The cupcakes."

I quickly walked out of the room and immediately went to the kitchen, yes, I know I turned off the oven, but still.

As I walked there, I bumped into Steve.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked by the way he sprinted out of the living room

"Yeah.. well no, not exactly." He replied letting out a sigh

"What's going on?"

"Peggy passed away."

"Oh my god.. I'm so sorry, Steve."

"The funeral's in three days, in London."

"You want some company?" I asked

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

"You sure? You know you don't have to do this alone."

He was about to talk, but was interrupted by Sam. "And he won't."

We both turned around to see him walking towards us.

"When are we leaving?" He asked putting one of his arms over my shoulders

"Seriously guys, you don't have to." Steve said

"We know." I shrugged "But we want to."

He gave us a small smile. "Thanks, guys."

Likes and reblogs will be appreciated!

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[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Trump Echoes Hitler: Migrants "Poisoning the Blood of Our Country"

By J.D. Wolf | Meidas Touch

A page right out Hitler's Nazi propaganda playbook

During an interview at Mar-a-Lago for National Pulse, Trump made comments about migrants entering the United States that echoed Hitler's Nazi propaganda against immigrants, Jewish people, and interracial families used to affirm his nationalistic, racial purity beliefs:

"Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions and insane asylums. We know they're terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we're witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It's poisoning the blood of our country. It's so bad, and people coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have."

"Poisoning the blood of our country" is a phrase you don't hear often from Republicans who have all but officially adopted great replacement rhetoric. Referring to migrants as poisoning the blood of a nation can be found in Hitler's autobiographical manifesto Mein Kampf.

In Chapter 11 titled, "Nations and Race," Hitler wrote the following:

"All great cultures of the past perished only because the originally creative race died out from blood poisoning."

Hitler painted Jews and migrants to Germany as poisons to the Aryan race and the German country. Trump just echoed his words.

This isn't the first time Trump has associated with Hitler. In 2018, Trump allegedly praised Hitler to John Kelly during a trip to Paris according to CNN. Trump later denied making those comments.

Where did Trump pickup language referring to migrants as poison to the blood of the nation? Trump admitted to owning a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf that he kept in a cabinet by his bed according to Ivana Trump.

The GOP frontrunner is using the language of Hitler to describe migrants and his followers are eating it up, just like the Nazis did when he took over the country. Trump cannot be allowed back in power.

[kuiperoid]

Optical Illusion: Perceptions of Race and Sexuality with Right-Wing Internet Personality Nick Fuentes, Part 3

[originally posted here]

Part 1, Part 2

The Gospel of Judas

There have been multiple references throughout this article to Fuentes’s former associate Jaden McNeil, but to understand the true depth of that situation, one must know who Jaden McNeil is and what he meant to both Fuentes and the America First movement. Simply referring to him as “Fuentes’s ex-associate” is greatly underplaying the role he played in Fuentes’s movement and life in general. The two were a veritable right-wing version of Maximilien Robespierre and Camille Desmoulins and, as with that political friendship, it was not made to last. It ended, however, not at the guillotine, but in an ongoing online battle of insults and accusations.

Jaden Patrick McNeil was born to a modest background in a small town in Nebraska on May 17, 1999. He would go on to be a student at Kansas State University with the intention of one day becoming a lawyer. He proved quite effective as a conservative activist as the president of Kansas State’s Turning Point USA chapter, which would become one of the largest in the country. McNeil’s success with Turning Point led to invites to conservative conferences, including to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

For all of his success with Turning Point, McNeil found himself becoming disillusioned with the movement. In initial interviews, McNeil would say that it was because the stated views of Turning Point did not align with his own, such as being accepting of nonwhite immigrants so long as they arrived via legal routes. Later, he would state that he was disturbed by the number of older men at these events who appeared to be there to sexually prey on the college and high school-aged boys they knew would be present. At an event in 2019, Canadian white nationalist activist Faith Goldy introduced him to Nick Fuentes. The two began talking and McNeil felt he finally found someone he could see eye-to-eye with and be open with politically and, he would later say, a movement that he hoped would be less infested with predators than Turning Point. The connection was mutual as Fuentes would describe the meeting as “divine intervention,” saying that God intended for them to meet. McNeil’s fellow Turning Point associates were not as enthusiastic about their president’s new friendship and warned him that Fuentes was a “Neo-Nazi.” McNeil did not heed their warnings and stayed in contact with Fuentes. The two participated in some events together, such as when Fuentes publicly accosted Ben Shapiro, eventually culminating in McNeil founding America First Students, an extension of Fuentes’s organization aimed at college students, after McNeil resigned as president to Kansas State’s Turning Point chapter. 

McNeil’s continued association with Fuentes and statements online perceived as racially charged drew ire from some of the less conservative Kansas State student body. For example, he complained about Kansas State’s Ethnic Studies GE requirement and said that the Jennifer Lopez and Shakira halftime show at the Super Bowl displayed everything that he hated about immigration. This came to a head in June of 2020 when McNeil made a tweet “congratulating” George Floyd on being “drug free an entire month,” followed by a reference to the widely debunked claim popularized by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, of whom McNeil is a fan, that George Floyd’s death was the result of a drug overdose rather than being asphyxiation by the cop kneeling on his neck. This caused immediate public backlash, including calls for McNeil’s expulsion and a boycott by the Kansas State football team. McNeil was unapologetic and remained enrolled at Kansas State even as the outrage reached outside of the student body.

It is unclear what the final straw was, but McNeil was eventually expelled from Kansas State. Fuentes offered to let McNeil live in the basement of a building he had recently bought in Chicago free of charge while he acted as treasurer to America First. There were even discussions of him possibly moving forward to produce the show and act as a co-host in the future. In addition to his new position as America First’s treasurer, he became a gaming streamer to make ends meet.  McNeil would continue to participate in events with Fuentes for the next few years, even serving as a featured speaker at a few of them, such as anti-vaccine rallies, the next few AFPACs, the events  that preceded the January 6th storming of the capital, and even serving as Fuentes’s travel partner and videographer during the White Boy Summer Tour of 2021.

