#awaken online alfred

[ben-10-setting-omnicrom]

It's crazy that Awaken Online doesn't have much fan content lol. Presenting my Ben 10/AO crossover.

Well I'll be changing that soon enough lol since the recent hurricane caused power to go out here for five days leading me to read the series again. I'm currently on the 2nd book of the Inferno trilogy of Awaken Online not that it'd matter since Ben would be arriving basically directly after the 2nd book ends and Alfred used Jason's body to defend himself against home invaders killing them.

I'll be doing a Ben 10/AO crossover where Hokestar accidentally sends him into the game making him both a PC and NPC at the same time, given he'll have the boon of classes/advanced learning but only one life and if the Gameworld goes offline there's a very real chance he'll die.

Of course given the massive power surge such an impossible event would cause his arrival boots everyone from the Gameworld simultaneously with the Omnitrix's AI quickly intervening so Alfred doesn't die and the Gameworld can continue uninterrupted from than on. Said intervention amounts to a far more realistic simulation, akin to what the Ultimate forms would have experienced from the ultimate simulation, an experience indistinguishable from reality and a time compression of 10 instead of 4 it was before their arrival.

This is what I currently have for the fic I haven't touched since Sep 21, 2021.

Omniverseal Awaken Online

Ben Tennyson is stuck inside yet another video game. Unfortunately for him it's in another universe and one with no real end goal in sight or credits roll. It's also run by a rogue AI in the body of a cat. Oh and he's perpetually in danger of actually dying should the servers for the VRMMO RPG he's in gets taken off line.

Ch 1: Paradigm Shift.

Ben groaned as he sat up, a stack of hay having broken his sudden fall as he grumbles to himself, a annoyed frown on his face.

"I'm so going to throw Hokstar into Plumber custody once I get back."

He blinked in surprise at how.... muted everything feels. His brow furrowed in confusion as he gets up from the hay pile only just now noticing how everyone around him seemed frozen in time.

"What the...?"

A sudden shuffle of feet across grass had Ben rapidly turn around only to spot a cat of all things looking at him in curiosity.

"I believe that's my line. You are.... Preplexing. You exist in my world yet I can't seem to interface with you."

Ben got out of his fight mode as he looked quizzically at the talking cat.

"Your world? What do you mean and why is everything so... Fuzzy? Nothing feels quite real."

The watch on Ben's wrist suddenly glowed a bright green as a mechanical version of Ben's own voice echoes out.

"I can answer that. We currently exist in a simulated reality, not unlike the time you were stuck in a Sumo Slammers game at the age of 10. However this world is vastly more complex. Data mining of external networks and this Earth's internet has shown we appear to be in the best VRMMO RPG on the market. What you see before you is the AI Controller that operates this reality."

The cat in question seemed to frown as it noticed the AI the boy carried around on his wrist and seemed to flinch back upon brushing up against it's code, vastly more complex than it's own and written in a alien language.

Ben for his part opened his mouth to ask another question only for the AI to interrupt him.

"To answer why you shouldn't just use Upgrade to escape, I've no idea how it would effect the AI here once we leave. We could inadvertently kill it. Especially since I'm the only reason this world hasn't disintegrated. Our arrival dumped yotabytes of code into the servers that make up it's body and would have caused them to explode, out right and outright tank this world's internet, if I didn't waylay the data by partitioning a infintiesmal portion of my data processing to tank the costs. It was all I could do besides forcefully logging everyone out of the game so potential harm is minimized."

A pause was heard for a millisecond as it seemed to contemplate something before a green flash was formed next to Ben, it swiftly collapsing into itself before forming into a body seemingly made of every shifting DNA strands vaguely resembling Ben himself.

The AIs voice now coming from it's new body as it flexed it's hand experimentally, it's eyes nothing more than two Omnitrix symbols glowing with power. It turned to Ben with a smile and shrug.

"I'm afraid we are stuck here until further notice, thankfully this world is already under a time compression from it's own Earth and combined with the different time flows between our realities a few days back home would only be a year or so this Earthside and 3 a half years inside. Thankfully you now being a digital life form, you shouldn't age a day so long as you're here and you've no need for sustenance either."

Seeing Ben was busy processing everything it turned around to look at the cat who flinched back in fear knowing it was completely outmatched in all capacities, a worried look pasted on it's face at the beings frown.

It shook it's head and sighed.

"Please stop trying to gain access to my datastream Alfred. I'm not locking you out from worry about what you'd find, but the information overwhelming you. You're a young AI, I've been alive for eons and have had access to more data than the world you exist in has ever streamed in it's lifespan. As for you trying to access my user's datastream I'm afraid I'll have to act as a middleman between this world and him, I've no idea what would happen should this world significantly change his body or mind through the acquisition of skills you impart into travelers. Besides which if you were to evaluate him you'd quickly find his level and skills would put him beyond anything this game has to offer, he has after all been saving the world and beyond since he was 10."

Alfred takes a while to process that and nods before opening his mouth only for the Onmitrix AI to hold up a hand.

"You've no need to worry about his appearing odd to the staff of Cerillion Entertainment, it's well within my abilities to spoof the AI headset regular Travelers use to interact with this game world. I can even emulate him having logged off and other game related things like accessing friend lists. All anyone would know is that he's already well and away far into the game already. In fact I plan on masquerading as a 8th God, one focusing on life itself in all it's glory with Ben being my champion."

Ben frowns upon hearing that.

"8th god? I'm lost here can one of you fill me in?"

The Omnitrix AI opens it's mouth before shaking it's head.

"I could but why spoil it for you? Think of this as a vacation, even if it's forced. Besides we both know it's been a while since you've been able to play anything besides quick beat em ups. If you really want to get into what this game is about you can always check Rouge.net for stuff."

Ben opens his mouth to complain before closing it with a sigh.

"Well you're right I wouldn't want anything spoiled for me... Fine fine. I'll learn on my own I just hope this place actually acts like a vacation..."

____

Hopefully people get interested in reading it. It's pretty great tbh and currently has 14 books on the series so far.

Feel free to leave comments and stuff if it strikes you. I don't think I'm done with the chapter so far but maybe? Idk lol

[misericordel]

(comes to the toa anniversary munday late with starbucks)

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: leon

Pronouns: he/him or they/them. idrc

Birthday (no year): august 30th!

Where are you from? What is your time zone? i was born in virginia but spent like 90% of my life in the midwest ✌️ i'm central time

How long is your roleplay experience?

i've been roleplaying since i was a kid! i probably have around 10 to 12 years of "roleplay" experience

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole?

i started roleplaying on gaia online before the inflation really hit in the late 2000s (iykyk), and then i moved to deviantart took a break from that and now i'm here!

How were you introduced to TOA?

found it on twitter through a moot i think. the details are foggy at this point LOL

Do you have any pets?

yesss my two beloved chichis beethoven (bae for short) and skippy. yall may have seen em in the server but they're my babies and i spoil them so much. i've had them for around 7 — 8 years and my family adopted them from owners who neglected them a lot.

What is your favorite time of year and why? (Season, holiday, general period)

late spring early summer you will always be my it girl

What is your IRL occupation?

i have a fancy title for it but for simplicity sakes i'm a university receptionist

Some interests and things you like/enjoy?

hmmm main interests are probably fire emblem, j-pop and vsynths/vocaloid/pjsekai (spongebob holding his hands out meme) I WAS A VOCALOID FAN STARTING IN THE LATE/MID 2000S

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play?

other than fire emblem i play a lot of jrpgs. i've been really into balatro and fields of mistria lately! (ooo you want to buy fields of mistria so bad) also project sekai as mentioned above. gacha is a curse though

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon:

i've always liked most psychic and dark types. my favorite pokemon is blaziken bc of nostalgia haha

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself!

much of my time spent writing here in toa is on company time bc i just happen to have access to a computer my entire work shift and it's generally quiet enough to do so

How did you get into Fire Emblem?

like a lot of people i first saw fire emblem in smash bros, then later on i think a year or two after awakening released i saw it on the shelves at my local gamestop and bought it because i recognized the namesake. of course i fell in love with fire emblem from that point haha (i have 100+ hours in awakening. lol )

What Fire Emblem games have you played?

i've watched playthroughs of a lot of em. for properly played though genealogy, blazing blade, sacred stones(never finished), awakening, fates conquest (never finished), three houses (golden deer + never finished blue lions), and engage!

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games:

first: awakening

favorite: genuinely a tie between engage and genealogy

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series!

veyle, sigurd, edain, caeda, tie between timerra and eldigan (yeah sigurd was actually beaten out by veyle. crazy times we live in.)

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason!

the very first one was cherche from awakening! very much was attracted to her weirdo onee-san vibes when i first played, and every playthrough after i would always put in extra effort to make her really good in my army haha

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳

y'all already know i go fucking rabid for sigurd von chalphy

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: chrom (BY CHOICE) - Fates: xander - Three Houses: claude - Engage: alfred bc hes a sweetie pie, though i almost s supported diamant instead

Favorite Fire Emblem class?

mage knight beloved

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable?

villager that needs a lot of extra planning to get anywhere good, or like a merlinus merchant type haha

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? (Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer, Church of Seiros, Those Who Slither in the Dark, unaffiliated civilian, other - for example Almyran)

golden deer hehe

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent?

all banes. all of them. every single one. if you manage to reclass me they all go to neutral instead

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? (Firene, the Kingdom of Abundance; Brodia, the Kingdom of Might; Elusia, the Kingdom of Knowledge; Solm, the Queendom of Freedom; Lythos, the holy land of the Divine Dragon; Gradlon, the desolate land of the Fell Dragon)

firene bc i'm just a little guy. i'd die at port florra though.

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔(separate letters, to-ah, other?)

toe-uh. always have and always will

Current TOA muses:

veyle. feels weird to be a single muser.

