#brady what did they do to you......massacred him...........

[chiangyorange]

the absolute character assasination of mack and brady in teen beach movie 2 was so fucking crazy

[jerzwriter]

Coming Up Blank - Part 3 of 3 Answers That Never Come

Book:                   Wake the Dead (Prequel)

Pairing:               Eli Sipes x F!OC, David Sipes x M!OC

Rating:                Mature

Words: 3,870

Warnings:           Missing persons, discussion of homophobia and one slur, discussions of racism, dealing with a painful loss

Series Summary: 19-year-old Eli Sipes and his 16-year-old brother David are coming of age in a very challenging world. Growing up and discovering who you are was challenging enough in their parent's time, but they have to grapple with old issues and new ones too.

Chapter Summary: When questions are many, and answers are few, Eli and David find ways to get by. They have each other, they have themselves, and they have memories that change as time goes on.

A/N: In this chapter, we get a glimpse of how Eli became the man he was at the beginning of Wake the Dead. It provides insight into how the walls were built, even before his family was gone. I will be posting Part 4 of A Mother's Journal soon, and that will tie into events in this series. After that, there will be one more fic to complete the story of Eli's life before he met Zoe. Thank you to anyone who has read/supported this work. I appreciate it more than you know! Tagging @choices-february2023 for day 26 - fairy tale - but only if we allow opposites because this is the opposite. :)

Series Masterlist Wake the Dead Masterlist My Full Masterlist

Keeping quiet was essential.  Rule #1.  Every step Eli and his father took was measured. Still, whenever silence was essential, it seemed every step on fallen leaves echoed through the land.  He could feel his heart racing when the boards on the rickety old porch began to squeak.  But it wasn’t out of concern for himself.  Nessa’s hearing rivaled that of the zombies, and the fact that she hadn’t jumped out to greet them yet left his heart heavy.  He wasn’t afraid for himself but terrified of what could lie behind that door.

Jim placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it painfully slow.  He was shocked to find the door unlocked. A bad sign, for sure.  The seconds felt like hours, and Eli tried to reassure himself by ticking off the good signs in his mind:  nothing was disturbed, there were no signs of struggle, and, most importantly, the distinct, copper-tinged smell of blood wasn’t permeating the air.  

For all the caution taken, the door still creaked loudly when Jim pushed it open, his gun in position, ready to fire, but there was no need.  They were met with abject silence. They stood in the cabin's main room, the same room where Eli had sat with Nessa only two days before.  The day her eyes, lips, and tender smile told him everything he needed to know.  Everything looked exactly the same.

“Kenny?” Jim called out.  “Manda?”

Silence.

“Ness?” Eli yelled anxiously. “Brady?” But he received the same response.

Jim nudged the first door on the left open… Brady’s room.  They peered inside… nothing.  The bed was perfectly made, but Brady wasn’t in it.  The parent’s bedroom rendered the same results, and Eli’s breath hitched when his father pushed the door to Nessa’s room open wide…. nothing. 

Eli had been keeping his cool the entire time.  He didn’t entertain the “bad feelings” his brother was having and just did what needed to be done, but now, he was beginning to unravel.

He hoped to find them all asleep or rousing to start their day.  Nessa was always up early, and he all but envisioned the smile she’d have on her face when she saw him and Jim approach, but that never came to be.  He also feared the worst, walking into blood-splattered rooms… a massacre, or their friends turning before their eyes. The thought of having to put them down was something he pushed out of his mind, it was too horrible to bear, but he had steeled himself for the possibility.  But this.  Nothing? The idea of finding nothing never crossed his mind. What could he do with that?

“Dad,” his voice trembled. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, son.  Why don’t we check the perimeter.”

And they did.  It turned up nothing.  The stable… the shed… the treeline behind the clearing… the creek where the family fished, they checked everywhere.  Nothing.

“Should we ride around one more time?”

“We could…” Jim said with a shake of his head, “but I don’t think we’ll find anything different.”

“They have to be somewhere. People don’t just vanish!” The panic in his voice was rising.  “Do you think it could be raiders? Do you think they were kidnapped?”

Jim quickly dismissed the notion. “And leave all their belongings behind? No way.  The raiders wouldn’t want them, they’d want their belongings, but outside of the horses… nothing is gone.”

“Maybe they went someplace… together?”

“Where? And without so much as a word to us?”

“I’m going to look inside again,” Eli insisted.  “Really look. There has to be some clue.”

“We can do that,” Jim replied.  His hope was diminishing, but his son was unraveling, and he needed him to be strong.  “Try to stay positive, Eli.  We didn’t find them dead; things could be worse….”