The image of the bond between Fuentes and McNeil was shattered in April of 2022 when McNeil made a post on Telegram announcing that he was resigning as treasurer to America First. He said that his political views had not changed but that it was not what he wanted in life at that moment, wishing everyone well. However, this would continue to unravel in the coming weeks as Fuentes’s associates began bitterly speaking about McNeil. His streaming channel was removed from Cozy without warning. Shortly afterward, McNeil appeared on Kino Casino, an Internet show that had often been critical of Nick Fuentes, along with fellow America First defector Simon Dickerman to discuss what led to their eventual departure. McNeil’s friendship with Fuentes was revealed to be far more fraught than previously presented. Issues arose between the two of them soon after McNeil moved to Chicago. Fuentes was painted as a controlling, paranoid narcissist who wanted more from McNeil as a friend than he was offering. He claimed that Fuentes became jealous of his relationships with girls and would feel hurt when McNeil would invite him to play video games with him as part of a group chat rather than reaching out to him individually. Many allegations arose, such as that Fuentes was using a multiplier to increase the number of views on his shows and building on the claims that he was a federal informant, but the most often-cited moment to Fuentes’s critics across the aisle seemed to be the allegation that he had posted in a group chat about searching McNeil’s apartment with a blacklight for traces of his semen on the bed and couch. This startling image portrayed of Fuentes was not invalidated by the May 10th, 2022 episode of his show in which he addressed McNeil’s appearance on Kino Casino, something he felt was explicitly done to hurt him. While he insisted that the story about him searching for semen was based on a joke he made about how unavoidable the stains on the furniture were when he went in to clean out the basement apartment out for the next tenant, he did not deny and in fact built upon the image of the demanding, co-dependent friendship he had attempted to forge with McNeil. The two hour stream included a monologue in which Fuentes he described all he did for McNeil - doxxing Kansas State students who had threatened him, moving him out to Chicago to get him away from a girlfriend he could not bring himself to break up with, cleaning his room when he was depressed, buying him soup and tea when he was sick with COVID, and more - while feeling he had received an insufficient reciprocity, something he had brought up with McNeil near the end of their friendship. It appears that he had expected more, alleging that McNeil frequently got in phone arguments with his mom with regards to his friendship with Fuentes. He portrayed the dissolution of their friendship as starting in December the year before due to how much time McNeil was spending with his new girlfriend. Fuentes appeared to be holding back tears multiple times during the stream as he described how devastated he was over the perceived betrayal and the love he still felt for his former best friend, holding out hope that they could someday make amends. It would have been easy to feel sorry for Fuentes; losing a friend is difficult for anyone, moreso when trapped in the right-wing emotional prison in which men cannot express emotions, certainly not love and heartbreak over platonic friends. That is, it would have been if not for what happened next.

As the weeks went by, the love and sadness were replaced with bitterness. Fuentes went on a trenchant spiel about how McNeil lacked intellectual depth when it came to media consumption compared to himself and wrote him off as “[his] former bitch.” It was clear the intentions to make amends with McNeil were gone as the accusations against him became increasingly bizarre and personal such as saying that he was a sugar baby to a high paying super chatter, was secretly transgender or intersex, and had attempted to nonconsensually kiss Fuentes while drunk. In keeping with Fuentes’s alleged grandiose self-perception, he took to thereafter referring to McNeil as “Judas” or sometimes “Judy” to allude at the gender ambiguity he was now accusing him of. In yet another unexpected turn, followers of Fuentes began publicly posting various unflattering photos of McNeil, purportedly meant to paint McNeil as an irresponsible alcoholic libertine. While he was drinking or smoking in a handful, in most, he was simply sleeping and did not necessarily appear to be passed out from alcohol consumption. Most of the photos appeared to be taken by Fuentes himself, namely one being a literal selfie he took with McNeil sleeping on a couch behind him. McNeil stated that he had no clue any of them existed and that they appeared to have been taken over the course of the three years that he and Fuentes knew each other. McNeil confessed that, while he knew saying so was “kind of gay,” that seeing these pictures made him deeply uncomfortable and made his “skin crawl.” In keeping with the response to Fuentes’s monologue about his loss of McNeil’s friendship, naturally McNeil was not going to permit himself to be seen as a man showing vulnerable feelings or other times when he likened Fuentes’s need for emotional validation as being “like a girl,” but even he could not help himself here and his viewers expressed sympathy, remarking that he had every right to “feel violated.” He questioned why Fuentes had taken them to begin with and what purpose they had served him in the years that he kept them before leaking them to the public, speculating that his intentions had been sexual in nature. Whatever the reason, one can generally consider nonconsensually photographing someone in their sleep and then posting those pictures publicly to be inappropriate, regardless of the nature of their relationship. With all the debates about whether or not Fuentes’s actions were “gay,” the subject of whether or not these actions would be appropriate in any situation has been overlooked.

McNeil had previously stated an intention to move on with his life and “get a blue collar job,” should his work with America First come to an end. However, Fuentes vowed to keep him from ever having a normal life or getting a normal job. This led McNeil to carry on as a streamer, primarily focused on conservative critiques of America First and Fuentes, such as his ideological inconsistencies, the federal informant rumors, and protecting alleged sexual predators connected to the movement, namely Ali Alexander whose antics McNeil says Fuentes was aware of. There are of course less refined critiques as well, such as vulgar references to Fuentes’s speculated sexual orientation, his supposed excessive pornography usage, and comments about Fuentes’s conception as the child of in-vitro fertilization, something McNeil views as unnatural and the cause for all of Fuentes’s bizarre personality traits. Fuentes would continue to directly or subtly reference McNeil in the months to come, making references of his own to McNeil’s lack of adequate masculinity and being the child of divorce. Both examples highlight a rightwing fixation on having been brought into the world from a proper beginning in an almost Calvinist view of predetermination. 