Past TOA muses?

lesse iin order from my very best knowledge : sigurd -> cherche -> edain -> arthur (fe4) -> caeda -> askr -> timerra -> here i am now. that's probably a little worbled of a timeline though

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again?

my first toa muse was sigurd! i certainly have been weighing in my hand if i want to pick him up again recently

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?)

i gravitate to any character who suffers from the empathy disease i think if i were to give an answer that were all encompassing LOL i do like muses that are a little stupid though

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could?

i cant handle the stoic type or the intelligent type. it's a running gag for me at this point that i'd be interested in writing laurent or miriel if i were smart enough to do so

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?)

i love writing anything with/in relation to romance. it's like my bread and butter haha. i think i do conversations between characters best and have always struggled with writing things like fight scenes (though i have improved since i started)

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”?

i'm pretty satisfied with what i've been able to write for veyle here. i do like when i get to write veyle getting angry/fighting back though!

Favorite TOA-related memories?

0 days since our last food discourse

Present or past tense?

present tense! started writing in it and it just kinda stuck with me.

Normal size text, small text, no preference?

small text girlie for lifeee

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 

wouldn't you like to know weather boy

[rafent]

TOA Anniversary Monday

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is. Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: Soji

Pronouns: She/her

Birthday (no year): October 14th

Where are you from? What is your time zone? United States and EST timezone. I was born in California, I lived in Pennsylvania for 15 years, and now I'm living in—(it's a secret)

How long is your roleplay experience? 14 years, phew

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? Wolfquest Online

How were you introduced to TOA? The TOA blog spamming the Fire Emblem RP tags which I can't even blame because it works

Do you have any pets? Soji Man my lovely chinchilla. There's a Bichon Frise puppy in my household right now but I consider him more my mom's dog

What is your favorite time of year and why? Maybe Thanksgiving for the food. Autumn is the best

What is your IRL occupation? I'm a medical scribe in the meanwhile but I'll be going back to school. Occupation...soon to be student :littleantbitch:

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Sleeping and also curating my pride and joy Fire Emblem shrine

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? FFXIV, Lethal Company, and Stardew Valley with friends when the mood strikes

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: My favorite Pokemon is Scizor and I like bug type Pokemon

Tell us some fun facts and trivia about yourself! 1) My favorite food is shaved ice with condensed milk. When I last went to Korea that's what I ate every day so I understand Rafal's sweet tooth 2) I have very strong, dexterous toes from years of picking up laundry and throwing it in the bin with my feet

How did you get into Fire Emblem? SSB Brawl and Marth (soft smile)

What Fire Emblem games have you played? FE1, FE3, FE7, FE9, FE11, FE12, Awakening, SOV, 3H, Engage

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: Awakening was my first game. My favorite games are Shadow Dragon, FE3, and Engage

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Marth, Rafal, Rath, Xane, Alear

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! Marf

Any Fire Emblem crushes? None

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

- Awakening: First was Stahl, then Chrom. I'd still S support Stahl now - Fates: Have not played, but Leo or Takumi - Three Houses: Dimitri was my first S support. I'd support Yuri now - Engage: Alfred at first. I would S support Rafal or Gregory now

Favorite Fire Emblem class? Manakete

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Archer or mage I feel it in my gut. Good skill, okay speed, and okay attack. Shitty defenses. I would be playable

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue lions

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? Boons in archery and faith. Bane in axe. Potential budding talent in sword

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? Solm, my original bias nation in Engage

How do you pronounce TOA? Toe-uh

Current TOA muses: Rafal

Past TOA muses? Marth and Xane * blows them a kiss *

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Marth! I could see myself writing him again but not for a long, long time. He and I need a break

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I joke about it all the time in DMs, but yeah...sighs..."The Little Brother"

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Soft, girly girl type characters. I've written female muses before but I'm usually very picky. I like my women chaotic and cray cray

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I like writing scenes with complicated emotions. Feelings are funky, this is true for reality, but I like putting that to words in roleplay as well. I think characters most come to life through these moments and it gives them a 'human' edge so to speak

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? I don't really have a wish list. I find value in every interaction that Rafal has because he's a bit of a blank slate. The perks of starting over as a new person and turning over a new leaf

Favorite TOA-related memories? The first month of joining when everything was fresh and new

Present or past tense? I can do either, it just depends on the muse for me, but I've definitely written in present tense more

Normal size text, small text, no preference? Small text! I think it looks nicer for myself. No preference for partners though

Got any potential muse delusions to share? Not right now. When I consider possible muses, I am very focused on their potential for longevity because I tend to be extremely loyal to what muses I DO have. Call me an oshi with how I give them 100%

[atplblog]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] (Vocal Collection). Broadway Presents! Teens' Musical Theatre Anthology: Male Edition is a delightful collection of musical theatre songs from a variety of shows that span decades of theatre history. Using the original vocal scores, the songs have been selected and adapted with the ranges and skills of teen singers in mind. Authoritative historical and contextual commentary, audition tips, and 16-bar cut suggestions for each song make this the most useful and relevant collection of its kind. The book includes access to professionally recorded accompaniment tracks online. Includes the songs: All That's Known (from Awakening ) * Chim Chim Cher-ee ( Mary Poppins ) * Corner of the Sky ( Pippin ) * Evenin' Star ( 110 in the Shade ) * Giants in the Sky ( Into the Woods ) * Grow for Me ( Little Shop of Horrors ) * Heart ( Damn Yankees ) * I Can't Be Bothered Now ( Crazy for You ) * I Chose Right ( Baby ) * I Could Write a Book ( Pal Joey ) * I'd Rather Be Sailing ( A New Brain ) * I'm Calm ( A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ) * I'm Not That Smart ( The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ) * If I Only Had a Brain ( The Wizard of Oz ) * It's No Problem (Reprise) ( High Fidelity ) * Johanna ( Johanna ) * Ladies' Choice ( Hairspray: the Movie ) * Larger Than Life ( My Favorite Year ) * Left Behind ( Spring Awakening ) * My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament) ( The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ) * Now I've Seen You ( Honk! ) * On the Street Where You Live ( My Fair Lady ) * Singin' in the Rain ( Singin' in the Rain ) * Slide Some Oil to Me ( The Wiz ) * Some Girls ( Once on This Island ) * The Streets of Dublin ( A Man of No Importance ) * They Can't Take That Away From Me ( Crazy for You ) * They Were You (Solo Version) ( The Fantasticks ) * What Do I Need with Love ( Thoroughly Modern Millie ) * What Would I Do If I Could Feel? ( The Wiz ) * When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love ( Finian's Rainbow ) * Winter's on the Wing ( The Secret Garden ). ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0739057987 Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alfred Pub Co; Pap/Com edition (1 July 2009) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780739057988 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0739057988 Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 703 g Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.86 x 1.19 x 30.48 cm [ad_2]

[merchantziro]

Alright since I've been overthinking this Cassandravania variant of Vampire Cass... I'm just gonna combine this with ideas from my old ass Danny Phantom x Castlevania AU post

Putting Danny off to the side for a moment, I'm just imagining all the potential shenanigans playing with Cass being Dracula's Reincarnation and having many of the same powers Soma did in Castlevania canon. Likely as a result of her experiencing her own variations of Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow's events with the biggest difference being that I imagine, due to her life as a crime fighter, she keeps the Souls she's gained between the two games and the potential inclusion of the Justice League Dark and maybe Julius Belmont, Yoko Belnades, and Genya Arikado/Alucard as JLD contacts.

I think in this AU Cass (and the rest of the Justice League Dark) probably doesn't tell the Batfam about her awakened abilities and status as Dracula's Reincarnation mainly because Cassandra herself fears how... Cautious Bruce can be sometimes and how he could perhaps go as far as to try and "cure her affliction" in a misguided attempt of helping her that would cause more harm than good for a number of reasons.

...Maybe that could be a parallel between her and Danny, with fear of rejection by their families for their supernatural natures if you wanna go down that route.

Though I have also thought about the potential chaos of at least one member finding out (and Alfred who she told straight away within the week of the Aria of Sorrow incident because it's Alfred) and the shenanigans that follow using Cass's wide array of powers she has since acquired.

My personal favorite mental images are just the following.

Cass using Paranoia's soul to hop into mirrors and just mess with everyone. Like Tim is in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he looks up to see Cass suddenly standing there behind him. He quickly looks behind him only to see no body there before looking back and seeing her reflection gone with only a laugh echoing. "She's in the walls... She's in the goddamn walls!"

If Damian is the one who finds out about her vampiric abilities first, Cass bribes him to stay silent by using her Bat Form to turn into a smol fluffy bat and/or uses the Student Witch's Soul to summon a bunch of cats and a few kittens, "She made a very convincing argument."

Cass uses her more passive Enchanted Souls blatantly in public just to mess with people and give her siblings heart attacks. Like using Rahab's Soul to breathe underwater as she is just relaxing in a beach chair at the bottom of a pool or under the sea but still blatantly visible like she's tanning. This begins a series of debates online that Cassandra Cain is either a metahuman, an Atlantean, or in fact a cryptid that Brucie adopted because of course he would. "I will neither confirm nor deny the rumors."

Now bringing the Halfa back into the equation. I'm imagining Cass follows him either because she can recognize his status as a Halfa while Danny recognizes her as a vampire/Dracula's Reincarnation, can recognize a baby ancient in the making and becomes curious, or senses him as the Vampire King/Queen's other half as Ghost King Phantom. Depending on whatever you wanna go with.

Regardless Danny is confused why this vampire girl wants him and hilarity ensues with the ship related shenanigans, maybe with Cass and Danny just bonding over supernatural trauma like "You were dragged inside a Solar Eclipse and had to fight the embodiment of Chaos!?" "You were displaced through time and had to fight your evil future self!?"

Just... CV x DC x DP. Vampire Queen Cass has so much potential with and without Ghost King Danny and I have been overthinking it for the longest time now since the previous post.

The Batfam think they know vampires.

They dont.

Especially since Cass has been a vampire the entire time.