“Yeah, and they could be better.” Jim didn’t say a word because he couldn’t disagree.

~~~~~

It had been seven days now, and the hope of seeing the Joneses again diminished more with each passing day.  The Sipes were all fraught with concern. Sleep had become a luxury, and Florence found herself forcing everyone to eat.  They vacillated between allowing the uncertainty to give them a flicker of hope, only for despair to claim them just hours after.

Eli was on the porch with his mother and David when his father returned from checking on the Jones's place one last time.  He took a seat beside his wife and stoically addressed his family.

“I think it’s time to accept that they’re gone.  We probably will never know what happened to them, and as difficult as that may be, we have to accept it.”

David’s face fell into his hands, making no attempt to control his tears; his mother was quick at his side. Jim kept a close watch on Eli.  David showed every sign of grief this past week, but his eldest son merely retreated more each day.  Even now, he sat stoically staring into the horizon, even as his set jaw and glassy eyes betrayed him.

Florence was desperate to give everyone a molecule of faith to hold on to.  “Jim, do you think there’s any chance they moved to a colony.  I know Kenny talked of it in the past.”

“He did, but Kenny was almost as opposed to colony life as I am.”

“But the colonies make you hand over everything you own,” David cried. “And…. nothing was gone from their place.”

“Almost nothing,” Eli muttered.

Florence's head flung in her eldest son’s direction. “What?”

“The wooden stars I made Nessa for her birthday two years ago, they’re gone.  She always kept them on the top of her dresser, and on my last trip there, I noticed they were missing…” he reached into his pocket and tossed an object onto the porch.  “All except this one I found on the floor by her door.”

“None of this makes sense!” Florence moaned.

“Yes, it does,” David sobbed, jumping to his feet.  “It makes perfect sense! It’s my fault! It’s my fault they’re gone!”

“David,” Florence implored.  “That’s not true at all, honey!”

But David took off on foot before his mother’s sentence was done, and while Jim and Florence jumped to follow him, Eli stopped them in place.

“No. Let me.”

“David!” Eli hollered, running to catch up with him.  “David!”  Finally within reach, he grabbed the back of his brother’s shirt to hold him in place.  “What the hell are you doing? Talk to me!”

David’s body shook as he looked up at his brother, his face slick with mucous and tears.  Eli grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to David, who wiped his face as he collapsed to the ground at his brother’s feet.

“It’s my fault!” He sobbed.  “The day… the day before they went missing.  I told him… I told Brady….”

“Told him?

“That I… I had… feelings for him… that I thought I loved him, and he told me he felt the same way about me.”

“He did!”

“Yeah, he did.  We were so happy, Eli! We talked, and we kissed, and we cried.  We both held it for so long, and it was such a relief to be open! We didn’t want the day to end, but we didn’t want to draw attention.  So when Nessa said they would pass by the next day, Brady told me he couldn’t wait to see me again.  That’s how I knew.  There was no way he wasn’t going to get his chores done and not come… I knew something was wrong.”

“Oh... David,” Eli sighed, holding his brother close.    

“Maybe his parents found out,” David whimpered.  “Maybe they did, and they left because they didn’t want Brady and me to be…. It’s my fault, Eli.  We’ll never see them again, and it’s my fault!”

“Stop it, David! You don’t know that.  They probably didn’t even know, and if they did… I don’t think that would make them take off like that.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” Eli said in defeat.  “But neither do you. I’m just so sorry you finally told Brady and….”

“What about you?” David interrupted.  “I know you… cared… about Nessa. What about you?”

“What about me?” Eli huffed, dropping his head into his hands.  “Nessa thought everyone knew about us….”

David chuckled as he lovingly placed his hand on his brother’s back.  “And she was right.”

“See! That’s what I mean! I don’t think anyone knew about you and Brady, but they knew about Nessa and me.  So if anyone is at fault, it’s probably me.”  Eli paused, attempting to hold back tears.  “We should have told everyone.  We shouldn’t have been sneaking around… we were getting too careless… what if they left because me and Nessa were….”

“But they loved you,” David reassured.

“They loved you, too.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t turning their son into a faggot.”

“David,” Eli shouted.  “Don’t say that!”

“Why? You and Nessa were the normal ones… everyone expected you’d end up together.  But me? And Brady? You know there’s a good chance I’m right.”  

“And there’s a good chance you’re not! For all we know….”

“Boys?” Their mother's voice called out as the sound of their parent's footsteps coming down the graveled path grew closer.  “Hey, can we join you? We’d like to talk.”

The brothers exchanged a look and nodded.  “Yeah,” Eli said, “but let’s go to the house.”

The family talked late into the night.  It was difficult, but each brother shared their story… first Eli, then David.  Eli kept his arm wrapped around David the entire time he spoke, and when he was done, he looked at his parents with fear in his eyes. 

“Do you hate me?” He whimpered.

“Hate you?” Florence gasped, pulling her youngest close. “No, no, no, baby! No!”  She cried.  “I love you so much, more than you could ever know.  I could never hate you! And right now, I’m so proud of you for talking to us even though you were scared.  I’m so sorry you bore all this alone.”

“You’re not mad then?”

Jim nudged Eli aside and sat at David’s side. “Son, all your Mom and I ever wanted was for you and your brother to find some happiness in this world.  And to be happy, you need to live your truth.  We would never judge nobody for who they love, especially not our own boys.  We love you son….” His voice trailed, and when he spoke again, it cracked with emotion neither son had ever heard before.  “I’m just so sorry the little happiness you had seems to be stolen from you.”

“It’s all so unfair,” Florence lamented.

“But do you think they left because of me?” David asked with desperation.

“Or because of me,” Eli added.

Jim took a deep breath.  “No.  No boys.  You’ve been through enough; I don’t want you to add this to your burdens.  We don't know what happened, but I know that Kenny and Amanda loved you like you were their own.  The same way your Mom and I loved Nessa and Brady.  I am sure it had nothing to do with either of you.”

“Your Dad is right,” Florence concurred. “I just hate this!  You’ve lost so much already, and now… you’ve lost more….”

“You’ve lost a lot too, Mom,” Eli reminded.

“We all have… in different ways,” Jim agreed.  “But at the end of the day… we have each other… we’ll find a way to make it through. Now, we won’t solve anything else tonight, and it’s very late.  Why don’t you two head to bed.”

Eli nodded and embraced his parents, then extended his hand to help David to his feet.  Jim and Florence held each other tight as they watched their boys head into their room, and Jim motioned toward their bedroom, where they could talk alone.   

“This is so unfair,” she whispered, tears ready to flow over the rim of her eyes.  “And now we’re truly alone.”

“I know,” Jim sighed.  “But we’re all we need.”

“Are we?” Florence questioned, turning to look at her husband.  “Jim, we’re not going live forever; hell, it’s amazing we’ve made it this far.  Our boys… they need to have people… they need to have some semblance of a normal life… especially when we’re gone.”

“Florence,” Jim grumbled, “Age doesn’t matter in this world! Truth is, they could be gone before we are.  I understand wanting them to have normalcy, a companion or partner, but….”

“But nothing! Their lives have been filled with horrors we could never have imagined.  But you always said we kept fighting and didn’t give up because you were fighting for the slightest chance that our boys would find happiness somehow.  How do they do that? How do they do that if all they have is you, me, and survival?”

“What’s the alternative?”

“Maybe it’s time we consider a colony.”

“No!”

“Jim, listen to yourself.  You can’t think of what’s best for you alone! God willing, our boys will outlive us, and… what kind of life would it be living alone out here? Wondering if every day will be their last without so much as a friend to talk to?”

Jim fell silent.  Despite the trials of their world, they built the best life possible. They didn’t have much, but they had what they needed.  He and Florence spent more time and were likely closer to their boys than they would have been in the world before.  But Jim knew his wife was right.  They could provide so much but couldn’t create people, and they couldn’t give them friends or someone to love.

“Why don’t we present this to the boys?” Jim relented. “They’re not children anymore, and we’re talking about their lives; they should have a say.”

Florence nodded.  “Yes. They should, but not tonight.  We can discuss it in the morning.”

“Jim,” Florence asked sheepishly. “What do you think happened?”

“What do you think?” Jim asked. “I’ve always trusted your intuition.”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “But my gut says they're alive.  I don’t… feel them being gone, and I think I would.”

“So do I,” he agreed with a heavy sigh. “I think they left for a colony.”

“But you told the boys….”

“I know what I told the boys.  I can’t give them much right now, but I can protect them when I think something would be too much to bear.”

“But wouldn’t they have told us? Said goodbye? The other families did when they left.”

“The other families had little children who had no choice but to go their parent’s way.  Nessa and Brady were grown… each apparently falling in love… they could have refused to go and would have been within their right to do so.”

“Which makes even less sense! If they knew the kids were falling in love, why would they pick up and leave now?”

“Because they were falling in love….” Jim replied, his voice marked with sorrow and anger.

“Jim? I can’t speak for Kenny, but Amanda expected Eli and Nessa to end up together.  And I don’t think she ever gave thought about Brady and David; it’s not like….”

“Assuming they’d be together and wanting them to be together are two very different things.”

“What… what do you mean?”

Jim ran a hand down his face. “Some time ago, Kenny mentioned moving to a colony, and he asked if we’d consider it too. I said no, and I didn’t understand how he could give up the freedom we have here for that kind of life, and he said….”

Florence took her husband’s hand.  “He said….”

“Our children had such limited options for their futures.  They were growing up and deserved to have… better choices.”

“Meaning?” she asked, not wanting to hear the truth.

“You know why, Flor.  Kenny also mentioned the probability of Eli and Nessa ending up together to me, but he didn’t always sound like he liked it.”

“But Kenny adored the boys, especially Eli!”  

“He loved them, sure.  I just don’t think he loved the color of their skin.  It was fine for a friendship, fine for a protégé, but that’s not who he envisioned as the father of his grandkids.”

“Jim! No! Did Kenny ever say any of this?”

“Not directly,” Jim shook his head sadly.  “But I suspected.  And the timing… it adds up, though.  It was becoming clear that Eli and Nessa were falling. If he figured out they had become… physical… and based on what Eli told us about the days leading up to this….”

“But Jim…” Florence cried. “They loved us.”

Her husband smiled sadly at his wife, wiping a tear running down her cheek.

“That’s when racism hurts the most, baby… when it comes from people who claim to love you.”

“Eight people….” Florence laughed sardonically, “We had eight people in our world, and still this shit happens? A fucking zombie apocalypse, the end of the world, and people can still be this small-minded? This ignorant!”

“Florence,” he said sternly.  “This has to stay between us.  I don’t want the boys to ever know of this.  First, there is a slim chance I’m wrong, but if I’m not… they’re suffering enough, and if they knew….”

“Of course. I’ll never say a word.”

“We have each other,” Jim quavered, eyes filled with tears.  “The four of us, we still have each other.”

~~~~~

Eli talked to David for almost an hour before he watched him drift off to sleep.  He didn’t know how he managed to do it, but he helped his brother feel a little better.  Now, he wished he possessed that magic to heal himself.  He climbed into his bed and attempted to get comfortable, finally accepting that comfort wouldn’t come. 