The two would not directly interact again until July of 2023 when McNeil called in to a discussion with LeafyIsHere to both defend his honor and bring to light the situation with Ali Alexander. Before the discussion even began, groypers poisoned the well for LeafyIsHere by leading him to the dox of the netizen whom they claimed was McNeil’s sugar daddy. During the call, Fuentes joined in, repeatedly questioning McNeil about his super chatter, taunting him about sexual acts the two presumably engaged in, and went on to repeat the claim that McNeil had attempted to kiss him once, this time adding a story about how it happened after the two of them saw Spiderman: No Way Home together in theaters. McNeil essentially broke down in frustration and left the call. Both on his show and on Kino Casino later, he claimed that LeafyIsHere had repeatedly muted him and denied having attempted to kiss Fuentes ever, let alone in the story he told. Perception by their respective supporters colors how these incidents were perceived. Unsurprisingly, groypers took Fuentes’s word at face value and McNeil fans did not. How they discuss these alleged interactions is obviously painted by these opinions and end up portraying them in entirely different lights. Over time, the respective supporters of these men have developed rather specific images of their alleged attraction to the other for being something denied on both sides. Once again, images of race and sexuality are at the center. McNeil fans present Fuentes as this evil, conniving gay Mexican attempting to sexually manipulate their pure, white heterosexual hero. Even left-wing Fuentes critics have fallen victim to this mindset that infantalizes McNeil, with more than one having referred to him as “the teenage boy [Fuentes] tried to groom,” as if he was not less than a year younger than Fuentes and a legal adult for the entirety of their knowing each other. Groypers emphasize McNeil’s lack of traditional masculinity in appearance, calling him a “twink,” and suggest he was attempting to seduce their dear leader, sometimes leaning into the sugar baby angle. A more confusing claim they cling to to is Fuentes’s allegation that one of McNeil’s grade school friends came out as came as gay as an adult, meaning that McNeil is likely gay by association; why someone who claimed he was his best friend as an adult and has been unnerved by gay rumors about himself would use this argument is unclear. Some take a third approach. Inevitably, the fact that Fuentes portrays one of McNeil’s fans as offering him an exorbitant amount of financial support as driven by sexual desire has caused some detractors to assume he is speaking from his own experience as his former employer and the provider of his home. The canard developed here is that McNeil was attempting to lead Fuentes on or even acquiesced to his supposed desires for financial gain before moving on to an older, more financially and emotionally stable sugar daddy. This still portrays Fuentes as a sniveling, pathetic  imp of a man driven by unnatural lust, while McNeil is portrayed as a monetarily predatory manipulator who cannot rely on his own means to take care of himself.

It is curious that both Fuentes and McNeil would bring up traits that they were clearly aware of from near the beginning of them knowing each other in their critiques of each other. In both instances, there is an attempt to rewrite their history. Fuentes has referenced being disappointed to learn that McNeil was not a celibate virgin like himself after he moved in, but he still remained friends with him after that, even continuing to provide him with a job and free housing. For all of McNeil’s jokes about Fuentes being Mexican, there is minimal chance he did not consider someone with the last name of “Fuentes” might be partially Latino, even if he somehow missed the streams where Fuentes actively referenced having a Mexican grandfather. His own jokes about Fuentes’s possible homosexuality are not only in reference to incidents that occurred while they lived in the same building or spent time together, but events that have become part of the general Nick Fuentes lore. Certainly, some of the cited events, such as Fuentes’s monologue about sex with women being “gay” happened after he and McNeil had parted ways, but McNeil’s references to the infamous “CatboyKami date” as if it was a shocking new revelation are rather confusing. The event in question happened at the end of 2019, the year McNeil and Fuentes got to know each other; in fact, the viewers of the entire stream can confirm that Fuentes made multiple references to his “friend Jaden” throughout the night, presumably referring to McNeil. It is difficult to imagine that McNeil did not hear about the stream, given he was getting involved with America First at the time and both right and left-wing detractors replied to nearly everything online related to Fuentes or his organization with taunting images and references to the stream, especially during the first few months of 2020. All of that and McNeil apparently did not consider it suspicious at the time, considering he moved into the building that Fuentes owned and became a more involved member of America First all after that happened.

One recalls him mentioning in the past that Turning Point members warned him about Fuentes and cannot help but consider that speculation about his sexuality was a part of that. Speculation about McNeil’s own sexuality was rampant during his association with America First, despite all of his confirmed relationships at the point of writing this being with women. Most of it was based on very little, some just remarking on his appearance and calling him a “twink.” One can find an older rumor spread around attaching a Freudian explanation to McNeil’s racial animus, saying he was sexually assaulted - ranging from a pantsing to a more violent tale - by a pair of black male students in the restroom while in high school, further adding to this image of him as on the receiving end of predatory sexual attention from men of color. Considering McNeil has stated that the town he grew up in was fairly homogenous and that he did not develop his ideologies until college, all versions of this tale seem deeply unlikely, but that did not stop it from gaining traction in the gutters of KiwiFarms and such. The exact birth of this rumor is unclear, but it did not appear to take hold until after McNeil was associated with Fuentes, further emphasizing how it was likely based more on the perception of him during that time than actual fact. Many rightwing detractors of Fuentes who have since become supporters of McNeil admit to having previously assumed he was his boyfriend. It is not difficult to find older posts on KiwiFarms and similar websites with lurid posts joking about what sort of sexual acts the two were speculated to have engaged in together. Even the hosts of Kino Casino had initially reported on the split between Fuentes and McNeil as a “break up” and made crude sexual remarks about the two of them prior to McNeil’s appearance on their show. Perhaps McNeil’s reaction now is a mix of regret that he did not listen to detractors sooner and a need to overcompensate for the rumors that spread about him as a result of his association with Fuentes. On that topic, Fuentes has himself appeared to attempt to change history as well. He has since tried to claim that he lost interest in McNeil as a friend after incidents of him trying to pressure him to drink and ultimately culminating in the alleged incident of him trying to kiss him after seeing a movie, despite them being not only publicly associated for four months after the fact, but Fuentes’s infamous sorrowful monologue was after all of that and complaints about the time McNeil spent with his girlfriend. One would think that he would respond to someone expressing unwanted romantic advances towards him proceeding to get a significant other would be met with relief and, if the alleged attempted kiss was so off-putting that it put an irreparable dent in their friendship, he would not mind the friendship formally ending, let alone be nearly brought to tears lamenting that end. 