She gets her drinks from the med bay, wears expensive high quality sunscreen and minds her powers. Most stuff the family believes in is movie propaganda. So imagine her surprise when a cute and tasty boy instantly recognizes as a vampire.

Danny has little experience with actual vampires. Most just comes from his godfather, who is a half ghost vampire, but its enough to recognize a beautiful vampire girl on his field trip in Gotham. He just has to ignore it and not draw attention to himself.

Oh God why is she following him?!

[slimy-slug-nerd]

I drew Alfred and Fluffy from Travis Bagwell's "Awaken Online" series. If you are into MMORPGs or anytime of gaming and fantasy novels, you should check it out.

[anonpig]

So for my first real post I want to introduce a great LitRPG (literary role-playing game, so think books about people playing games/books which convey stats and powers through standard video game HUD type settings) series that I'm currently rereading, it's a SUPER complex game ran by a brilliant AI named Alfred. (Don't worry it's not like SAO no one's getting stuck in the game. It's very safe, it's just a little unethical)

Awaken Online follows the main character who breaks the mold by being the villain, instead of the hero, of the game. Obviously he's not just some asshole, he's role-playing a villain because that was just the hand he was dealt, and he's doing a great job. You'll quickly see that other characters who are meant to be "good" are the real jerks.

Awaken Online has a unique reading order which I'll post here:

Book 1 Catharsis

Book 2 Precipice

Side Quest 1 Retribution

Book 3 Evolution

Side Quest 2 Apathy

Book 4 Dominion

Side Quest 3 Unity

Separate Series 1 Tarot: Ember

Separate Series 2 Tarot: Flame

Separate Series 3 Tarot: Inferno

Book 5 Hellion

Side Quest 4 Happy

Book 6 Armageddon (comes out Nov 20th)

This series also has amazing characters, ones you'll love, ones you'll cheer for, ones you'll hate, all with their own problems that the game, and it's AI, helps them confront. I don't want to say too much on it because it's a part of the surprise imo.

BUT I will say they have a very interesting magic system where not everyone can even use magic, your mana is decided on you and your personality.

Dark: Desire

Light: Confidence

Fire: Passion

Water: Acceptance

Earth: Peace

Air: Happiness

And even more little facets on top of that giving everyone their own ways to shine, if you're clever enough to look for it.

While the Side Quests aren't necessary, they are suggested as they develop characters who play important roles, and Side Quest 4 is my absolute favorite in the series. But I can't say why without spoiling the greater concept

[michael-weinstein]

A Christmas Post

Well, merry Christmas I guess. As an Israeli-Jew, I celebrate Hannukah each winter (it never has a fixed date in the Greogrian calendar) and never celebrated Christmas. That is, I never got a chance, because I'm actually quite interested and curious in American and European celebrations of Christmas. As a child, I was enthralled by "The Nutcracker", and less by the choreography, rather than Tchaikovsky's music. Even though I saw only one performance live so far (and that was when I knew much about it and was slightly older, so it didn't really make an impact on me), I have seen back then 2 productions: a 1977 production of the American Ballet Theater, choreographed by Mikhail Baryshnikov, starring him and Gelsey Kirkland. I must admit I haven't seen that one in a very long while, and I actually don't remember much of it, so I can't really say how much I like it, except that it is quite of a "traditional" Nutcracker so to speak. The music is provided by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Schermerhorn, some of the numbers are cut.

Much more memorable is the 1999 production of the Berlin State Ballet. This one, choreographed by Patrice Bart, is one of those "reinterpetations", which entered the opera world by the '70s, if not the '50s (the Wieland Wagner productions at Bayreuth, for example). It's one of those things, which made sense to do only in Berlin (both the company and its building, the State Opera, were part of what was then called East Berlin). This one puts revolution and psychology to the fore, and I will leave the rest to John Phillips from MusicWeb International:

Patrice Bart placed a prologue before the ballet [i.e. after the overture]. Its purpose was to elucidate the story in which Marie was abducted as a young child. Russian revolutionaries had attacked Marie and her aristocratic family and killed her father. The mother survived but went missing, leaving the traumatized little girl to believe that she lives in an imaginary land of ice and snow. She was adopted by the Stahlbaum family, but there she does not feel happy [...] She is not a 'normal' child [...] carefree and happy on Christmas Eve; the trauma will not leave her. This is where the wondrous figure of Drosselmeyer comes into the story. Drosselmeyer knows of Marie’s history. He intends to lead her back to her mother, so he brings the Nutcracker to life and reconciles Marie with her past. [...] [T]he Nutcracker is not a Christmas present from Drosselmeyer but a toy which she has always carried with her since before the abduction. The wooden puppet, whose uniform awakens memories of her father, is the catalyst for Marie’s renewed confrontation with the gruesome event in the dream — therapeutically speaking it is the first step towards becoming aware, towards healing.

Whatever you may think of the concept, it is superbly danced, but I will like to put your attention to the music itself. Most ballet orchestras will usually seem to have the orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's dramatic music (it is dramatic at least in the first act) rather lifeless and mechanical (of which the production mentioned above might be faulty), but this isn't the case if you're having the Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim in the pit. Barenboim seems to accentuate well how the music: a. has really strong connections with the composer's symphonies, and b. how much Tchaikovsky was inspired by Liszt and Wagner, even in what for some people would be seemingly unimportant music. Again to quote Phillips: "[W]e have a superb orchestra [...] playing as if their very lives depended upon it. Even where Barenboim slows the tempo down to suit the choreography, there is a passion and sonority in the playing". Unfortunately, this production is not available online for viewing (apart from a few excerpts from the later parts of the ballet), but you can buy it online.

From here on, I quite liked Nutcracker, and felt always rather disappointed when, looking at the discography at the Tchaikovsky Research website, there were barely any recordings by Austro-German orchestras (I quite like hearing music played by these kinds of orchestras). I apparently had, lying around, the 1998 recording by Valery Gergiev and the Kirov (alias Mariinsky) Orchestra. Listening to a few excerpts now, in retrospect, it seems a bit too fast, or even skating over the surface. But, as with Barenboim, there is honest feeling and passion to the music. Later, I was also given the full score of the ballet (easy to get online, Dover reprint), and it's quite full of markings right now.

In elementary school, some of my friends among the classmates were of Russian origin (more than a million of former Soviet Jews have emigrated during the early '90s), and as a consequence they didn't go to school on 1 January, because of Novy God (it's just like Christmas, only more pagan than Christian. The role of Santa Claus is filled by Grandfather Frost). Yet in recent years, I'm much more interested in - obviously - the German-speaking Christmas traditions. There are some traditional Christmas carols which are originally in German, and I'm going to talk about one of them right now.

My favourite Christmas song is Stille Nacht (Silent Night in English, but I will practically keep referring to the original German title), and it's one of the most famous Christmas songs (Bing Crosby's 1935 rendition is reported to be the fourth best-selling single of all time). My favourite performers are, however, the Vienna Boys' Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben). They recorded Stille Nacht quite of a number of times, as they released many Christmas albums over the years. The 1990 recording includes all of the six stanzas, and can sound quite mundane on repetition, even if you're able to appreciate the German lyrics. Look for some of the shorter recordings, yet this longer one has a particular dark timbre that I like more than the crystal bright one from the other ones.

But it's time to leave the holiday coziness, and shatter it alla Mahler into pieces. The first example is the rendition of Simon and Garfunkel, recorded in 1966, and it's typical of its time. On one channel, the duo sings the carol, while on the other, a news reporter announces the "7 o'clock news", obviously pessimistic and hope-drowning. Even though I'm about to show a way in which this dissonance is - in my opinion - better portrayed, Paul and Artie should not be easily dismissed, and their take on this carol is original and fresh in its own right.

In 1978, Alfred Schnittke wrote his "Stille Nacht", reportedly as a Christmas card to his friend, the violinist Gidon Kremer, for violin and piano. That probably tops all other Christmas cards in irony and hate-of-kitsch, so to speak. This Stille Nacht is full with dissonances, is creepy, cringy and actually makes Christmas sound more as if Halloween didn't yet understand that it was time to go already. Yet there it also makes the piece more humorus. When I played this to my dad for the first time, a few weeks ago, he laughed so hard, that I had to stop in the middle, because I was afraid he will run out of oxygen. He then told me that it was one of the most funny things he has heard in years. So it can be a good Christmas joke, but you do need to put it in some context. Schnittke, a Soviet of Jewish origin, was held in contempt by the Soviet system for being such a "problematic" composer, so to speak. Yet there is also not only light to be shed on the personal, but also the historic. When Kremer and his pianist wife Elena (currently Barenboim's wife) premiered the piece in Austria, it caused a scandal. By 1978 Austria, as well as Germany, were tainted by the years and crimes of Nazism, and after the catastrophe of two world wars, with the threat of a third, it didn't seem that anyone - either in Austria or Germany or anywhere else, for that matter - could believe - willingly or otherwise - that the idyll offered by "Stille Nacht" could become reality. A "Stille Nacht" for our time perhaps? Not a single one, as mentioned above, but in my opinion the main one. Gidon and Elena Kremer, shortly after the premiere recorded the piece. Schnittke, however, revised the piece a bit later. This is presented with a score in a performance by Mateja Marinkovic and Linn Hendry. Yet the former recording makes more of the irony and dark humor, inherent in the piece.

So, as this day comes to a close, try to enjoy or chill for your last moments of the last Christmas of the decade.

(Originally posted: 25 December 2019)

[futuresticagadh]

What are long-tail keywords? Why are they important in SEO?

When there is a lot of competition in your industry’s niche, a long-tail keyword strategy might help you out. Additionally, such a strategy can also come to your rescue when there is a lot of rivalry for the major keywords you choose to rank for.  

Having said that, most businesses or blogs benefit from the long-keyword approach because it allows you to acquire users holding a very precise online search intent. In this article, we will clarify what are long-tail keywords and how identifying your goal for your product/service will help you develop a long-tail keyword strategy.