Without realizing it, his hand slipped into his pocket. His fingers traced over the small wooden star he gave Nessa, and memories flooded his mind.  The day his mother found him making the stars, and the look on her face when he told them they were for Nessa.  Nessa was right; everyone knew. Then there was Nessa’s birthday and the way she squealed when she opened his gift.  He’d never forget that day or her smile; it was as bright as the very stars that had inspired him.  The stars they gazed at together from the time they were children now, they seemed like so much more.

He got up and removed the boarding from his bedroom window.  He knew he wasn’t supposed to at night, but right now, he didn’t care. He needed to see the stars as much as he needed to breathe.  He wanted to know that something would be constant in this world.  He needed to see that he’d have something to look to when he missed her and needed reassurance that she wasn’t a figment of his imagination.  She had been here; she was real.  

It amazed him that utter joy and devastating sorrow could coexist in him all at once. They were both abundant as he traced constellations against the window’s glass. He looked to the stars for answers, answers that would never come, while in his heart, he repeated a single prayer. He prayed Nessa was all right.  That she was somewhere safe, and if it wasn’t too much to ask, he prayed she was looking at the stars, too. He hoped they were making her smile, and she could take comfort in knowing they were looking at the same stars each night.  They might never be together again, but they could gaze at the same sky, and no one could take that away.

Eli cried himself to sleep that night, though he never let a single soul know.  This world required strength and fortitude; he couldn’t allow for this.  This was a luxury he afforded himself just once, and tomorrow it would have to end.  But tonight, the tears flowed as he remembered the scared young girl he met after the world collapsed.  She was every bit as frightened as him, but together, they felt stronger.  They were happy to have a friend, another child to play with, and forget about the horrors of the world for a while.  They became each other's respite. Then how they learned to shoot together… how to hunt, and survive.  Learning together made it seem less treacherous; they could always count on a laugh.  They were each other’s support. Recently, she had been so much more.  Who knew two friends could grow in such a way? They could bring each other so much comfort, such pleasure, in a world where there was none.

“It's not fair,” he whispered, low enough that no one would hear. 

She was falling in love with him; he saw it in her eyes and smile; he felt it in her kiss.  He knew it was true, and he hoped she had seen the same in him.  But it was over now, like everything else that came before, and he’d have to accept it and move on.

In the weeks that followed, Eli attempted to talk to David… about Brady, about himself, about embracing who he was.  One day, David placed his hand on Eli’s shoulder and sighed.

“Eli,” he said softly, with a smile that never came close to reaching his eyes.  “It doesn’t matter. The world consists of four now, and it simply doesn’t matter.”

Eli admired him and adopted that answer as his own, even as he told his brother it wasn’t true.  But it was.  It was true for him, and he needed to remind himself of it each day.

Eli never stopped thinking of Nessa.  When he saw her favorite flowers bloom in the spring, he’d smile.  He was lucky to have her.   They were fortunate to have a best friend and grow up together, but it was never anything more.  The very thought was laughable.  Nessa was right; they had no choice. 

At times he’d walk past the path that led to her old cabin, and he swore he heard her laugh.  Nessa had been a friend.  But she was gone now.  The same way all things would be gone one day.  He wondered if he’d have another friend again, then thought, no.  He wouldn’t allow it even if he could.  For what? He knew how it would end.

He kept the lone wooden star atop his dresser now and looked at it when he needed to recall a simpler time. It was some of his best work, he said.  That’s why he kept it there; there was no need to make more of something that would never be. Instead, he focused on the minutes, the precious moments that they once shared that made a cruel world slip away.  But it was over now.

One day, his mom found him staring at the trinket, and she recognized his thoughtful gaze. Smiling wistfully, she wrapped her arm around Eli and smiled.

“Penny for your thoughts, son? What are you thinking of?” she asked.

Eli turned to his mother and offered her the most authentic smile he could muster.

“Doesn’t matter, Ma,” he whispered. “It doesn’t matter.”

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[eunoiastarz]

more bloodboyfriends stuff for when you wake up from your nap <3

We have not discussed how Anna fits into this au, which is an actual crime. So, I raise you: after Michael runs away with Adam, another tyrant takes over the MoL (I was thinking someone like Zachariah or Metatron or Malachi, but that's not important rn). After that, Anna and Hester work to stage a coup and take over the MoL. I think there'd be some tension between them bc they both have differing motivations (Anna wanting to turn the MoL into a good and happy place, while Hester mostly just wants to be on top so she can't get hurt again), but they do have the same goal of getting rid of the MoL Tyrant Leader.

If you had something else in mind already or just don't vibe with that, that's cool too <3

ooo okay so I did have something else in mind that I thought of a few nights okay. lets see if I can word this:

I was thinking about applying the season 7 godstiel massacre to the cult. It’d make sense in the context of it being indirectly because of cas. of course, in actuality, it’d be executed by demons in this au, but cas’ actions (ie averting the apocalypse/ fighting against azazel) were why it happened. he was able to get balthazar back, so this was how they decided to hit him. not to mention that these were good hunters, people cas could recruit on his side. it wouldn’t be worth all the problems they’d cause to let them live. demons don’t care if they’re innocents.

in this au I always saw anna as brady because despite how far it’s diverged this was originally just a reverse au. I could definitely also see her as another escapee, one before cas, but after lucifer and gabe. her and cas might meet later in life during a hunt (post swan song), but if you want it to be darker she could’ve been someone used against cas by lucifer and/or possessed by a demon at their reunion.

I’m definitely vibing with your idea too though. not gonna lie the hester part HURT. but this would definitely be a good ending for the group. cas and gabe could actually visit the family they grew up with. anna is also so much smarter than sam and dean so she’d 100% educate people on the supernatural and how they could protect themselves. hot girl behavior and all that <3 I vote zachariah for the tyrant just because his milf line lives absolutely rent free in my head. one of thee greatest villains.

ily thank you for the ask as always bestie <3 love annoying our small corner of tumblr together <3

a voicemail from hester I wrote for this au because it randomly popped in my head on the 9th (post massacre):

[castiel. It’s um… it’s hester. our family- the cult? I don’t know. we lost… so much. we’ve been dismembered for awhile now. I just found the letter you left. ha, michael never gave it to me. surprise-surprise. yeah. I still hate your guts for leaving me- us. inias- he isn’t around anymore… and samie- I don’t… we got separated. I tried cas, I really did, but it was a run out and I’m not even sure who made it. I- I think I saw anael get out? that is if you even still care about her. demons. something to do with you and- and maybe gabriel too? are you with him? oh right, I called cause I need you come pick me up. I don’t have a place to stay and uh- you know what? This is my last resort. please. you owe me this at least. I don’t care if you drop me off or whatever. my tracker is on so. yeah. just- you know. bye.]

[sebastianshaw]

RP Meme from The Lost Boys

I told you to stay off the boardwalk.

Hey, I liked that song.

I don't see any boogeymen or nasty guys.

Wait. That's from my era!

That's the ocean air.

Smells like someone died.

Looks like he's dead. No, he's just a deep sleeper.

If he's dead, can we go back to [PLACE]?

What's wrong with this picture? There's no TV. Have you seen a TV? I haven't seen a TV.

You're the only woman I ever knew who didn't improve her situation by getting divorced.

A big legal war wasn't going to improve anybody's situation.

Ouch. My hair.

Talk about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

We've got some rules around here. Second shelf is

mine. That's where I keep my root beers and my double-thick Oreo cookies. Nobody touches the second shelf but me.

There's another rule around here, and I want you to pay

close attention. Don't touch anything. Everything is exactly where I want it.

There are some bad elements around here.

You're telling me we've moved to the murder capital of the world?

If all the corpses buried around here were to stand up all at once we'd have one hell of a population problem.

I just like to read the TV Guide. Read the TV Guide, you don't need a TV.

I was so worried. Don't run off like that.

We were that age, too, once. Only they dress better.

You have a generous nature. I like that in a person.