It is difficult not to feel a semblance of sympathy for McNeil. Regardless of the reasons behind some of Fuentes’s antics, whether it was attraction, an attempt at control, or undiagnosed  neurodivergence-related social awkwardness, one thing that is for certain is that the way he treated him was professionally inappropriate at best and abusive at worst. When looking at McNeil’s older posts or listening to his stream to this day, between the provocative references to race and gender, there are some genuine frustrations about not having the opportunity to grow up in the same world generations before did, not unlike those of other young people of quite different political leanings. This is compounded when one remembers his working class upbringing, preventing him from accessing what positives remain. It is true that many of the most obvious scholarships and other assistive programs are focused on aspects of identity like race and gender, one can see how a young white man that still has all of the struggles of someone lacking resources would interpret this. As despicable as many viewed America First, it is easy to see how a desperate nineteen-year-old was drawn in. One cannot help but speculate, had events occurred a bit differently, that he would have instead been pulled into the Center for Political Innovation, a group that espouses left-wing, class-based politics with a strong criticism of identity politics, though declaring them capitalist constructions to divide the working class rather than a Jewish conspiracy to take down the white man. Of course, rather than addressing the antics of Nick Fuentes, he would instead have to reconcile with accusations of that group’s leader, Caleb Maupin, who would face questionable allegations of his own and a mass exodus from his movement in the middle of 2022. Finding an extreme political movement without members accused of inappropriate actions towards their underlings is becoming increasingly difficult. 

Class remains at the center of the struggle between these two. McNeil joined the movement so young and is now being kept from moving on with life by someone whose upbringing was far more comfortable than his own. McNeil criticizes Fuentes for his “unnatural” IVF conception, something that requires a great deal of money to undergo. Fuentes criticizes McNeil for having divorced parents when working class families are far more likely to experience divorce than wealthier ones. It is also undeniable that the dynamic between the two, even if it lacked the context of attraction that some allege was there, was deeply unbalanced and controlling. The two were attempting to navigate a friendship while Fuentes was also McNeil’s employer and provided his housing. Hearing McNeil’s voice crack as Fuentes went after him in that phone call, it is clear that imbalance remains. McNeil has jokingly talked about how odd it is that Fuentes continues to go after him, calling himself a “nobody.” For all of the criticisms McNeil has launched against his former boss and friend, one wonders if, at the end of the day, Fuentes convinced him that he was nothing without him and he still believes it. From an optical perspective, it certainly appears that way.

Conclusion

How to precisely define Nick Fuentes’s race and sexuality is a mystery to anyone aside from himself and even that may be up for debate. More important than whatever may actually be true is what is seen as true to his critics, something that varies by person and situation. In the end, Fuentes was correct in identifying optics as the most important factor of a movement. What is really there does not matter. All that matters is what people perceive. 

Sources

The initial pieces of research on Fuentes and his associates was discovered in articles by the SPLC, ADL, Mother Jones, and the Kansas Star. Much of the rest of the personal information was found from much less official sources, namely an Illinois-based Facebook group dedicated to outing the personal lives of the Chicco-Fuentes family to keep them from profiting financially on account of the son’s political involvement. Most of the information was from watching episodes of Fuentes and McNeil’s shows, both live and uploads on Bitchute, Odyssee, Rumble, YouTube, and the Internet Archive, as well as following their social media accounts on Twitter, Telegram, and Gab. The episode of Kino Casino that McNeil and Dickerman appeared on was helpful in assessing their views. Additionally, their interviews with others, as well as reaction videos by leftist streamers critical of them - including Shark3ozero, Vaush, and Creationist Cat - were also utilized. As for the commentary on the response by fans and critics, much was obtained from KiwiFarms and other websites dedicated to mocking Internet personalities. The anecdote about Martin Luther was based on the teachings of a deeply-influential, now-retired high school AP European History teacher. Everything else is based on the author’s own observations and opinions.

Bonus: The playlist I made to accompany this essay.

[diaryforadreamer]

BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH DESCRIPTIONS BELOW.

[SPANISH] ¿Cómo se supone que se empieza a publicar en Tumblr? ¿Y es normal que aún no teniendo contenido y sin rebloguear nada multitud de personas te empiecen a seguir o a mandarte mensajes spam? En fin, como indica la cabecera, creé esta cuenta para publicar algunas cosillas respecto a los Fanfics que me gusta leer/escribir y los fanarts que quiero hacer y nunca hago. Este en concreto lo hice ya hace casi un lustro, cuando me obsesioné con Gravity Falls y tuve una idea para una historia con Wendy Corduroy como protagonista. El fanfic se quedó incompleto, únicamente el prólogo está publicado, pero ésta se trata del primer dibujo que hice casi entero en digital (y sin tableta gráfica). ¿Continuaré el fanfic? No quiero hacer promesas. Pero en fin que aquí os lo dejo, el dibujo y el link al Capítulo, aunque yo me muero de la vergüenza cada vez que lo releo.

Por cierto, el mérito solo me atañe respecto al dibujo de Wendy. La imagen del lago del fondo la saqué de la wikia oficial de Gravity Falls. Mi habilidad para dibujar fondos es simplemente inexistente.

Por último, si compartís no olvidéis de mencionar a los artistas.

[ENGLISH] So, how does one person start publishing content on Tumblr? Is it common that even though you have zero content and you haven't reblogged anything at all there is a lot of people who start following you and sending you spam messages? Anyway, as the headline states, I created this account in order to vent about the Fanfics that I like to read/write and the fanarts that I intend to do (but probably never will).