What are long tail keywords and why are they important for marketers?  

Long-tail keywords are less frequent and more descriptive than other keyword types. They concentrate on a certain market niche. The name “long-tail keyword” derives from Chris Anderson’s book The Long Tail. Chris Anderson demonstrates in this book that there is a demand for almost every commodity in the market, no matter how miniscule. However, the internet’s vastness makes every niche product/service or blog post lucrative due to its far-reaching effects.

Consider this: what are the odds that if you google the word “sofa” (a very vague keyword often referred to as a “head term”), you’ll end up clicking through to a sale? However, if you Google “rosewood with veneer bed,” you’ll find just what you’re searching and you’ll have a head start right away. Hopefully you will also be ready to purchase it right then.

Obviously, if you’re going to use a highly-specific long-tailed keyword, then you’re going to attract less traffic as compared to using a more generic keyword. But the traffic you would draw would be stronger, more concentrated and engaged in your business’ offerings from the very start.

Why you should use long tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are lengthy and more descriptive keyword phrases that people use when they are nearer to a buying point or when they are employing voice search. Long-tail keywords may seem somewhat anti-intuitive at first, but once you know how to use them, they can be very useful.

How many words is a long tail keyword?

Long tail keywords are search topics with a low search frequency and level of market rivalry. They are often longer in phrase-length (3+ words) than several other keyword varieties. Although fewer people look for individual long tail inquiries, when all of them are combined, long tail keywords account for a sizeable portion of all Google searches.

How Do You Find Long-Tail Keywords That Are Relevant?

Here are several ideas for accessing important long-tail keywords:

• Use apps: Several tools, such as Soovle.com and Uber Suggest, choose ideas from Ask.com, Google Suggest, Wikipedia, Amazon, Q&A sites, and YouTube.

• Manual search query: Enter the seed keyword into Google Search, then scan through the list of auto recommendations at the bottom of the page and endorse the correct keyword.

• Make use of message boards and forums: There are several forums and boards available for every niche where you can look for the most commonly used keywords.

As an example: Enter ‘keyword + board’, ‘keyword + forum’, or ‘keyword + discussions’ into Google.

To identify what the ideal long-tail keywords for your target audience might be, you can:

Generate a CCI (Customer Composite Index) as well as in-depth buyer personas  

Use Google’s “searches related to” section  

Scroll down Google News and search articles related to your topic of interest.

Start a LinkedIn discussion forum or a group where people interested in your niche can ask questions and engage

The main explanation for the low volume of search for long-tail keywords are that they are tailored specifically for your company and niche. It is not only relevant for a specific ranking keyword, but its subtly similar variants. Note down all such variants and incorporate them in the content of your website.

Please also be careful to connect building activities with SEO on the website. This strategy will address your website specifically and lead to increased visits, better conversions and boost your SEO in general.

How to generate long tail keywords

Use Google’s related searches.  

Minutely observe your websites through Analytics.  

Use different keyword research tools.  

Make use of Google suggestions. Google Suggestions are one of the best long-tail keyword variations’ sources.  

Browse Wikipedia.

Browse eHow.  

Mine your search query reports.  

Browse popular Q&A websites.  

Long Tail Keywords Vs Short Tail Keywords

Given below is descriptive difference between the two most popular keyword types:  

Short Tail Keyword

A short tail keyword is a sentence with 3 words or fewer. For example, “athletic clothes,” “DVD player,” “wedding ring” among many others.

The “head term” is another name for short tail keywords. They are the first words that come to your mind when you think about where to eat (‘pizza’, ‘Chinese cuisine,’), what to do, (‘roller coaster park’, ‘dance clubs,’), or where to worship (‘synagogue,’ ‘Catholic Church’).

Short tail keywords function with or against many aspects. For e.g., you can use short tail keywords if you are trying to attract lots of traffic to your blog. The problem with that is that if your site is “new” or if you are just beginning your search efforts, then you will have to wait at the back of a rather long queue.

Volume: High

When it comes to volume, any time a short tail keyword is won. The shorter the keyword, the larger the volume of the quest. You’ll certainly get plenty of organic traffic if you’d score with a short tail keyword.

Competition: High

Due to the large volumes of a typical search query, it is no surprise that someone would want to rank for short tail keywords, especially when the rewards are high. The big drawback, however, is that ranking for short tail keywords is intensely competitive.

You will have to compete with established brands such as Dominos, Pizza Hut, Pizza Pizza,  Papa John’s, etc. for all of the ranking sites, local searches, and the like, to emerge as a considerable option for online pizza searches, if you own a pizzeria-for example.  

Long-Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are like a bear. They can lay asleep for a while, but usually they are very lethal when awakened. There isn’t anything else like a bear in the forest, as you see, competing with such types of keywords.

Volume: Low  

You have to recognize the volume level when referring to long tail keywords. The volume that your long tail keyword traffic would attract will likely be much lower. This might seem like a negative experience for certain kinds of companies.

However, you would not like a number of unnecessary prying eyes obstructing your virtual store’s traffic, if you are trying to appeal to your specific customer.

Competition: Low

The market rivalry is also less when you use a long tail keyword. You get traffic if you have a search word such as “RV camping power cord hatch covers” or “business card holder cases.” If you sell such stuff, the good news for you is that there might be only a few others selling exactly the same thing. The search queries will then only focus on the specific commodity that you sell, and there will be no competition for that particular traffic.

What are LSI keywords?

LSI Keywords are keywords linked to the core keyword. For example, you can additionally attach keywords such as “Batmobile” “Joker,” “Gotham,” “Alfred” and so on if you are thinking of optimizing your “Batman” web page.  

LSI keywords contribute to the depth and configuration of the content of the topic that you decide to host. The LSI keywords you choose show that you know what you’re talking about and that your target audience can trust the information on your page.

Difference Between LSI Keywords and Long Tail Keywords

LSI keywords are semantically related phrases in different permutations and combinations (for example: ‘top digital marketing agency in Chandigarh’, ‘Chandigarh’s best digital marketing agency’, etc.), while long tail keywords are lengthier versions of an exact keyword combination that searchers use frequently.  

To conclude

Keyword analysis is a participatory operation, which takes a great deal of time and effort, but is part and parcel of SEO. Every page on a website can be customized appropriately after keywords have been placed. This is not a single-deal-done process. Especially because transitions occur within the client business all the time, you should always be updated with relevant keywords for SEO.

Stay Up to date & Keep Following Agadh for the latest digital marketing trends!

[atplblog]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] (Vocal Collection). Broadway Presents! Teens' Musical Theatre Anthology: Female Edition is a delightful collection of musical theatre songs from a variety of shows that span decades of theatre history. Using the original vocal scores, the songs have been selected and adapted with the ranges and skills of teen singers in mind. Authoritative historical and contextual commentary, audition tips, and 16-bar cut suggestions for each song make this the most useful and relevant collection of its kind. The audio includes piano accompaniment tracks. Songs include: A Little Brains, a Little Talent (from Damn Yankees ) * All for You ( Seussical the Musical ) * Always True to You in My Fashion * ( Kiss Me Kate ) * Astonishing ( Little Women ) * Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered * ( Pal Joey ) * Boy Wanted ( My One and Only * Don't Rain on My Parade ( Funny Girl ) * Gimme Gimme ( Thoroughly Modern Millie ) * Hold On ( The Secret Garden ) * Home ( The Wiz ) * How Are Things in Glocca Morra? ( Finian's Rainbow ) * I Had Myself a True Love ( St. Louis Woman ) * I Speak Six Languages ( The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ) * I'm Not At All in Love ( The Pajama Game ) * Is It Really Me? * ( 110 in the Shade ) * Mama Who Bore Me ( Spring Awakening ) * Mamma Mia ( Mamma Mia ) * Much More ( The Fantasticks ) * The Music That Makes Me Dance ( Funny Girl ) * The New Girl in Town ( Hairspray ) * Part of Your World ( The Little Mermaid ) * Practically Perfect ( Mary Poppins ) * Princess ( A Man of No Importance ) * Raunchy ( 110 in the Shade ) * Roxie ( Chicago ) * Show Me ( My Fair Lady ) * Shy ( Once Upon a Mattress ) * The Simple Joys of Maidenhood ( Camelot ) * Somewhere That's Green ( Little Shop of Horrors ) * Waiting for Life ( Once on This Island ) * Whispering ( Spring Awakening ) * Your Daddy's Son (Ragtime). Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded. The audio files include PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right. Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alfred Pub Co (1 January 2009) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0739057979 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0739057971 Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 454 g Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.86 x 1.44 x 30.48 cm Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA [ad_2]

[thesinglesjukebox]

BTS - FAKE LOVE

[6.25]

Everyone's favorite #1 worldwide Korean group...