So how may I help you this evening? We have it all.

I look that needy, huh?

You're chasing that girl, aren't you?

I'm at the mercy of your sex glands.

Don't you have something better to do than follow me around all night?

Just scoping your civilian wardrobe.

Listen buddy, if you're looking for the diet frozen-yogurt bar, it went out of business last summer.

That's a very serious book, man.

Only five in existence.

Where the hell are you from? Krypton?

Nobody drives this baby but me.

We have to let it warm up a little. Hear that sound? Just like a baby pussycat.

That's as close to town as I like to get.

It's a pretty cool place. If you're a Martian. Or a vampire.

Are you guys sniffing old newsprint or something?

You think you really know what's happening here, don't you? Well, I'll tell you something. You don't know shit buddy.

This is just our cover. We are dedicated to a higher

purpose. We're fighters for Truth Justice, and the American

way.

Think of it more as a survival manual.

There's our number on the back and pray you never need to call us.

I'll pray I never need to call you.

If you want your ear pierced, I'll do it.

I came this close to being called Moon Beam or Moon Child Or something like that.

I can't beat your bike.

You don't have to beat me, [NAME]. You just have to try

and keep up.

Just you! Come on! Just you!

That's what I love about this place. You ask, and then you get.

I can never sleep with the closet door open, either. Not even a crack.

Don't sneak up on people like that!

What, you don't like rice? Tell me [NAME], how could a

billion Chinese people be wrong? Come on!

You're eating maggots. How do they taste?

Sorry about that. No hard feelings, huh?

Drink some of this, [NAME]. Be one of us.

Give me those sunglasses.

You need sunglasses to talk on the phone?

Are you freebasing? Inquiring minds want to know.

Anything in here that might pass for after-shave?

Have a big date tonight, [NAME]?

Lose the earring, [NAME]. It's not you. It's definitely

not you.

All you do is give attitude lately.

Go take your bath.

What did you do to my dog, asshole?

I didn't hurt him. He bit me. This is my blood.

Why did he bite you, huh? What did you do to him?

He was protecting you.

Look at your reflection in the mirror. You're a creature of

the night, [NAME]. Just like out of a comic book.

My own brother/sister/friend/etc, a goddam shit-sucking vampire.

You wait 'til[NAME] finds out!

Just let me talk. Wait a minute! [NAME]!

You did the right thing by calling us.

Does the sunlight freak him out?

He wears sunglasses in the house.

He always had bad breath, though.

He's a vampire all right. Here's what you do.

I can't do that! He's my brother/sister/mother/friend/etc!

You better get yourself a garlic T-shirt, buddy. Or it's

your funeral.

I think we have to have a real long talk about something.

[NAME] help! He's coming to get me!

[NAME], help me! Open up! Help me! [NAME], open the window!

So what are you, the flying nun?

We're gonna work this out. We*re gonna work this out. Trust

me, okay?

I thought I saw something on my window, but I guess I got carried away.

I would like to have a personal life too.

Can I sleep in here with you tonight?

You smell like garlic.

What's happening to me, [NAME]?

I don't know how to help you.

Aren't we friends anymore?

Then let's act like friends. Let's talk.

We could talk about anything you want to talk about.

I have more serious things on my mind than girls and school. Things I'm dealing with.

Looks like I wasn't the only one who got lucky last night.

The dog chased my mom like the Hounds of Hell from Vampires

Everywhere.

We've been aware of some very serious vampire activity in

town for a long time.

[PLACE] has become a haven for the undead.

As a matter of fact, we're almost certain that ghouls and

werewolves occupy high position at City Hall.

Kill your brother/sister/boyfriend/aunt/best friend/etc, you'll feel better!

Look, it says here that if you kill the head vampire all half-vampires will return to normal.

Does he know who the head vampire is?

You'll have to kill him. And if you don't, we will.

Vampire require a daytime protector, a guardian to watch

over them as they sleep. Fierce dogs, the Hounds of Hell,

are often employed for this purpose.

Truth, Justice, The American way triumphs.

Smells good. When do we eat?

Are we gonna have company again?

Well, you are the man of the house and I'm not coming in until you invite me.

He promises to behave if you come back.

I didn't know you were having guests.

Our batting average isn't terrific, is it? Zero for two.

You're so sweet to him.

I don't know what got in to him. He's not like that.

If you ever want to see [NAME] again, you better come with

us now.

Initiation's over, [NAME]. Time to join the club.

Don't kill me, [NAME]. I'm basically a good kid, so just

don't kill me.

Just work with me and I can help you. You'll be okay.

Is she one of them?

You shut the window and lock your door.

She's one of them! And don't tell me it doesn't make her a

bad person, [NAME]!

Yes, and it's my fault. You would've not met me, if I

hadn't liked you. I tried to warn you.

You drank someone's blood? Are you crazy?

We're not them.

Why didn't you kill me last night?

You're supposed to be my first.

What are you doing here? What do you want from me?

Don't kill anybody until we get back to you!

I got connections.

The night crawler. The bloodsucker. El Vampiro.

I don't want you going down there.

Look, this isn't a comic book, [NAME]. These guys are

brutal killers.

Who'd you rather go down in with you? Them or me?

If something happens down there, I won't have the strength

to protect you.

This time I'll protect you.

Even though you're a vampire, you're still my brother/sister/friend/etc

If you try to stop us, or vamp out in any way, I'll stake

you without even thinking twice about it!

Where did you say you met these guys?

Don't you touch her. Stay away from her.

Flies and the undead go together like bullets and guns.

There must be coffins here someplace.

I thought they'd be in coffins.

That's what this cave is. It's one giant coffin.

Right now they're at their most vulnerable. Easy pickings.

Remember. You just have to kill the leader.

We don't know which one he is.

I guess we'll just have to kill them all.

What's that, a little vampire humor? It wasn't funny.

Good night, bloodsucker.

We blew it, man! We lost it!

We unraveled in the face of the enemy!

They pulled a mind-scramble on us!

We don't ride with vampires.

"Burn rubber" does not mean warp speed!

Your dog knows a flesh-eater when he smells one.

The sun goes down. They'll be looking for us.

[PLACE] is crawling with vampires

They're coming to the house as soon as it gets dark!

I'm gonna see [NAME] tonight, and you're trying to ruin it for me.

I don't know what you don't want me to see.

I'm not talking about [NAME]! To hell with [NAME]!

Good. That's just the way we like it.

We've got a date tonight?

They'll be coming for all of us.

It's just old memories coming back.

Why are you so jumpy tonight?

He seemed so sincere, but it's insane.

Tell me. I promise not to laugh. Honest.

I think I should warn you all when a vampire dies, it's never a pretty sight.

Some yell and scream. Some go quietly. Some explode. Some implode. But all will try to take you with them.

Don't go out there! Stop him!

I say we terminate them right now.

You're mine. You killed [NAME]

Try the holy water, dead breath!

I nailed one of them downstairs with a bow and arrow.

We trashed the one that looked like Twisted Sister.

We totally annihilated his night stalkin' ass!

Death to all vampires!

We are awesome monster bashers!

Holy shit! The attack of Eddie Monster!

Stop! Get away from him! Just stay away from him! He's just

a little boy.

You're afraid to face me, [NAME]?

I tried to make you immortal.

You tried to make me a killer!

Stop fighting me, [NAME]. I don't want to kill you. Join us.

It is too late, my blood is in your veins.

Don't let them see me like this.

What happened to your face?

I knew it. You are the head vampire.

You're the secret [NAME] was protecting.

Don't ever invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy/girl/etc.

It renders you powerless.

Has everyone gone crazy? What's the matter with all of you?

It was you I was after, all along, [NAME]

It was all going to be so perfect, [NAME]

Just like one big happy family.

Great. The bloodsucking Brady Bunch.

I still want you, [NAME]. I haven't changed my mind about that.

I didn't invite you this time, [NAME]

Don't you touch my mother/father/son/dog/etc

Don't fight, [NAME]. It's so much better if you don't fight.