As for this one, I did it almost five years ago (time has passed way too fast) when I became obsessed with Gravity Falls and had an idea for a story with Wendy Corduroy as the main character. The fanfic was left incomplete, only the prologue is published, but this is the first drawing that I did almost completely digitally (and without a graphics tablet). Will I continue the fanfic? I don't want to make promises I'm not sure I'll be able to fulfill. But anyway, here I leave it, the drawing and the link to the Chapter, although I die of shame every time I reread it.

By the way, I only take credit regarding the drawing of Wendy. The image of the lake in the background was taken from the official Gravity Falls wikia. My ability to draw backgrounds is simply non-existent.

Last but not least, if you share or reblog don't forget to give artists the credit they deserve.

[traxxz]

✨ T H E R O P E M A N ✨ @bws.gallery 🌱 Saheed Adelakun Masked Beauty Series (Yellow), 2022 Acrylic and rope on handmade wooden platform 22 x 18 inches @adelakun_olokun ✨ Saheed Adelakun (b. 1982) is a native of Ayetoro in the Ogun state of Nigeria, where he had his primary and secondary school education before going on to study a major in painting at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos. He was honored with the Koko foundation scholarship for Outstanding talent through the completion of his HND degree as well as the overall best student of painting in 2009. He has been a full-time studio artist, with an appearance recognition as an Emerging artist in 2015 at the annual October rain exhibition of the Society of Nigeria Artist, Lagos Chapter. Several of his works have been featured in group exhibitions and collected by notable galleries and collectors both in Nigeria and abroad. His works reveal the synthesis that can be formulated from historical indigenous identity, culture and traditions without the exaltation of dehumanizing practices. #SaheedAdelakun #Lagos #Nigeria #Acrylic #Rope #Handmade #BeUnique #BeDifferent #BlackArt #RobertFrost #RoadLessTraveled #Poetry #Art #BlackIsBeautiful #BlackPainters #KerryJamesMarshall #FigurativeArt #ArtificialRealism #Flowers #Blackness #London #UK #Surrealism #Plants (at Beverly Hills, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_h9pkPk_h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mynewshq]

FG gives traders one month to crash prices 

29th August 2024 The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has given a one-month moratorium to traders and other market stakeholders involved in exploitative pricing to crash the prices of goods. The newly appointed Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, said this at a one-day stakeholders engagement on exploitative pricing on Thursday in Abuja. According to Bello, the commission will begin enforcement after the moratorium. He said that the meeting was to address the growing trend of unreasonable pricing of consumer goods and services and the unwholesome practice of market associations. Bello described the commission’s finding that a fruit blender known as Ninja was being sold at a popular supermarket in Texas for 89 dollars (N140,000.00) but the same product was displayed for N944,999.00 in a supermarket in Victoria Island, Lagos. Bello wondered about the basis for the arbitrary hike in the price of the blender compared to the Texas, United States of America. He said the unwholesome practices including price fixing were threatening ”Under Section 155, violators whether individuals or corporate entities face severe penalties including substantial fines and imprisonment if found guilty by the court. ”This is intended to deter all parties involved in such illicit activities. However, our approach today is not punitive. I, therefore, call on all stakeholders to embrace the spirit of patriotism and cooperation. ”It is in this spirit that we are giving a moratorium of one month (September) before the commission will start firm enforcement, ” he said. Bello said the government was aware of most of the problems raised by the market stakeholders. ”We have heard and you have genuine issues and the government has the responsibility to address the problems but generally, let us talk to ourselves too. ”There are also gang-ups to exploit consumers by traders,” he said. Some of the market stakeholders who spoke at the engagement said that the high cost of transportation, insecurity, and multiple taxation among others were reasons for the continuous The Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Traders, FCT Chapter, Ifeanyi Okonkwo, said that charges on imported goods at the Ports also contributed to the hike in prices. Okonkwo appealed to the Commission to set up a task force and involve the association in its enforcement. Mr Emmanuel Odugwu from Kugbo Spare Parts market said the initial cost of transportation of a trailer load of tyres from Lagos to Abuja was N450,000 but now, it costs over one million nairas to transport the same. The Liaison Manager, Flour Mills, Ms Kemi Ashiri, said that fines by regulators needed to be harmonised for businesses to thrive. Ikenna Ubaka, who spoke on behalf of supermarket owners, alleged that banks’ interest rates to them were over 30 per cent, rent increments and hikes in prices by distribution/ supply chains were reasons for the high cost of goods. Ubaka also alleged that electricity distribution companies were charging supermarkets exorbitantly. Mr Solomon Ukeme who represented Master Bakers Association, said that the rapid increment of major ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter contributed He said that a bag of flour formally sold for N34,000 was now being sold for N74,000. He said that multiple taxation was also the major cause of the high cost of bread. Read the full article

[ejesgistnews]

Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines online Today, What are the top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines for Today, Friday, 23rd August, 2024.   Staying updated on the latest developments in Nigeria is essential, especially in today's fast-paced world. Here are the top 13 Nigerian newspaper headlines for August 23, 2024, that capture the most significant news across the country. From breaking stories to in-depth analyses, these headlines reflect the top news in Nigeria this morning. Whether you're interested in politics, business, or social issues, these latest Nigerian newspaper headlines will keep you informed. Dive into the top stories in Nigeria today and stay ahead with the latest updates. The latest Nigerian headlines for August 23rd, 2024:   1. FG Unveils Power Sector Communications Team: The Federal Government has inaugurated the Power Sector Communications Team (PSCT) to enhance transparency and communication within the power sector. The team, led by Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, aims to bridge the gap between the power sector and the public by translating complex technical issues into plain language and fostering collaboration among stakeholders¹.   2. Tinubu’s Daughter Resolves Lagos Butchers Union Crisis: Mrs. Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja-General, successfully mediated a dispute between the Lagos State Butchers Association and the National Butchers Union of Nigeria. The crisis involved attempts by the Lagos State chapter to withdraw from the national body. Tinubu-Ojo urged both parties to maintain peace and work collaboratively⁵.   3. Guinness World Record Names 116-Year-Old Japanese as World's Oldest Person: Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old Japanese woman, has been officially recognized as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records. Itooka, who resides in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, enjoys bananas and drinks Calpis every morning³¹.   4. Chelsea's Conor Gallagher Joins Atletico Madrid: Conor Gallagher has completed his move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid for £36 million. This transfer was part of a deal that saw Joao Felix move to Chelsea for £46.3 million. Gallagher's move ends a weeks-long saga and is expected to strengthen Atletico's midfield¹²¹⁵.   5. 27 Kidnappers, IPOB Members Killed in Enugu: A combined force of security agencies neutralized 27 individuals suspected of being kidnappers and members of the Eastern Security Network, the security arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in Enugu State. This operation is part of ongoing efforts to combat criminal activities in the state¹⁷¹⁸.   6. Kwankwaso’s Nephew, Four Others Arrested Over N347m Drug Scam: The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission arrested five individuals, including Garba Kwankwaso, nephew of NNPP National Leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, over an alleged N347 million drug supply scam. The suspects were accused of awarding a contract for drug supply that was never fulfilled⁸⁹.   7. CBN Posts Highest Remittance Inflow of $553m in July: The Central Bank of Nigeria reported a record remittance inflow of $553 million in July 2024, a 130% increase from the same period in 2023. This increase is attributed to policy measures aimed at enhancing liquidity in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market²¹²³.   8. BUA Foods to Raise Milling Capacity by 3,200 Tonnes: BUA Foods Plc has signed an agreement with Turkish flour milling equipment manufacturer IMAS to build four wheat and flour milling factories with a cumulative capacity of 3,200 tonnes per day. This expansion is part of BUA Foods' strategic plans to address food challenges in Nigeria²⁸²⁹.   9. Port Harcourt, Warri Depots Receive Petrol as Queues Linger: The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has supplied petrol to the Port Harcourt and Warri depots to alleviate fuel scarcity. Despite these efforts, fuel queues persist in various parts of the country as the supply struggles to meet demand³⁵³⁶.

  10. Naira Weakens to N1,600/$ in Parallel Market: The Naira has depreciated to N1,600 per dollar in the parallel market, reflecting ongoing economic challenges. This depreciation is causing concern among businesses and consumers alike.   11. Minister of Justice Issues Warning on Democratic Process: The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, warns against any attempts to undermine Nigeria's democracy, stating that leadership can only change through elections.   12. Tinubu to Swear in New Chief Justice: President Bola Tinubu will swear in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria today, following the retirement of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. 13. Peter Obi Supports NLC Amidst Police Investigation: Peter Obi urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to remain steadfast after its president, Joe Ajaero, was summoned by the police, viewing the move as an attempt to intimidate organized labor.   That is all for today on Nigerian Newspaper Headlines. Click here more Naija News.

[projectchampionz]

HIV/AIDS: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS AMONG UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

HIV/AIDS: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS AMONG UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION     1.1      BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the virus Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV), was first discovered in the 1980 in the United States of America, and now it has spread like flood over the globe (UNAIDS, 2001).…

[detectivezedd]

My Father Impregnated Me

💎💎💎NEW STORY 💎💎💎 Episode 1☆☆☆My name is Adenike. I am from Lagos state, Nigeria. I was born 28 years ago into the family of Mr and Mrs Temitayo Fowogbade. I am the first born of my parent and I have three other siblings; Faith, Christiana and Grace. Grace was born as a result of my parent’s search for a baby boy who turned out to be a girl. And the chapter of child birth was closed.The story of…

[lawblogng]

Igbo groups in Lagos dissociate selves from planned protest

The Coalition of Igbo Political and Socio-cultural Groups, Lagos State Chapter,  on Tuesday, dissociated its members from the planned nationwide protest to begin on Aug. 1.   The Coordinator of the chapter, Mr Anselm Njoku, made the position of the coalition known at a press conference held in Ikeja. The planned protest is tagged #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria. It is proposed to take place from Aug.1…

[toughgirlchallenges]

Pelumi Nubi: The first Black woman to drive solo by road from London to Lagos, covering over 10,000 km in 74 days.

Pelumi Nubi is a purpose-driven travel content creator and connector who thrives on exploring less commonly visited countries. 

Currently living between London and Dubai, she calls both the UK and Nigeria home. Having ventured to over 80 countries across six continents, her engaging content inspires her community to embrace life with fearlessness and embody true freedom.

She is committed to showing that travel can be safe, easy, and achievable, particularly for Black women who want to travel solo. 

Pelumi has recently achieved an incredible milestone, becoming the first Black woman to drive solo by road from London to Lagos, covering over 10,000 km in 74 days. 

Additionally, she was recently appointed Ambassador of Tourism in Lagos State, Nigeria.

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 Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.

 By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement. 

Thank you for your invaluable support!

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Show notes

Who is Pelumi

Growing up in Nigeria

Moving to the UK aged 10

Relocating to Dubai in 2023

Her passion for travelling 

Being bullied and diagnosed as dyslexia

Visiting over 80+ countries

Why travelling can be easy, safe and doable for solo travellers

Academic life and the end of her PHD

Pivoting from science to travel

Her road trip from London to Lagos

Early travel memories

Doing a global leaders program and spending time in India

Is travel/content creation a viable career option?

Why no knowledge is wasted knowledge 

Using her research background to plan her Lagos trip

Living her life in chapters

Deciding to drive to Lagos and how much time to plan for the adventure 

The power of having mentors 

Needing more time to plan and deciding to delay for a year

Starting 24th January 2024

Naming her car ‘Lumi’ and the reasons behind the name

Keeping costs down 

Her route - UK, ferry to France, then Spain, ferry across to Morocco and then down the West coast of Africa

Putting measures in place to keep herself safe

Being more excited about the journey, than the fear

Working on her mindset to keep going, despite the naysayers

Refusing to read comments and not engaging 

Setting other goals for the journey 

Feeling like a failure after the end of her phd and not getting to be called Dr. 