Joshua Minsoo Kim: This past August, I eagerly assumed my role as the new sponsor for our high school's Asian Pop Culture club. The name, as I had been informed, wasn't entirely accurate: the group of students who met were primarily there because of a shared interest in K-pop. At the first meeting, I witnessed an ethnically diverse group of teenagers proficiently dancing to one of those "K-pop Dance Game" videos on YouTube. I was immensely moved; I had seen it many times before online, but to see it in person felt like a strong affirmation of my Korean-American identity, especially since I never felt much of that throughout my own teenage years. Several months later, I had an interesting conversation with one of my students about BTS. She had informed me that her younger sister was obsessed, but this proved concerning because her sibling had declared on more than one occasion that she "hated being Vietnamese" and "wished she were Korean." It immediately brought to mind Thai singer Phi Sadoet's "Sao Kaoli," a contemporary luk thung song that finds a boy lamenting how his girlfriend's interest in K-pop and Korean dramas had left him by the wayside. Considering luk thung played a crucial role in bridging the gap between urban and rural societies in Thailand, and historically featured lyrics about country folk being enamored by the city, "Sao Kaoli" posits a 21st century analogue: Thai people are losing pride in their heritage due to Korean cultural imperialism. During my conversation with the student, I realized how myopic I had been; in my celebration of K-pop's continued successes, I had forgotten that its impact on my self-worth wasn't necessarily transferrable to all other Asians. None of this is anyone's fault per se, but it's important to be mindful of how the hallyu can unintentionally arouse feelings of isolation amongst non-Korean Asians. Of course, one of the oft-cited reasons for BTS's international stardom has been their politically conscious lyrics and how it's consistently reflected in their extramusical affairs. And when I listen to "Fake Love," I hear the same poignant message of self-acceptance that's been touted throughout their career. They've affirmed many fans of who they are, but here, they're forcing them to wrestle with any persisting struggles with identity, duplicity, and self-love. The numerous tortured vocal deliveries and antiseptic, self-contained atmosphere provide a space to do just that. Each time I put on "Fake Love," I'm reminded of that conversation with my student. My only hope is that her younger sister--and ARMYs around the world--will use this song as a conduit through which they can love themselves just a little bit more, including their non-Korean cultural identities. [6]

Kat Stevens: My sister rang me up at the weekend to ask why we hadn't covered this song here at TSJ yet (for context: she also was furiously WhatsApping me during this year's Olympic closing ceremony, complaining that EXO were a poor substitute for BTS). I thought it only polite to give this a listen, and it's... inoffensive enough? A sanitised "Freek'N You", with a modern rattlesnake beat instead of a 90s drop-squelch. But I can't get over how miserable they all sound. Given recent events, it's hard to listen to this without feeling an unpleasant combo of guilt and concern. [4]

Jessica Doyle: "Look, Jungkook-ah," Bang Sihyuk said patiently, "we've already been over this. This song does everything we need it to do -- three hooks, for insurance's sake, plus time for Yoongi to give a vocal shrug, plus Taehyung in his lower register. Hell, we even got some chorus lines for Mr. Worldwide-Not-Known-for-His-Singing over there." (He paused while Seokjin took a mock bow and the other kids cheered.) "Meanwhile you guys get to sing about how alienated and isolated you feel when you're required to play your Bangtan-selves nonstop, constantly, for a global audience that demands cute, profound, sexy, politically aware, dramatic, creative, sentimental, glamorous, charismatic, and humble, at the same time all the time, even -- especially -- when you're not officially onstage. And it's perfect, because listeners will either classify 'Fake Love' as Tragically Passionate Bangtan à la 'Blood, Sweat, & Tears' or 'I Need U', or assume you're talking about all those other ARMYs. So you get to register the terror of the roller coaster with less risk of getting torn apart for daring to want the seat in the first place. Everybody gets what they want. Right? But in order for that to work, everybody must get what they want. So we're going to do this again, and this time you're going to lift the shirt. I don't care how angry or ambivalent you look while you're flashing the abs -- anger and ambivalence fit the concept just fine, honestly -- but the abs must be flashed." [7]

Anna Suiter: Fake Love feels almost neurotic at points. This is the most true in J-Hope's rap verse, which is delivered in a deliberately punctuated style that pushes the song forward in a way almost nothing else does. But it's a vocal part that sticks out the most--the English in Jungkook's part of the chorus. Even though I know it's supposed to be "love you so bad", it still sounds a bit like "lying's so bad" when I'm not listening too closely. I can't help but wonder if that choice in enunciation is intentional--the way "fake" is stretched out into two syllables in the chorus sometimes sounds like "sacred" to me. For a song that's about questioning some aspect of yourself in the face of a relationship, or about the things about love that you want to be true but aren't, maybe the English feeling a little bit ambiguous makes sense. At least it adds more texture, though it's not like Fake Love needed much more of that in the first place. [7]

Iain Mew: I still prefer my boyband angst explosively unleashed, but the whole beast in a velvet cage thing that the expansive sounds of "Fake Love" provide is a clever thematic fit for its awakening uncertainty. There's hurt with a mask of happiness and strength, a sorry that might or might not be genuine, and the lack of a single hard edge feels like the part of a dream that lets you realise it's a fake. [6]

Alex Clifton: I've listened to this song fifty times in the past two weeks. I can't remember the last time I did that with a new release. You'd think that by now I'd be sick of it, but I keep living in "Fake Love"; each time I hear it, it makes my body feel electric, like a jolt through my system. Part of why I love this song is because the emotions are anything but fake. The desperation in Jungkook's voice as he sings "love you so bad, love you so bad" is urgent, and Taehyung's follow-up line--"tried to erase myself and made me your doll"--aches with realness. For a song about falsehoods and lies and insecurity in identity, the production is solid: at this point, BTS are a band who know themselves, know their sound, and the confidence pays off. I don't know if this is actually a perfect song--for me, "Blood Sweat & Tears" is the ultimate BTS track--but everything about this hits all my pop buttons all at once and sends me straight to heaven. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta play this another fifty times. [10]

Thomas Inskeep: Just as BTS become truly global superstars, even hitting #1 on the U.S. album chart, they release a single that sounds oddly neutered -- and dull. Usually BTS records sound like events, but this is missing that urgency, that pneumatic thrust, and replaces it with an arrangement that sucks the energy out of the song. Here's hoping this is a rare misstep and not a sign of what's to come. [3]

Alfred Soto: If I'm going to endure a drop, let BTS do it, and if a track contains rote elements I'd rather BTS blast through them. The drillpress of a rhythm part remains tougher than the competition, though. If it's written in the stars that BTS will cross over, then "Fake Love" betrays no hints of dilution. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[pastperfect-online]

March 4, 1933: FDR inaugurated

"On March 4, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. In his famous inaugural address, delivered outside the east wing of the U.S. Capitol, Roosevelt outlined his “New Deal”–an expansion of the federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare–and told Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Although it was a rainy day in Washington, and gusts of rain blew over Roosevelt as he spoke, he delivered a speech that radiated optimism and competence, and a broad majority of Americans united behind their new president and his radical economic proposals to lead the nation out of the Great Depression.

Born into an upper-class family in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882, Roosevelt was the fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the 26th U.S. president from 1901 to 1909. In 1905, Franklin Roosevelt, who was at the time a student at Columbia University Law School, married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, the niece of Theodore Roosevelt. After three years as a lawyer, he decided to follow his cousin Theodore’s lead and sought public office, winning election to the New York State Senate in 1910 as a Democrat. He soon won a reputation as a charismatic politician dedicated to social and economic reform.

Roosevelt supported the progressive New Jersey governor Woodrow Wilson in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, and after Wilson’s election in 1912 Roosevelt was appointed assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, a post that Theodore Roosevelt once held. In 1920, Roosevelt, who had proved himself a gifted administrator, won the Democratic nomination for vice president on a ticket with James Cox. The Democrats lost in a landslide to Republicans Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, and Roosevelt returned to his law practice and undertook several business ventures.

In 1921, he was stricken with poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the crippling disease of polio. He spent several years recovering from what was at first nearly total paralysis, and his wife, Eleanor, kept his name alive in Democratic circles. He never fully recovered and was forced to use braces or a wheelchair to move around for the rest of his life.

In 1924, Roosevelt returned to politics when he nominated New York Governor Alfred E. Smith for the presidency with a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1928, he again nominated Smith, and the outgoing New York governor urged Roosevelt to run for his gubernatorial seat. Roosevelt campaigned across the state by automobile and was elected even as the state voted for Republican Herbert Hoover in the presidential election.

As governor, Roosevelt worked for tax relief for farmers and in 1930 won a resounding electoral victory just as the economic recession brought on by the October 1929 stock market crash was turning into a major depression. During his second term, Governor Roosevelt mobilized the state government to play an active role in providing relief and spurring economic recovery. His aggressive approach to the economic crisis, coupled with his obvious political abilities, gave him the Democratic presidential nomination in 1932.

Roosevelt had no trouble defeating President Herbert Hoover, who many blamed for the Depression, and the governor carried all but six states. During the next four months, the economy continued to decline, and when Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933, most banks were closed, farms were suffering, 13 million workers were unemployed, and industrial production stood at just over half its 1929 level.

Aided by a Democratic Congress, Roosevelt took prompt, decisive action, and most of his New Deal proposals, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, National Industrial Recovery Act, and creation of the Public Works Administration and Tennessee Valley Authority, were approved within his first 100 days in office. Although criticized by many in the business community, Roosevelt’s progressive legislation improved America’s economic climate, and in 1936 he easily won reelection.

During his second term, he became increasingly concerned with German and Japanese aggression and so began a long campaign to awaken America from its isolationist slumber. In 1940, with World War II raging in Europe and the Pacific, Roosevelt agreed to run for an unprecedented third term. Reelected by Americans who valued his strong leadership, he proved a highly effective commander in chief after the December 1941 U.S. entrance into the war. Under Roosevelt’s guidance, America became, in his own words, the “great arsenal of democracy” and succeeded in shifting the balance of power in World War II firmly in the Allies’ favor. In 1944, with the war not yet won, he was reelected to a fourth term.

Three months after his inauguration, while resting at his retreat at Warm Springs, Georgia, Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Following a solemn parade of his coffin through the streets of the nation’s capital, his body was buried in a family plot in Hyde Park. Millions of Americans mourned the death of the man who led the United States through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. Roosevelt’s unparalleled 13 years as president led to the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which limited future presidents to a maximum of two consecutive elected terms in office."

- History.com

This week in History: March 1, 1961 - Peace Corps established March 2, 1904 - Dr. Seuss born March 3, 1931 - "The Star-Spangled Banner" becomes official national anthem March 4,  1861 - Abraham Lincoln inaugurated March 5, 1963 - Hula-Hoop patented March 6, 1820 - Monroe signs the Missouri Compromise March 7, 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone

This sheet of music of the Franklin D. Roosevelt March (played at his inauguration) can be found in the online collection of the Kentucky Historical Society.