How much do you think we should charge them for this?

One thing about living in [PLACE] I never could

stomach--all the damn vampires.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

The Devil You Know: Final Part

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,511

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

“What happened?” Dean growls.

“Nothing.”

“My ass,” he says and stalks to the main room where Brady is.

“Dean, I’m fine,” Sam sighs.

“Yeah? And what about Brady?”

You’re in the corner, but even from where you stand, you can tell that Brady is alive.

“Like you said… we need him.”

A tear rolls down your cheek, but you quickly wipe it away, and push down all your feelings to the back of your mind. You need to have a clear head if you’re going to make this work. You push away from the wall and head inside the room where everyone is. Crowley appears out of nowhere, and you wonder where he was. He has spots of blood on his face, and his jacket is ripped.

“God, the day I've had. Good news. You're going to live forever,” he says to the other demon.

“What did you do?”

“I went over to a demons' nest and had a little massacre. I must be losing my touch, though because I let one of the little toads live. Oops. I also might have given said toad the impression that you left your post last night because you and I are—wait for it—lovers in league against Satan,” he chuckles, and Brady sighs deeply.

“Hello, darling. So, now Death is off the table. Now you get to be on the boss's eternal-torment list with little old me,” Crowley finishes.

“Oh, no, no, no, no. No,” Brady begins to panic.

“There is something else we have in common—apart from our torrid passion, of course—craven self-preservation. So, now, why don't you tell me where Pestilence is at?”

Brady goes to answer, but a dog howling can be heard off in the distance. It’s weird to hear a dog way deep in the woods, so you think it’s a wild animal or something. You think that until you see Brady’s face.

“Oh, God, Crowley,” he panics.

“Wait, is that a hellhound?” you ask, putting the pieces together.

“I'd say yeah.”

“Why was that a hellhound?” you press further.

Crowley searches his coat pockets until he finds what he’s looking for. He sighs and pulls out an old coin.

“What is that?” Sam asks.

“Remember I was telling you about my crafty little tracking device?”

“Yeah.”

“Demons planted one on me.”

“You're saying a hellhound followed you here?” you ask angrily.

“Well, technically, he followed this,” Crowley says and holds up the coin.

“Get me out of here. I'll tell you anything you want!” Brady pleads.

“Shut up,” Sam growls.

“Okay, well, then we should go,” Dean determines.

“Sorry, boys. No one knows more about the hounds than I. You're long past the point of ‘go’,” he shrugs and tosses Dean the coin. He catches it just as the demon vanishes.

“Damn it,” Dean sighs.

“I told you!” Sam yells.

“Oh, well, good for you,” his brother mocks him. “Luckily, we have salt in the kitchen.”

“I’ll watch Brady,” Sam suggests.

“I’ll stay with you.”

“Watch me? Get me the hell out of here!” Brady yells.

Dean leaves the room to get the salt, and you hug yourself tightly at the battle you know is coming. Brady struggles against his ropes, but you do nothing to free him. Dean should have been back by now, and you give into the fight inside of yourself. You leave your spot to help Dean when you hear a shotgun go off.

“Sammy!” Dean yells and runs into the room.

“Where’s the salt? You had one fucking job!”

“Does it look like I can get to the fucking salt?” he yells.

“Damn it, get me out of here!” Brady shouts.

“Shut the fuck up!” you scream at him.

“Great. Just great,” he sighs.

“Hey!” Crowley says from the other room with a new suit on.

“You’re back?” Dean asks.

“I'm invested. Currently,” he smiles. The hellhound barks and growls. “Stay!”

“You can control them?”

“Not that one,” he points behind Dean. “I brought my own.” Crowley pats the invisible hellhound beside him, and from where his hand is, that’s a big fucking dog. “Mine’s bigger. Sic him, boy!”

The hellhound by his side jumps at the other hellhound, and both dogs begin to fight viciously. You’re trying to stay out of the way and go over to Brady to let him go. There is no use staying here when these dogs will tear the place apart. Once he’s free, you pass him over to Sam so they can escape.

“Go, go, go, go!” Dean orders.

There is no argument coming from you, and you escape the house without problem. All five of you head straight to the car without stopping.

“I'll wager $1,000 my pup wins,” Crowley laughs.

Since you don’t want to be stuck between two demons, you get in the front where you’ll be stuck between two Winchesters. The car is packed, and Dean wastes no time leaving the area in a screech. Your head lolls to the side once you find it in yourself to relax. Sam lets you use his shoulder, but that’s not the weird part.

What’s weird is how normal it is to use Sam as a support system when Dean’s been that for you for a long time. What is happening to you two?

Crowley deemed it safe enough to stop in an empty alley to complete this transaction. Brady has no choice but to give up pestilence’s location. He hands Crowley a piece of paper with the location on it.

“I'm sure pestilence will be there.”

“What do you think?” Dean asks as Crowley gets a look at it.

“It's good,” he hands it over and turns to Brady. “You got no reason to lie, have you? Like I said before, you're in my boat now.”

“You've screwed me for eternity.”

“Nah. Won't last that long. Trust me,” he scoffs.

Dean takes the salt canister he had in the car and begins to pour a line from one end of the alley to the other.

“Where are you going?” Brady asks.

“I'm going to do you a favor,” he says to the demon before turning to Sam who can’t stop staring at Brady. “I expect we'll be in touch.”

Dean lets Crowley past the salt line before closing it behind him so that Brady is now trapped inside the area with you and the Winchesters.

“What is this?” Brady demands to know.

“All those angels, all those demons, and all those sons of bitches just don't get it, do they, Sammy?” Dean asks.

“No, they don’t, Dean.”

“We’re the ones you should be afraid of, Brady,” you speak up.

Sam walks toward Brady with Ruby’s knife in his hand. He has only one goal in mind, and you and Dean are just there to offer help if needed.

“I bet this is a real moment for you, big boy. Gonna make you feel all better?”

“It’s a start.”

With Brady out of the way, and pestilence’s location on demand, there is nothing left to do but sleep. Sam didn’t want to hear any kind of bickering that might happen between you and Dean, so he went to get a separate room for the night. It’s taking everything inside of you not to just hit Dean and scream at him.

He’s been acting like this all day, and you’ve had enough of it. He moves to the door to leave, but you stop him with your words.

“You’re not leaving here Dean until we talk about this!”

“Watch me.”

He continues towards the door, and you muster up enough courage to use your magic to stop him. Your right-hand flies in front of you, and the motel door closes and locks. Blue magic swirls around the doorknob so that Dean knows not to mess with you.

“You’re not leaving,” you repeat.

“What is there to talk about, Y/N?” he yells and turns around to face you. “You killed the child I never knew about, you took away my decision, you only thought about yourself, and you lied to me about it!”

“If you would only listen to me then--”

“I don’t want to hear some sob story about Amara, and about how you don’t want to raise a child in this life.”

“So, my feelings are nothing and yours are more valuable? Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying I don’t trust you anymore. And it’s going to take a lot more than a conversation for you to earn it back, but the way I see it, you never will.”

His words hit you deep, but it’s nothing compared to what’s coming.

“You’re lucky I’m not treating you like the other witches. But with the way things are going, maybe I should start.”

With that, he leaves the room. Never has he ever said something so impactful to you than what he said right now. You really messed up big time, and you can’t ever take it back no matter how hard you try to explain it away.

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[anongoingsoliloquy]

Hey babes! So, I managed to reach my goal of finishing the Mr. Mercedes novels before the 22nd of August! I really enjoyed the trilogy as a whole, and I can’t wait for the new season of the show! These were the first novels I had ever read by Stephen King, but they won’t be the last. Any recommendations of which of his books I should read next?? A lot of people have told me to try Salem’s Lot because there are vampires, but I tried watching the movie and the kid at the window actually terrified me. Is the book really scary?? Anyway, let’s get into the review for each of the Bill Hodges novels, shall we?