Needing to do a hard thing

Wanting to re-write the narrative about how she felt about herself

Not seeing people who looked like her doing over landing trips

Wanting to inspire other Black solo explorers to go on an overland trip

Wanting to show off the beauty of the different countries in Africa 

Wanting to go at a slower pace

Why it was chaotic on the road

Daily routines and figuring out where to sleep at night

Meeting new people and feelings of loneliness 

Why a smile is the universal language 

Africa is not a country 

Riding the Iron-ore train and the reality of what it’s like

Being a Black woman solo traveller and the differences between travelling in Europe and Africa

Why you should start local

People not believing that she was doing the adventure solo

Sexual harassment while traveling 

How to connect with Pelumi and follow her adventures 

Future travel plans

NDAs

Not wanting to play it safe

Just do it…

Advice for women who want to get travelling and to make a pivot in their live

The power of daily habits and why they are so important 

Keep the promises that you make for yourself

Why the magic is in the doing. 

  Social Media

Website: www.peluminubi.com/s-projects-side-by-side 

Instagram: @pelumi.nubi 

Twitter/X: @peluminubi_ 

  Check out this episode!

[mothersjoy]

Kevron Consulting Limited Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme 2024

The Kevron Consulting Limited Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme for 2024 is now open for applications. This programme, in collaboration with the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (NISafetyE) Lagos State Chapter, is designed to support students who are passionate about safety engineering and occupational health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE). Scholarship Overview Kevron…

[bitchyfoxymama]

Ch. 5 - Sokovia Accords

Warning: Angst, pure angst, fighting, death, destruction

A/n: I used dialogue from the movie as well as added in my own, I’m turning civil war into a couple chapters but promise next chapter will be all my own writing and dialogue

*********

It’s been a month since the Lagos incident, Wanda comes out now but is still not the same as she was before. You were walking past her door to get to your own room when you heard the voice of a news anchor.

“What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri-“ You walk in and turn the television off.

“It's my fault,” she says without looking up at you.

You were about to tell her something but Steve enters the room and speaks instead.

“That's not true” he says standing in her doorway as you go and sit next to her on her bed pulling her into your arms.

“Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific,” Wanda says, laying her head onto your shoulder.

“Those new anchors act as though they are all high and mighty,” you say, getting heated.

“I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it” steve begins pushing himself off Wanda’s door frame, “Rumlow said "Bucky" and . . . all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn, And people died. It's on me”

“if I had stunned him, or was quicker at knocking him out before you needed to step in, if I was faster” you say, hardening your face as you stare off.

“This job . . . we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time . . . maybe nobody gets saved,” Steve says looking at both of you.

You want to say more but vision shows up, walking through Wanda’s bedroom door, completely negating her privacy.

“Vis! We talked about this,” she says, lifting her head off your shoulder to scold him.

“Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that . . .Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving,” the android says, giving you a curt nod of acknowledgment.

“Thank you. We'll be right down,” Steve says walking towards the door.

“Daddy’s home,” you whisper into her, earning a small giggle.

“I'll . . . use the door. Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest,” vision says

“We know who it is?” Steve asks stopping.

“The Secretary of State,” Vision says while walking out of the room.

“Great what does he want,” you sneer at the mention of the man who tried to kill Bruce.

*********

When we make it to the conference room Wanda and I are the last to arrive, I take a seat next to Bucky, Wanda sits to my right. Pietro is across from me. Ross’ back is currently facing us, I send daggers at his back. I’ve heard a lot about this man. My hatred for him runs deep. He finally turns and graces us with his face.

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing. Turned out, it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass . . . I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective.” You want to roll your eyes at the arrogance, “The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives . . . but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some . . . who would prefer the word "vigilantes".”

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” You smile at him sarcastically.

“How about "dangerous"? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

With all the shit he is talking about he could open a manure business. You lean back into your chair as he presses the remote he’s holding, the screen behind him turns on.

“New York,” Ross says. The screen shows the battle of New York, you saw the aftermath on tv, but seeing it makes me a bit uneasy especially since my friends had to live through it. I give a sympathetic look over to Natasha.

“Washington DC” I grab Bucky's hand and gently squeeze as the screen shows the helicarriers falling from the sky, this was a tough watch for the ex winter soldier since it was at this moment Steve was able to save him from HYDRA. I look over at Sam, he looks down.

“Sokovia” You look at Pietro as he can’t look at the screen, you give him a sympathetic look, you’ve heard countless stories about Solovia from the twins, about how Pietro had almost died there along with others if it hadn’t been for Helen Choi. You can see from the corner of your eyes as Wanda stares as does Tony.

“Lagos” You glare at Ross, this time he does see. You turn to comfort Wanda as she lets out a silent gasp at the images as it’s still fresh in her mind.

“Okay. That's enough.” You say as you can already feel the electricity coursing through my veins, you calm as you feel Bucky’s hand over yours, he gives you a small smile which you return. Ross soon finishes his presentation and talks about the Solovia accords.

“The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries . . . it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary,” Ross says.

“So what you are saying is we we’ll be treated like a private military, only let out when deemed necessary? What happens when there is another threat to the world but the UN doesn’t decide we are needed? What then Mr. Secretary,”

He chuckles, “This one doesn’t do well with authority is that right?”

You glare up at him through your eyelashes. What you wouldn’t give to put him in his place.

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that.” Steve says, our fearless leader.

“That's how the world works. Believe me, the accords are the middle ground,” Ross says looking you directly in the eyes, challenging you almost.

“So, there are contingencies.” Rhodes finally speaks up.

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords.” Ross says looking at Tony, you begin to wonder what they haven’t told you yet, you and Steve both look at Tony, “Talk it over.”

“And if we come to a decision you don't like?” You ask, arms crossed.