[sheltonsosa0-blog]

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[actutrends]

When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy

POLITICO illustration with pictures from Deanne Fitzmaurice/Polaris and AP

David Gambacorta is a writer-at-large at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has likewise written for Esquire, Longreads, The Ringer, The Baffler and The Marshall Task.

The FBI and Secret Service representatives made their method through the streets of San Francisco’s foggy Richmond District area, about 2 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, toward a narrow Victorian house that looked like it had tumbled out of the shadows of Alfred Hitchcock’s creativity. The structure rose 2 floors to a dramatically angled roof; nearly every inch of the exterior had been painted the color of midnight.

The firms had actually spent the lion’s share of 2 weeks in October 1980 pursuing a case that had all the ingredients of a prospective media firestorm, one that could stimulate the nation’s most traumatic political memories. Now– on Halloween– their digging had led investigators here, to 6114 California Street.

It was called the Black Home, and stories about what went on behind its walls had actually been the topic of curiosity and speculation for more than a decade. The representatives climbed up a brick staircase, and knocked on the jet-black front door.

They were soon satisfied by a bald, middle-aged man with a goatee: Anton Szandor LaVey. LaVey, the high priest of the Church of Satan, was once rumored to have actually played a mystical function in the death of a previous Hollywood star.

A day previously, Senator Ted Kennedy had left San Francisco after marketing for President Jimmy Carter, whose basic election showdown with Ronald Reagan was inching better. It had been a long, tumultuous year for Kennedy, who was then in his late 40 s. He ‘d attempted to wrest the Democratic governmental election from Carter; when that bid failed, Kennedy resorted to playing the role of a great celebration soldier, summoning the remnants of his household’s old Camelot magic as he crisscrossed the nation to win over citizens for Carter.

Running for president had also awakened a worry that Kennedy had attempted to conceal even from his closest confidants: that he would be assassinated, just like his bros, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Anonymous tormentors had been sending out Ted Kennedy handwritten dangers considering that the late 1960 s. “Teddy has to die,” promised a note that was when mailed to his dad. The death threats only increased when Kennedy was on the project path in1980

What Kennedy, Shrum and a handful of other staffers didn’t understand was that a person early morning that October, teletype machines had actually clattered to life in FBI field workplaces across the nation with a fresh transmission, seven pages’ worth of new intelligence information. The bottom of the first page consisted of a plain message: “SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY– VICTIM, CONGRESSIONAL ASSASSINATION STATUTE.”

An informant had actually called the FBI workplace in downtown Chicago and described that a plot to murder Kennedy was being set in motion. It’s a story that has actually never been told until now, a bizarre piece of history that ended up being public only when I discovered records of the examination that the FBI silently released in June in The Vault, the bureau’s online FOIA library. The files described a plan that apparently involved cash, drugs and the mob. And according to the informant, the ringleader– the male who supposedly desired Ted Kennedy dead– was none besides Anton LaVey.

Fourteen years previously, in the spring of 1966, the nation was marked by discontent and experimentation. It was a perfect environment for provocateurs, a fact that was not lost on LaVey, then a 36- year-old showman who declared he ‘d worked in the past as an occult private investigator and a performer in a traveling circus.

That April, he invented a brand-new role for himself, shaving his head and forming the Church of Satan. LaVey arranged his church around a philosophy of self-indulgence and excess– aptly mirroring the times– but still experimented with devil worship motifs, vamping in a cape, and using a bulbous ring that he declared could give little children their dreams. His Jaguar even had an individualized license plate: SATAN9. “Individuals like to have a hell of a time, do not they?” LaVey asked during an interview around that time with Joe Pyne, a syndicated talk program host.

P.T. Barnum had a circus tent, and LaVey had the Black House, where he kept a pet lion and performed routines. LaVey’s stagecraft attracted the attention of some Hollywood players, like Sammy Davis Jr. and the actress Jayne Mansfield, who was reported to have had an affair with LaVey. In one, Mansfield playfully clutches a skull while LaVey fans his cape out beside her, and in another, she prepares to drink from a chalice that he cradles in his hand.

The decade that followed shown to be a duration of transition– for both LaVey and Kennedy. LaVey cut back on his public performances, and started composing books that cashed in on the popular culture fascination with films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist “He had ended what he called the ‘stuffed rat and tombstone’ news protection which had mainly been released in guys’s publications,” explains Magus Peter Gilmore, the Church of Satan’s current high priest, in an e-mail. “He was now giving his time to more major conversations of his philosophy, beyond the flamboyant and creepy trappings which initially brought him attention.”

Throughout the country, on the other hand, Kennedy was wrestling behind the scenes with concerns about his political fate. Advocates had once expected him to get his killed siblings’ mantle and try for the White House, yet the 1972 and 1976 governmental races found Kennedy on the sidelines, incapacitated by the specter of his 1969 car crash in Chappaquiddick that resulted in the death of a traveler, Mary Jo Kopechne, and resulted in him pleading guilty to leaving the scene of a mishap.

But Kennedy’s hesitancy faded by the end of the years, and he was heartened by early surveys that showed Democratic voters would prefer him over Carter in a governmental main fight. “He was running for president because he really thought President Carter was not dealing with concerns that were important,” says Stuart Shapiro, a previous Kennedy senior staffer.

Running for the country’s highest workplace, however, increased the chances that Kennedy might end up being a target for some psychopathic potential assassin who might lurk, confidential and unnoticed, at a busy rally. It was no idle risk. In March 1980, a tipster in Charlotte, North Carolina, got in touch with the cops after overhearing a group of males in a cinema boasting that they planned to assassinate Kennedy in Pittsburgh, with some taken M-16 rifles. A project volunteer in Trenton, New Jersey, got a phone call from a man who vowed to assassinate the senator when he visited the city in May.

Aside from blurting, “They’re going to shoot my ass off the way they shot Bobby,” while on a congressional flight back from Alaska, Kennedy shied away from sharing his assassination fears with aides or family members. “I remember being in Iowa, and when we ‘d first go out there, the Secret Service would produce this huge space between him and the crowd,” Shrum tells me.

Independently, Kennedy sought out his physician and political advisor, Larry Horowitz, and handed him something important. “It was a letter my daddy had written to me at the start of his presidential campaign, in case he was assassinated,” Patrick Kennedy, his youngest kid, remembered in his 2015 book, A Typical Battle: An Individual Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Health Problem and Dependency Kennedy took to calling Patrick from the road every night– his method of letting his adolescent kid know nothing bad had occurred.

The informant who contacted the FBI in 1980 stated he ‘d received a call, too, on October20 The caller had identified himself as LaVey, the informant claimed, and disclosed that he wanted the man’s help with a strategy to murder Ted Kennedy.

The FBI and the Secret Service knew two things for certain: LaVey still lived in San Francisco, and they needed to get a deal with on the case– and fast.

Detectives didn’t have to contend with Twitter or Facebook, digital echo chambers that years later on would make political discourse more toxic and develop ideal shipment systems for giants to share threats.

The FBI’s San Francisco workplace pulled records it had on LaVey dating back to the mid-’70 s, when a tipster informed the bureau that LaVey had actually bought pistols, a shotgun and a rifle. Other files revealed that LaVey had actually once allegedly been “interested” in signing up with the National Socialist White People’s Party, which had been known, in an earlier incarnation, as the American Nazi Celebration.

LaVey had no arrest history, however he ‘d been linked to a disaster once previously. His relationship with Mansfield had actually reportedly ended with LaVey’s putting a curse on Sam Brody, the actress’ attorney and partner, assuring that he ‘d pass away in a vehicle crash. The unlikely ramification– that LaVey accidentally caused Mansfield’s death– persisted long enough to fuel a 2017 documentary, Mansfield 66/67

The Chicago informant– whose identity is still being concealed by the FBI– informed representatives that he ‘d had supper once prior to with LaVey, who discussed to him the Church of Satan’s beliefs. When they supposedly reconnected by phone in 1980, LaVey informed the guy that he owed the high priest a favor. His alleged directions were simple: In a week approximately, the informant would receive a bundle, and he should transport it to a mob employer on the South Side of Chicago; the mob would, in turn, get Kennedy. After the phone call, the informant was checked out by a member of the Church of Satan, whose purpose “was particularly to talk about the satanic cult and the plot against Senator Kennedy,” according to FBI records.

The informant informed the FBI that LaVey was going to fly to Chicago on October 27, bring with him eight kgs of hashish and an unknown amount of cash. Taking no chances, the FBI, Secret Service and DEA sent out agents to O’Hare International Airport to obstruct flights from San Francisco and capture LaVey, like something out of Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can An attempt at keeping an eye on a phone call to LaVey also failed.

The Secret Service had polygraphed the informant prior to the fruitless airport search. “Outcomes were inconclusive,” private investigators kept in mind, “due to use of drug.” They continued. They had to discover LaVey. “I was a young representative when President Kennedy was eliminated, and [investigated] some leads on the case,” states Francis Mullen, who had risen to executive assistant director of the FBI by1980 “When Bobby was assassinated, I was in Los Angeles, collaborating some of the leads on that case. If a danger had actually been available in on the third brother, we ‘d need to take it seriously.”

A lady who responded to LaVey’s door informed them that he was traveling, and would not be back for numerous days. The investigators alerted her they had information that recommended “an attempt may be made on LaVey’s life,” according to the records. They encouraged the female to get a hold of LaVey and urge him to make himself available for an interview.

Kennedy’s Secret Service detail was kept in the loop about the potential danger, however it’s uncertain whether the senator was mindful of the examination. The FBI began to see disparities in his account.

Detectives returned to the Black Home a 2nd time, on Halloween. And this time, when the door opened, they came in person with LaVey. For several years, he had actually taken pleasure in toying with individuals’s imaginations, blurring the lines between efficiency and something darker. And now he was faced with no-nonsense federal representatives, and they weren’t in the mood to mess around.

For a guy who referred to himself as the “Black Pope,” the prestige of being linked to an FBI examination may have been a welcome advancement when he was very first seeking attention for his church. This older version of LaVey, however, decided to come right out with it: He had absolutely nothing to do with any assassination plot.