Mr. Mercedes

I really liked Mr. Mercedes! I thought it was suspenseful and creepy in places. I think this novel is scary in its own way, because things like the Mercedes Massacre actually happen. Just a few months ago, someone drove a van into a crowd of people in Toronto, which is only about an hour away from where I live. So, the reality of the situation really hit home for me while reading this. But the characters, especially the hero of the novel, Bill Hodge, create a safety net around the horror. I love Bill; he really is a great protagonist. He’s such a normal person. He has flaws, but you really do end up rooting for him. He is obviously smart, but not in a way that some characters are, that they become annoying or pompous. He is a very grounded person, that any reader can identify with. He is also a wonderful representation of what a police officer should be. He strives, almost giving up his life, to protect everyone from Mr. Mercedes. Bill is someone to look up to.

Speaking about characters readers can identify with, let’s talk about Holly Gibney. I love her! She is an anxious, shy, quick as a whip character that is honestly so relatable! I loved that she was a “damaged” character; she had been through hell, but she is still loving and willing to drop everything in her life to help Bill take down Mr. Mercedes. I also like that it is said that Holly’s experience with therapy and psych wards is not the norm. The writing never came across as trying to show that people with mental illnesses shouldn’t get professional help. It was strictly limited to Holy’s experience. Her family life was shit and her mother was a tyrant who didn’t know how to take care of her. Holly is never shown to be weak or helpless, even though she does suffer from mental illness.

The last thing that really brings this novel together is Brady Hartsfield; Mr. Mercedes himself. Brady is one of the best villains I’ve ever come across. He is a vile, repugnant, racist, all around terrible human being. And you do hate him while you read Bill Hodges’ parts of the novel. But when you read Brady’s pov, he makes you almost feel sorry for him. I say almost because she does give a kinda sob story, but then he will use racist slurs, and it snaps you out of the sympathetic feelings. King really did a wonderful job with Brady! He is sexually abused by his mother, has been since he was a child. His home life, since his father died is shit. But, there is always that disconnect between Brady and the reader. He even calls it out in the letter he sends to Bill; people love books and movies about killers because it is so outside of the realm of possibility for them as individuals, that they become fascinated by it. And it’s true, and it’s the same for Brady as a character. It’s extremely fascinating to unravel Brady’s motives and thought process.

All in all, Mr. Mercedes is a quality novel. I’m not crazy about some of King’s grammar and syntax, but the story is definitely a 10. I gave Mr. Mercedes a 5/5.

Finders Keepers  

What a disappointing follow up novel. I didn’t like Finders Keepers. First thing, Bill wasn’t in it until half way though the novel. Second thing, the big bad guy was a complete idiot. If I had to read the words “shit don’t mean shit” one more time, I was going to toss the book in the fireplace. And I hated the flippant way rape was talked about in the novel. Like I understand that the characters talking about it were meant to be gross criminals, but I think there could have been a more tactful way to write it into the novel.

I didn’t like the back and forth between three timelines for the first half of the novel, it was way too confusing. I also think that Morris’, the big bad guy’s, motive was so weak. I did like the idea that the books we read can change us, for better or worse, forever; but having a man kill his favorite author because he didn’t like the ending to the last book? Too much. And then have that man terrorize a family to get the unpublished manuscripts of the aforementioned dead favorite author? Way too much. Honestly, the last few chapters save the novel, especially the epilogue.

I gave Finders Keepers 3/5 (and that was being generous)

End of Watch

End of Watch, in my humble opinion, is the best of the Bill Hodges Trilogy! The stakes are raised from the first novel, when Brady wakes up from his coma which telekinetic powers! He wants to pick up where he left off and is determined to make Bill kill himself. This novel deals very heavily with suicide, so if you are uncomfortable with that subject matter, do not read this book. End of Watch is a fast paced, pulse pounding thriller. It is a race against the clock the entire time, both to save thousands from Brady and also for Bill, who is secretly battling a deadly illness. If you like suspenseful novels with hints of the supernatural, you will not be disappointed in this book! I don’t want to say any more about this novel because I will spill all the spoilers! But I will say that I loved the ending for both Bill and Brady!

I gave End of Watch 5/5!

And that’s it! Those are my filtered thoughts on the Bill Hodges Trilogy – Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch – by Stephen King. It was so hard to talk about these books without spoiling them!! Overall, I do recommend this series. The two sandwiching novels make the not-so-amazing second book worth it!  

[like-a-bag-of-potatoes]

Roots

A/N: My entry for @roxyspearing One and Done Challenge. Betaed by the wonderful @thorne93. Feedback is highly appreciated.

Prompt: Family doesn't end in blood.

Characters: Bobby, Daughter!Reader (kind of.. You'll see). John, Sam, and Dean (barely). Rufus (mentioned)

Warnings: A little angst and a little fluff…

Wordcount: 1346

The house was now empty, the nest of vampires had all been beheaded and the two humans they used as snack packs where safe in Rufus’ car. Bobby went back inside after the newly rescued man asked them about the little girl.

He searched high and low for this mystery girl, and finally found her in the back corner of a walk in closet. When he flipped the light, she flinched and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to get as far into the corner as she could.

Bobby sat down in the doorway, taking his cap off so the little girl could see his face. She couldn't be more than five or six year's old. “Hey, sweetheart,” he tried as softly as he could. “My name is Bobby, what's your name?”

She didn't respond. She wore a light blue dress, her hair fell in big, silky curls around her face, a hairband that matched her dress…  Bobby's first thought was that she looked like a doll, except for her eyes, they were blown wide in fear.

“This is a very nice house,” he said casually as he looked around a little, “do you live here?”

The girl nodded her head slowly.

“Have you always lived here?”

At that she shrugged her shoulders.

He spent the next hour up there while Rufus took care of the other two victims and started to clean up the massacre that had taken place. The girl still didn't speak, but eventually she had crawled out and taken Bobby's hand.

He could still remember the feeling of her little hand in his, even now, twelve years later.

Rufus and Bobby had spent days looking through police records and news articles to try and find the missing girl, but no luck. The closest they came to any leads was a pregnant woman who was reported missing six years earlier.

They had tried to take the little girl to child services, but by then, Bobby had already grown attached to the kid, and she was attached to him. She still didn't speak, but she constantly held Bobby's hand. She refused to let him go, and truth was, he didn't want to let her go either.

It was hard to imagine that little girl now as he looked over at the eighteen year old in his kitchen, cleaning out her gun. He had tried to keep her from the life, but she had been born into a world of monsters, and that wasn't an easy thing to put behind you.

“Dad?” her voice brought him out of his current trip down memory lane, but he couldn't help but smile. She had been ten years old when she had called him that for the first time, and it still filled his heart with joy.

“What's up?” he quizzed, getting up from his seat to go join her in the kitchen.

“I want to try and find my father… my real father,” she added.

“I thought we'd been over this, (YN),” he noted as he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

He had always been so nice to her, so telling him this broke her heart as much as it did his, but she had this need to find out where she came from and it was getting harder and harder to ignore it. “We have, it's just that… He must be out there somewhere, right? Unless my mom was the virgin Mary, which I highly doubt.” She added that last joke to try and lighten the mood a little bit.

“We looked for him, sweetheart, but Rufus and I couldn't find anything,” Bobby tried to reason with her. It wasn't that he didn't want her to know where she came from, or that he didn't want her to find her father, but Bobby had looked for him, and he was nowhere to be found. He didn't want her to get her hopes up for nothing.

“I know, but maybe if I go back there and ask around a little… I know it's been a while, but someone might remember something.��

“(YN).”

“I have to do this, Dad. Just to get some closure on this,” she explained, hoping he would understand.

“Okay,” he said, getting to his feet, “let's do it.”

She took a deep breath before she said what was on her mind next. “I gotta go alone.”

Bobby's first instinct was to get angry, to forbid her from going alone, but fact of the matter was that she was an adult now, and could make her own decisions, as much as he didn’t like it.