“Then you retire” he says as he begins to walk away

********

You had your hands firmly planted on the conference table leaning towards Tony, venom and anger flowing through you, “You are out of your fucking mind Stark if you think any of us are signing away our rights” sparks flashing in your eyes.

“A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Y/n, and you're just like, "No, that's cool. We got it.”

“Yeah, because it’s bullshit,” You say, turning towards him.

“How long are you going to play both sides?” Sam asks Rhodes from his standing position near Steve.

Rhodes turns to look at him wanting to say something but Vision interrupts.

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.” He says look over us all.

“Are you saying it's our fault?” Steve speaks up, leaning forward in his chair.

“I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict . . . breeds catastrophe. Oversight . . . oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.” Vision expresses while folding his hands in front of him.

“Boom,” Rhodes mic drops in front of him.

You look over at Tony, “Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal, oh wait I know why! It's because he's already made up his mind!” You growl.

“Boy, you know me so well, sparky. Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” He pulls up a photo of a young man, confusing some of you.

“Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia,” he paused to look down at you, he’s tight lipped, “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass,” you look down, “There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys,”

“if we sign this damn thing they take away our rights, and more people will get hurt if they get to decide where we can go, do you not see that? Can you not get that through your thick arrogant skull?” You say, a lot calmer than you were when this whole discussion began.

Tony holds his temples between his hands and rubs “You know what, you can go, this doesn’t involve you. You're Not even an official Avenger! You’ve been on one mission and you see how that turned out,” Tony says glaring at you. You could hear a pin drop, the room was so quiet. You can feel the tears welling in your eyes, but you didn’t want any of your fellow Avengers seeing you cry.

You swallow thickly “Fine, if that’s how you see me then I’ll leave. I won’t be signing that damn thing either” you say walking to the elevator, hitting his shoulder with yours as you pass him, “But one thing, if the world comes crashing down around you stark don’t come looking for me,” the elevator doors close on you as you let the tears finally fall.

[wushigod]

Two of Nigeria’s top musicians, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke and Ayo Balogun, aka Wizkid, have been at loggerheads for the past 24 hours, and the drama has taken a new turn with domestic violence allegations. The longstanding rivalry between Nigerian top artistes Davido and Wizkid appears far from over. Seven years after supposedly settling their supremacy rift on stage at Wizkid’s concert, they are back at it again. Both artistes reconciled during Wizkid’s concert at the Eko Convention Center in Lagos. To the audience’s delight, Wizkid made the first move by inviting Davido to share the stage and spotlight with him. With that gesture, Wizkid debunked speculations that he had an age-long beef with Davido as they performed the latter’s hit track, Fia. It was the first time both singers would perform together. Davido and Wizkid, touted as Nigeria’s biggest music acts, have engaged in a cold war fueled by their die-hard fan base for over a decade. As both artistes continue to lock horns, the 30 Billion gang and Wizkid FC have refused to back down and have taken the fight to the next level. Wizkid and Davido reignited their long-standing feud with a fiery exchange on social media, which began on Monday. The latest chapter in their saga started with a diss video uploaded by Wizkid, apparently a subtle jab at Davido. The Ojuelegba crooner posted a leaked video of Davido on his knees, crying and begging an alleged female associate. The video surfaced online in April. Wizkid, 33, posted the video, seemingly suggesting his fans needed to plead for a new song as intensely as the person in the video (implying Davido). Wizkid said fan requests alone wouldn’t convince him to release a new song, but seeing video proof of their passionate pleas (like Davido does) could sway him. The post sparked a social media firestorm and ignited a frenzy among the 30 Billion gang and Wizkid FC. It also caused friction between singers Kizz Daniel, Tekno, and other artistes. However, Davido felt slight and clapped back at Wizkid on Monday night. In his clapback, Davido said Wizkid’s songs are no longer recognised. He boasted that since he entered the music industry, Wizkid and others have not experienced peace of mind. He said, “That’s what I thought. Nothing to say, exactly why I stopped wasting my clout and jeopardising my millions of USD of endorsements on someone whose career was resurrected a few years ago just to die again.” The ‘Unavailable’ crooner said he would find somewhere with a beach to relax because when there’s light, darkness vanishes. I have hits; he doesn’t. Tell him to let’s drop it. Darkness vanishes, and they give birth to him. Very well, he should drop. I’m ready. I’ve got 80 hits ready to go. Ayo, please activate me. He didn’t fit, solo short, bitch.” “It’s so funny how the whole industry is scared of a 4-foot guy like him. I’m short too, but if you see him in person, you’ll just giggle, idiot.” The Grammy-nominated singer expressed disappointment that the tour he was scheduled to embark on with Wizkid would no longer take place. On 18 January 2023, Wizkid announced on his Instagram page that he would embark on a tour with Davido after his ‘MLLE (More Love, Less Ego)’ tour. Moreover, Davido clarified that he wouldn’t let Wizkid’s illness derail his focus or distract him. He said, “In 2024, let’s all get active. We’ll see. I can’t wait until 20 years from now. E, enjoy your time.” In response to Davido, Wizkid stated that he (Davido) was not superior to him in the music industry. Wizkid shared the same video with diss Davido, stating, “There’s no point. Delusional guys, I’ll pray for you all.” “You (Davido) and all your crew, plus your pant washer songwriter, sleep at night thinking you’ve got anything on me in music. I wish you all well,” Wizkid tweeted. In addition to Davido, Wizkid also took shots at Don Jazzy, the boss of Mavin Records, whom he labels an ‘influencer’. His jab at Don Jazzy was targeted at his (...

[gidd-blog1]

Edo guber: “Our opponents have one crisis or the other” – Oshiomhole predicts APC victory

Ahead of the Edo governorship election, former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has assured President Bola Tinubu that the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is “united and good to go.” Oshiomhole disclosed this to journalists yesterday after paying Sallah homage to Tinubu in Lagos. Oshiomhole, who also represents Edo North in the Senate, expressed confidence in…