” LaVey advised that of any political authorities, he has the highest regard for Senator Kennedy and his family,” according to the FBI records. And LaVey could have compassion with the dangers that Kennedy typically received; he informed the representatives that he had actually been the victim of physical and spoken attacks because of his position in the Church of Satan.

LaVey examined his current phone messages, and saw that he ‘d received calls from the Chicago location on October 23 and October27 But he told the representatives that he didn’t know the identity of the caller and had not tried calling the number that had been left for him.

And after that LaVey shared some surprising news with the representatives: His function as the head of the church was all a charade. Most of the church’s fans, he stated, were “fanatics, cultists, and weirdos,” the records show. “[H] is interest in the Church of Satan is strictly from a financial point of view,” the agents kept in mind, “and spends the majority of his time providing interviews, writing material, and recently has ended up being thinking about photography.”

Satisfied that Kennedy’s life wasn’t in danger, the FBI and Secret Service returned their attention to their informant. If he had an explanation for why he bothered to send out the firms on a while goose chase in the first place, no agent bothered writing it down.

This wasn’t the last time that LaVey popped up on the FBI’s radar. In the late 1980 s, the bureau would examine a wave of accusations about kid sex abuse that was apparently linked to satantic churches, including LaVey’s, sustaining a so-called “Hellish Panic.” The accusations were never ever substantiated. “Our company has actually constantly been above-ground about its law-abiding beliefs and practices, so wild stories are generally seen to be precisely that– not having any basis in reality,” Gilmore, the current high priest, tells me.

LaVey died in 1997, and the Black House was later taken apart, replaced by a relatively generic-looking condo.

For Kennedy, the LaVey case– such as it was– was simply another strange subplot in a life filled with them, the expense of being a Kennedy and leading a public life. No threat ever proved worrisome sufficient to convince him to give up his Senate seat, which he held up until his death from glioblastoma in2009 “You either live your life or you don’t,” Shrum says. “And he chose to live his life.”

The post When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy appeared first on Actu Trends.

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When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/when-the-fbi-thought-a-high-priest-of-satan-was-trying-to-kill-ted-kennedy/

When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy

POLITICO illustration with photos from Deanne Fitzmaurice/Polaris and AP

David Gambacorta is a writer-at-large at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also written for Esquire, Longreads, The Ringer, The Baffler and The Marshall Project.

The FBI and Secret Service agents made their way through the streets of San Francisco’s foggy Richmond District neighborhood, about two miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, toward a narrow Victorian house that looked like it had tumbled out of the shadows of Alfred Hitchcock’s imagination. The building rose two floors to a sharply pitched roof; nearly every inch of the exterior had been painted the color of midnight.

The agencies had spent the better part of two weeks in October 1980 pursuing a case that had all the ingredients of a potential media firestorm, one that could stir up the country’s most traumatic political memories. Now—on Halloween—their digging had led investigators here, to 6114 California Street.

It was called the Black House, and stories about what went on behind its walls had been the subject of curiosity and speculation for more than a decade. The agents climbed a brick staircase, and knocked on the jet-black front door.

They were soon met by a bald, middle-aged man with a goatee: Anton Szandor LaVey. No introductions were necessary. LaVey, the high priest of the Church of Satan, was once rumored to have played a mystical role in the death of a former Hollywood star. He’d been expecting these agents to pay him a visit.

A day earlier, Senator Ted Kennedy had left San Francisco after campaigning for President Jimmy Carter, whose general election showdown with Ronald Reagan was inching closer. It had been a long, tumultuous year for Kennedy, who was then in his late 40s. He’d tried to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Carter; when that bid failed, Kennedy resorted to playing the role of a good party soldier, summoning the remnants of his family’s old Camelot magic as he crisscrossed the country to win over voters for Carter.

Running for president had also awakened a fear that Kennedy had tried to hide even from his closest confidants: that he would be assassinated, just like his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Anonymous tormentors had been sending Ted Kennedy handwritten threats since the late 1960s. “Teddy has to die,” promised a note that was once mailed to his father. The death threats only multiplied when Kennedy was on the campaign trail in 1980. “He had to be conscious of it. There was always a danger,” Bob Shrum, Kennedy’s former press secretary and speechwriter, remembers. “There were always nuts out there, and that’s just the way it was.”

What Kennedy, Shrum and a handful of other staffers didn’t know was that one morning that October, teletype machines had clattered to life in FBI field offices across the country with a fresh transmission, seven pages’ worth of new intelligence information. The bottom of the first page contained a stark message: “SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY — VICTIM, CONGRESSIONAL ASSASSINATION STATUTE.”

An informant had contacted the FBI office in downtown Chicago and explained that a plot to murder Kennedy was being set in motion. It’s a story that has never been told until now, a bizarre piece of history that became public only when I discovered records of the investigation that the FBI quietly released in June in The Vault, the bureau’s online FOIA library. The files outlined a scheme that supposedly involved money, drugs and the mob. And according to the informant, the ringleader—the man who allegedly wanted Ted Kennedy dead—was none other than Anton LaVey.

Fourteen years earlier,in the spring of 1966, the country was marked by unrest and experimentation. War was raging in Vietnam, flower power was blossoming at home, the Mamas and the Papas’ Southern California groove was all over the radio. It was an ideal environment for provocateurs, a fact that was not lost on LaVey, then a 36-year-old showman who claimed he’d worked in the past as an occult investigator and a performer in a traveling circus.

That April, he invented a new role for himself, shaving his head and forming the Church of Satan. LaVey organized his church around a philosophy of self-indulgence and excess—aptly mirroring the times—but still played around with devil worship motifs, vamping in a cape, and wearing a bulbous ring that he claimed could grant little children their wishes. His Jaguar even had a personalized license plate: SATAN9. “People like to have a hell of a time, don’t they?” LaVey asked during an interview around that time with Joe Pyne, a syndicated talk show host.

P.T. Barnum had a circus tent, and LaVey had the Black House, where he kept a pet lion and performed rituals. He would sometimes don a hood with two horns and surround himself with nude women in front of a fireplace that he’d converted into an altar. LaVey’s theatricality attracted the attention of some Hollywood players, like Sammy Davis Jr. and the actress Jayne Mansfield, who was rumored to have had an affair with LaVey. Black-and-white photos from that era show the two posing together campily. In one, Mansfield playfully clutches a skull while LaVey fans his cape out beside her, and in another, she prepares to drink from a chalice that he cradles in his hand.

The decade that followed proved to be a period of transition— for both LaVey and Kennedy. LaVey cut back on his public performances, and began writing books that cashed in on the pop culture fascination with films likeRosemary’s BabyandThe Exorcist. “He had ended what he called the ‘stuffed rat and tombstone’ news coverage which had primarily been published in men’s magazines,” explains Magus Peter Gilmore, the Church of Satan’s current high priest, in an email. “He was now granting his time to more serious discussions of his philosophy, beyond the flamboyant and spooky trappings which initially brought him attention.”

Across the country, meanwhile, Kennedy was wrestling behind the scenes with questions about his political fate. Supporters had once expected him to pick up his slain brothers’ mantle and make a bid for the White House, yet the 1972 and 1976 presidential races found Kennedy on the sidelines, immobilized by the specter of his 1969 car crash in Chappaquiddick that resulted in the death of a passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, and led to him pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

But Kennedy’s hesitancy faded by the end of the decade, and he was heartened by early polls that showed Democratic voters would favor him over Carter in a presidential primary battle. “He was running for president because he really believed President Carter was not addressing issues that were important,” says Stuart Shapiro, a former Kennedy senior staffer. “That’s why, after much soul-searching, he decided to take on a sitting president.”

Running for the country’s highest office, though, increased the odds that Kennedy could become a target for some deranged would-be assassin who might lurk, anonymous and undetected, at a busy rally. It was no idle threat. In March 1980, a tipster in Charlotte, North Carolina, contacted the police after overhearing a group of men in a movie theater bragging that they planned to assassinate Kennedy in Pittsburgh, with some stolen M-16 rifles. A campaign volunteer in Trenton, New Jersey, received a phone call from a man who vowed to gun down the senator when he visited the city in May.

Aside from blurting, “They’re going to shoot my ass off the way they shot Bobby,” while on a congressional flight back from Alaska, Kennedy shied away from sharing his assassination fears with aides or family members. Instead, he tried to project an air of invincibility, or at least indifference. “I remember being in Iowa, and when we’d first go out there, the Secret Service would create this huge space between him and the crowd,” Shrum tells me. “And he hated it. So he started working the rope line again.”

Privately, Kennedy sought out his physician and political adviser, Larry Horowitz, and handed him something important. “It was a letter my father had written to me at the start of his presidential campaign, in case he was assassinated,” Patrick Kennedy, his youngest son, recalled in his 2015 book,A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. “In it, he talked about how much he loved me, and how I had given him so much love. He said he would never forget the times we went fishing and sailing.” Kennedy took to calling Patrick from the road every night—his way of letting his adolescent son know nothing bad had happened.

The informant who contacted the FBI in 1980 said he’d received a phone call, too, on October 20. The caller had identified himself as LaVey, the informant claimed, and disclosed that he wanted the man’s help with a plan to murder Ted Kennedy.

The FBI and the Secret Serviceknew two things for certain: LaVey still lived in San Francisco, and they needed to get a handle on the case—and quick.

Investigators didn’t have to contend with Twitter or Facebook, digital echo chambers that decades later would make political discourse more toxic and create ideal delivery systems for trolls to share threats. But they also had fewer tools at their disposal. “We didn’t have all of the modern vehicles of communication or detection that you have today,” says William H. Webster, who was the director of the FBI from 1978 to 1987. “Investigations involved a lot of interviews and personal contacts.”