“Alright. I'll get a car ready for you,” he said, taking both of them by surprise.

While (YN) went upstairs to get packed, Bobby went out to the garage to look over her car. Oil, brakes, gas… just checking the essentials. When he slammed the hood shut a sleek, black Impala pulled up right outside and he stepped out to greet his new guests.

“John,” he said as the man and his two boys exited the car.

“Hey, Uncle Bobby,” the youngest boy, Sam said with a smile.

John and Bobby went way back, and it wasn't uncommon for him to bring the boys around as the kids grew up. Bobby never minded though, at least not until recent years when the eldest boy, Dean, had started showing an interest in (YN). Dean was a good kid, a year older than (YN), but no one would ever be good enough for his little girl.

“Sorry to drop by like this,” John started, jumping right to the case, “This hunt has me kind of stumped, and I could use another set of eyes if you have time.”

“Yeah. Just give me a few minutes.”

At that moment, (YN) came out the front door, a bag thrown over her shoulder. She froze for a second when she spotted the Impala, but collected herself within a fraction of a second and made her way down to the men.

She greeted them all with a smile and a hug, happy to see the Winchesters again. Dean was the last one to get a hug and after she let him go she disappeared into the garage to put her bag away.

Dean's eyes followed her every move, that's until all he could see was Bobby giving him a stern, warning look.

“You keep your eyes to yourself, kid,” he barked.

“Yes, sir.”

Bobby suggested that the Winchesters headed inside the house so he could have a moment alone with his kid.

“You got everything?” he asked and she nodded. “Salt? Gun? Pepper spray? Stun gun?” he listed. He wanted her to be safe from everything, not just monsters.

“Yes, Dad,” she said with a small chuckle. “I'll be careful,” she promised.

“I know you will. Doesn't mean I don't worry about you,” he countered.

“I want you to know that whatever I find, it won't change anything. You'll always be my dad,” she said, needing him to know that this wasn't about him. “I just…”

“I know, kid,” he assured, a sad smile hiding under his beard. “I just don't want you to get your hopes up. This might be a dead end.”

“It might. But I have to try.”

Bobby took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, he couldn't even begin to imagine how hard this must be for her, and it killed him that he couldn't help. “Just remember, whatever you find, that family doesn't end in blood. You will always have me-” he let her go, smiling softly at her- “and the Brady bunch in there,” he finished, pointing over his shoulder towards the house.

They said their goodbyes and she hopped in the car and drove away, Bobby keeping his eye on her until the car disappeared around a bend.

“Hope you find what you're looking for,” he mumbled as he started making his way back inside to his guests, a hollow feeling settling in his heart.

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[safestplace]

we said “forever” forever ago

it was prom night.  stevie’s leg wouldn’t stop shaking.  he was watching the dance floor move on without him, watching everyone go past him for what felt like the last time.  everything was going too fast.  everything was about to be over for good.  he had never, ever been nostalgic.  he’d never been the type to hold onto things — except for brady.  he was the one thing he’d ever held onto, and he hadn’t held on tight enough.

that much was evident right here and right now, because brady was in her arms on the dance floor.  not his.  and brady had asked him, that was the thing — he’d fucking asked him!  over and over again if it was okay for him to ask her to prom, if stevie was sure he didn’t want them to go together, if he was sure he was okay with it, if he was sure, if he was positive, if this was okay.

and stevie had nodded like a goddamn idiot and he’d pushed him toward it because that was what stevie did he just shut himself away in a corner and he said things he didn’t mean and shut up when it mattered and he let the good things go.

it was like every cliche scene from every cliche movie rented from every goddamn video store.

and it was stevie’s life.

essentially, the video store had been brady’s idea.  kind of.

“there’s something, like, UNBEATABLE about a video store.  about the feeling of wandering the aisles and picking a movie and like I DON’T CARE IF PEOPLE CAN JUST DOWNLOAD SHIT NOW I LIKE BLOCKBUSTER.”

stevie had rolled his eyes in that way stevie always did, the way you always did when it came to someone you love.  “nobody would go to a fucking blockbuster in this day and age.”

but they did.  that was the thing.

brady wasn’t a part of it, but the video store?  it was stevie’s life.

he and silas had decided to open up when they’d both realized somewhere between freshman and sophomore year of college that college fucking sucked — for different reasons, silas’ reasons being that… he was silas, and stevie’s reasons being that his anxiety was too much to handle the walls, the people, the confinement, the assignments, every part of it.  and he brought up the video store.

“i bet people would be into it,” he’d told him.  “we could make them into it.”

somehow, they had.  somehow, it had turned into a hipster’s paradise.  dvds, comics, books, records.  the store was drowning in millennials and oozing pop culture out of every brick.  silas kept the bills paid, stevie was the quiet operator behind the scenes, and joy was the friendly face who knew quite literally nothing about anything beyond the books and the music.  but they made it work.  it was fun.  it felt authentic and it felt real and it made stevie feel like he could actually do something every day, like he actually had something to get out of bed over.

he didn’t have brady.  but brady had winnie, and stevie had him blocked on facebook because that was how stevie dealt with his issues (by not dealing with them at all, and that was okay, it really was), and day by day, they were making it work.

“i think he likes you,” joy hummed, standing up on the tips of her toes and giving him that all too knowing smile he’d grown stupidly accustomed to over the years.  her hands were resting over the growing bump in her belly in the shape of a heart (“they’re an avocaaaaado!” she’d cooed when she’d come through the door this morning after her appointment, tugging a smiling silas by the hand) and she was nodding her head toward the boy at the back of the store, flipping through the new release vinyls and peeking over at stevie every so often.

despite his better judgement, he blushed.  it was a habit, one he couldn’t really shake, and he tucked a strand of his stubbornly too long hair behind his ear, biting on the inside of his cheek and shaking his head.  “he’s been coming in here for, like, a year and a half.  he doesn’t even talk.”

“then he’s perfect for you,” she teased, tickling his side and pressing a kiss to his cheek.  “just think about saying hi?”

yeah.  he’d think about that.  he’d think about all the ways he was definitely never going to do that.

you would think by the age of 25, he’d be better at this kind of thing.  you really would.  you would think he’d have the hang of it.  his sister and his best friends were all so stupidly in love and happy and getting their shit together, and what did he have?  he had a boxer that he came home to every night who hogged up too much of the bed but kept him calm through his panic attacks that still happened too often, and yes, of course that counted for a whole lot of somethings, but….

it didn’t stop the sinking feelings that crept up in the middle of the night.  that this was it for him.  this was as good as it was going to get.  the world was moving on without him, and he was stuck sitting at the table in the middle of the high school prom, watching everyone dance on by.

“the kid’s a fucking eggplant,” silas scoffed, closing up a few empty dvd cases and dropping them into the bin under the counter.  “do you realize how ruined the emoji is for me?”

“do you realize you’re the only person over the age of 22 still using that emoji?” stevie tittered in response, blinking back at him drily.

silas was quiet for a moment.  “we both know that’s a lie.”

the door jingled over head, a girl no older than seven racing inside and bolting straight for the horror section.  “I WANT TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.  I’M OLD ENOUGH.”

“you are literally insane and eleven years away from that being a possibility.”

stevie’s stomach dropped.

dropped all the way down.

“ten and a half,” the girl retorted, because those six months very clearly made all the difference in the world.

“why don’t we start with return to oz?  ease you into the trauma.  that’s how i started out, and look at me.  i’m doing great.”

his mouth was suddenly dry.  it was too familiar.  it was too familiar to be a coincidence.  he knew his voice.  he could pick his voice from a million other voices all talking at the same time.

and then he saw him.

a little older, a little broader, face a little longer, but the same brady.  but so, so damn different.  because this brady had a little girl, and there was no mistaking who she belonged to.

maybe her eyes were winnie’s, but the rest?

all him.  she was his.

and stevie wanted to throw up.

brady hadn’t seen him.  hadn’t even registered there was anyone else in this building besides him and that little girl frantically waving terrible horror movie after terrible horror movie in his face.  silas kept looking back at stevie, eyes wide, like he was waiting for stevie to say something.

we’ve already established stevie wasn’t good at saying something.