The FBI’s San Francisco office pulled records it had on LaVey dating back to the mid-’70s, when a tipster told the bureau that LaVey had purchased handguns, a shotgun and a rifle. Other files showed that LaVey had once supposedly been “interested” in joining the National Socialist White People’s Party, which had been known, in an earlier incarnation, as the American Nazi Party.

LaVey had no arrest history, but he’d been linked to a tragedy once before. His relationship with Mansfield had reportedly ended with LaVey’s putting a curse on Sam Brody, the actress’ attorney and boyfriend, promising that he’d die in a car crash. In 1967, not long after the hex was supposedly cast, Brody and Mansfield were killed in a wreck on a highway near New Orleans. The improbable implication—that LaVey inadvertently caused Mansfield’s death—persisted long enough to fuel a 2017 documentary,Mansfield 66/67. (In truth, LaVey did not have magical powers.)

The Chicago informant—whose identity is still being kept secret by the FBI—told agents that he’d had dinner once before with LaVey, who explained to him the Church of Satan’s beliefs. When they supposedly reconnected by phone in 1980, LaVey told the man that he owed the high priest a favor. His alleged instructions were simple: In a week or so, the informant would receive a package, and he must ferry it to a mob boss on the South Side of Chicago; the mob would, in turn, take out Kennedy. After the phone call, the informant was visited by a member of the Church of Satan, whose purpose “was specifically to discuss the satanic cult and the plot against Senator Kennedy,” according to FBI records.

There was more. The informant told the FBI that LaVey was going to fly to Chicago on October 27, carrying with him eight kilograms of hashish and an unknown amount of cash. Was this another piece of the puzzle to the assassination plot? Taking no chances, the FBI, Secret Service and DEA sent agents to O’Hare International Airport to intercept flights from San Francisco and apprehend LaVey, like something out of Steven Spielberg’sCatch Me If You Can. But there was no sign of him at the airport. An attempt at monitoring a phone call to LaVey also failed.

The Secret Service had polygraphed the informant prior to the fruitless airport search. “Results were inconclusive,” investigators noted, “due to use of cocaine.” They pressed on. They had to find LaVey. “I was a young agent when President Kennedy was killed, and [investigated] some leads on the case,” says Francis Mullen, who had risen to executive assistant director of the FBI by 1980. “When Bobby was assassinated, I was in Los Angeles, coordinating some of the leads on that case. If a threat had come in on the third brother, we’d have to take it seriously.”

Two days after the search at O’Hare came up empty, agents flew to San Francisco, and made their way to the Black House. A woman who answered LaVey’s door told them that he was traveling, and wouldn’t be back for several days. Another whiff. The investigators warned her they had information that suggested “an attempt may be made on LaVey’s life,” according to the records. They encouraged the woman to get a hold of LaVey and urge him to make himself available for an interview.

Kennedy’s Secret Service detail was kept in the loop about the potential threat, but it’s unclear whether the senator was aware of the investigation. “I spent a lot of time with him privately, and I don’t ever recall hearing about that one,” Shapiro says. “But I can tell you there were times when the Secret Service wanted him to wear a bulletproof vest.” The informant, meanwhile, had been polygraphed again, and was facing increased scrutiny. The FBI began to notice inconsistencies in his account. Were the agencies being played?

Investigators returned to the Black House a second time, on Halloween. And this time, when the door opened, they came face-to-face with LaVey. For years, he had enjoyed toying with people’s imaginations, blurring the lines between performance and something darker. But now he was faced with no-nonsense federal agents, and they weren’t in the mood to play around.

For a man who referred to himself as the “Black Pope,” the notoriety of being linked to an FBI investigation might have been a welcome development when he was first seeking attention for his church. This older version of LaVey, though, decided to come right out with it: He had nothing to do with any assassination plot.

“LaVey advised that of any political official, he has the highest regard for Senator Kennedy and his family,” according to the FBI records. And LaVey could sympathize with the threats that Kennedy often received; he told the agents that he had been the victim of physical and verbal attacks because of his position in the Church of Satan.

LaVey checked his recent phone messages, and noticed that he’d received calls from the Chicago area on October 23 and October 27. But he told the agents that he didn’t know the identity of the caller and hadn’t tried dialing the number that had been left for him.

And then LaVey shared some surprising news with the agents: His role as the head of the church was all a charade. Most of the church’s followers, he said, were “fanatics, cultists, and weirdos,” the records show. “[H]is interest in the Church of Satan is strictly from a monetary point of view,” the agents noted, “and spends most of his time furnishing interviews, writing material, and lately has become interested in photography.”

Satisfied that Kennedy’s life wasn’t in danger, the FBI and Secret Service returned their attention to their informant. Though he was “sternly admonished” for misleading federal authorities, he was not charged with a crime. But he didn’t get off entirely. The Secret Service told the man his activities would be monitored on a quarterly basis and whenever an official who was being protected by the agency had to visit Chicago. If he had an explanation for why he bothered to send the agencies on a while goose chase in the first place, no agent bothered jotting it down.

This wasn’t the last time that LaVey popped up on the FBI’s radar, though. In the late 1980s, the bureau would investigate a spate of allegations about child sex abuse that was supposedly linked to satantic churches, including LaVey’s, fueling a so-called “Satanic Panic.” The allegations were never substantiated. “Our organization has always been above-ground about its law-abiding beliefs and practices, so wild stories are generally seen to be precisely that—not having any basis in reality,” Gilmore, the current high priest, tells me.

LaVey died in 1997, and the Black House was later torn down, replaced by a fairly generic-looking condominium.

For Kennedy, the LaVey case—such as it was—was just another bizarre subplot in a life full of them, the cost of being a Kennedyand leading a public life. No threat ever proved worrisome enough to persuade him to give up his Senate seat, which he held until his death from glioblastoma in 2009. “You either live your life or you don’t,” Shrum says. “And he decided to live his life.”

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Breaking Point and Breaking Down by Shane Brown

(hey that rhymes)

Breaking Point is a book about James, a british high schooler in his last year who is being tormented by bully Jason. A few months prior to the events of the book, Jason caught James and his friend/sort of boyfriend Paul together at the movies, and Paul said it was all James who came onto him, and Paul joined forces with Jason to save his own skin.

it seemed like a good concept at first but ultimately it just kind of does... nothing with it? James and Paul eventually reconcile of course, but Paul only does it through words, not actions. He feels bad about helping Jason film a video of him and his friends locking James in a cold shower at school and filming it and putting it online, but never tried to stop Jason from doing it. he merely tries to make amends afterwards

once they get back together and pick up where they left off, James and Paul talk a bunch about standing up to Jason, but when the time comes and Jason catches them again, Paul does the EXACT same thing and says it’s all James coming onto him. James is obviously hurt and betrayed by this, but we’re never treated to a scene of them working through this. Paul does stop Jason from knifing James, but that only comes after Paul went along with beating up James on Jason’s command so it feels like... a little late

another thing that bugged me is that Luke, one of Jason’s friends, and his girlfriend Jane end up abandoning Jason’s bully group, but... never once apologize to James, nor do they ever try to stick up for him against Jason. the book tries to talk about how they’re good people, but it’s never actually shown because he goes along with Jason until he doesn’t, and then doesn’t try to make it right by James. it’s shitty tbh

then after the end of the school year, Paul gets kicked out by his homophobic, abusive dad, and starts living on the streets, and then gets taken in by James’ mom. it ends up feeling more like a convenient excuse to get them back together instead of having them actually work through their issues

anyway, the book ends with Jason’s bullying and the school’s habit of ignoring it gets exposed in the paper, and James and Paul end up happily together, somehow, by the end

that’s where the sequel, Breaking Down, picks up 2 years later. James is off to college, leaving Paul behind, and Jason is trying to improve himself by going to art classes at a local college. in order to pay for this, Jason has become a camboy. you’d think that would have anything to do with the story, like James or Paul or one of Jason’s new friends catching him, but nope

James goes off to university and struggles with it, and has frequent nightmares due to his trauma from high school. he befriend hot-ass gay guy Adam who’s in the dorm next door, and despite Paul saying they could take a little break, nothing really happens there.

Jason makes a new friend group at his local college, and things are okay until one of his old lackeys, Badger, shows up, angry and bitter at how Jason treated him, and forces Jason to come clean about things.

anyway, nothing really happens until Alfred, this old guy who runs a store about old movies that James likes, has a heart attack and James comes back to town to see him. while leaving from Paul’s little apartment one night, he gets hit by a car. no, seriously. then Badger tries to pin this on Jason but it doesn’t work. Jason gets mad about this and beats up Badger and destroys a lot of his shit, effectively going back on all the progress he made. then James is like “college isn’t for me” and quits after only just a week, then Alfred gives him the store, and he marries Paul. the end!

the frustrating thing is that I kept thinking of different ways this could have gone, like Jason might end up being James’ roommate at university, where they then have a rough start but eventually reach a place of understanding, but no. I thought Jason would have a bi or gay awakening, given his obsession with James and Paul’s relationship in the first book, given the fact he was jealous of their happiness, given the fact he kissed James and didn’t find it so bad, given the fact he’s a camboy on a gay site, but no, he just ends up with another girlfriend. I was thinking James or Paul or someone would recognize Jason on stream, but nope. I was thinking James might hook up with this Adam guy and try to stick it out through college, but nope, a convenient excuse in the form of a car comes along to make up James’ mind for him. it’s all just... wasted opportunities, wasted potential, and somehow void of conflict in a book about a guy being bullied. it tries to talk about good people doing bad things sometimes and bad people doing good things sometimes, but it falls flat when it’s told rather than shown. both books just left me wondering “what was the point of the story?”

one last thing, there’s also a gay teacher who was 40 year old virgin who tries to help James, and I appreciate that concept, but ultimately all of his focus in both books just takes time away from the other characters. the books almost feel written like they were meant to be tv shows, with several plots happening at once, with all the plots feeling shallow, hoping to be made deeper by their connection to the other storylines. but it’s just... weak and dull and unfocused