“stevie,” silas breathed out, like he was testing the word out, like he was scared to say it too loud.

it was still loud enough.

and there it was.

there he was.

“stevie?”

[placetobenation]

Well with all this death around us let’s talk about the one thing we all know and love, television. The Daytime Emmy nominations came out while I was away and here’s what we got. 

EMMY NODS

CBS leads all noms with a whopping 57 nods, Amazon following closely behind with 55, Apple TV scored 17, as they should because they are a computer company. Let me just clear something up – Amazon started as a digital library where you could read books. Does anyone remember that? You had to buy the kindle, which screen was black and white, and download books to read on a train or beach or park or whatever. Remember the big knock on the was the glare the screen had? It had too much glare so they made the little 5×7 kindle screen without glare and more like a real book? Now look at what it has become! A mall, a tv studio, a library, a streaming service, a supermarket – I mean Amazon has become everything! Ridiculous. Anyway. 

The View topped the talk shows with 8 nods, then Kelly Clarkson with 7, then Talk and finally Ellen with 5 who honestly I thought died a year ago. 

Interesting fact, CBS wants to air the awards show virtually, whatever that means, June 26. So that’s another interesting car wreck we get to watch in this God forsaken year.

JON STEWART

Big news – Jon Stewart is finally doing something with his life. Jon, whom I love and hate for leaving us right when Trump appeared in our lives, is directing a movie called Irresistible. Starring guess who – Steve Carell. Since his contract says he must be in every Hollywood film ever made, this makes sense. The movie was scheduled for theatrical release but powers at be want it released sooner, to make more money. So the film will be available May 29 for $20 on all platforms, then is planned to be released into theaters on June 26.  Hey why not. Stewart never did things the easy way.

LORI LOUGHLIN

Here’s some good news about the law – there isn’t any. Lori Loughlin after years of saying she was innocent and did nothing wrong, now says she is guilty and did something wrong. Hmmm. Fooled us? I guess so. Ha ha, funny Lori – we thought you were serious when you argued with everyone and said you were innocent for a year. Boy you really got us. Anyway, The felony charge carries a 20 year jail sentence, but miraculously Lori is getting just 2 months in jail!! Wow! Which is funnier? You decide. 

TOM BRADY

With the enormous success of Michael Jordan’s doc, The Last Dance, cuz Jordan is literally the best who ever played the game, ESPN has set a new doc for a new legend. Tom “Pretty Boy” Brady will be getting his own spotlight on ESPN, with a 9 part doc, not a 10, like Jordan, so already MJ has him beat. Quick tip for ESPN – NOBODY reveres Brady like we revered Jordan. So, expect a flop. Thanks.

MICHAEL BAY

Michael Bay, the world’s most hated yet most successful director has chosen a premiere project for his brand new contract with Sony. “Armored” which is a novel by Mark Greaney, will be Mr. Bay’s newest massacre. About an old, aged out, security contractor who runs convoys of UN delegates through cocaine country. Nice. What can be redundant about that? Thanks Michael for being more shallow than my bath water. Can’t wait to see this debacle with a million explosions and zero dialogue.

PETER DINKLAGE

Here comes the best news I have heard all year. Peter Dinklage and Jason Momoa are teaming up for a movie called “Good Bad and Undead”. Love both these guys, and even better, they are staying in the fantasy realm! Peter will play a Van Helsing, the last in a long line of vampire killers, and Momoa will play a vampire that helps him. Just the plot of this makes me smile and my skin crawl. If I could only survive long along in 2020 to see it!! 

ZACK SNYDER

Well after years of girl talk, it is official. Zack Snyder, the director shamed into retirement from the DC world, is releasing his official director’s cut of Justice League. Why? I have absolutely no idea. This film is not beloved, so I imagine the studio is releasing it so say, “yea you think this was bad – you wanna see something worse?” I mean, I cringe to have to watch this a second time, but to see what Zack did or how they handcuffed him, if they did at all, might be worth a fast forward through. In no way do I wish to hear the dialogue again. But for Gal’s legs, I could look at them again. Will I think it’ll be a revelation and everyone will stand on their couches cheering for the almighty Zack? Hardly. Pretty sure it will suck just the same, only in a different way. 

BATWOMAN

Here’s a new one – Ruby Rose quits Batwoman. First of all, I never even heard of there being a Batwoman, I always thought it was Batgirl. Regardless, Ruby Rose was a hit portraying the lead character, and once the show was picked up for another season, Ruby quits. Why? Naturally no one knows for sure – rumor is, it was too hard. Too hard. I don’t want quality work, with good pay, if I have to stay up past 10. I don’t know what else Ruby has going on in her life, but I know if you want a job, you have to work for it. If you want fame and fortune it doesn’t come during banking hours. This saddens me about the next generation. They get a chance of a lifetime and quit. 

TOM HANKS

Now let’s talk about a real star. Tom Hanks, our dearly beloved, is getting screwed over by this COVID-19 crap. His baby project, which he has wrote and directed “Greyhound” is being thrown to a streaming service. I think we all love Tom’s other movie that he wrote/directed, “That Thing You Do”, that was pure genius, and I’d love to get to see this one in a theater as well. “Greyhound” is a WWII naval drama starring Hanks as George Krause, a career officer finally given command of a Navy destroyer called Greyhound. It takes place during the Battle of the Atlantic as Krause fights his self-doubts and personal demons to prove he belongs. This film was set for a June19 release date, but instead it was shopped around to streaming devices and was finally bought by Apple TV for $70 million. A sad state of affairs for such a fine and proven talent like Hanks, who truly has earned his day in the sun with a global theatrical release. Let’s hope some day it makes it there.

Thanks for reading – as usual – follow me or ask me questions any time, all the time @pauliek2003

[supertrendingnewsarticles]

Yesterday, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Despite early successes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Sanders failed to put up much of a fight against Joe Biden after the latter convincingly won South Carolina. And so, for the second campaign in a row, he has come up short against a weak but well-known presumptive front-runner.In the not-too-distant past, this would have depressed me. When Sanders announced his 2016 presidential campaign, I had never heard of him, but he didn't take too long to figure out. On economic questions, he was among the left-most political figures ever to achieve prominence in America, and was clearly proud of it. On other issues, he strayed from left-wing orthodoxy in some interesting ways. He evinced a skepticism of open borders and increased immigration that occasionally made him sound downright Trumpy. He had a surprisingly decent record on gun rights. And above all, he actually seemed to believe what he said, which I found a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed with the obfuscation and opportunism of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.Four years later, my view of the Sanders phenomenon has changed completely. I do not now mourn the end of Sanders's candidacy, because in his second run for the White House he proved himself to be just another politician: He deemphasized or outright jettisoned his politically inconvenient stances in pursuit of power, while remaining true to a core far-left agenda that, in the absence of that aura of integrity, seems far scarier than it did four years ago.It was always one of the more striking aspects of Sanders's rhetoric that he could sound like an immigration hawk. In a 2015 interview with Vox, he famously called open borders a “Koch brothers proposal”:> It would make everybody in America poorer — you’re doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don’t think there’s any country in the world that believes in that. If you believe in a nation-state or in a country called the United States or UK or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people. What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them. I don’t believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.To be fair, Sanders wasn't necessarily getting immigration-policy advice from Mark Krikorian. He represented an older strain of left-wing thought that argued against immigration from the perspective of labor unions concerned about multinational corporations and undercut wages. But nevertheless, when he spoke of the issue, he could sound surprisingly like Donald Trump, then rampaging his way through the Republican primaries.That Bernie Sanders is gone now. His 2020 platform called for “breaking up ICE and CBP and redistributing their functions to their proper authorities,” unilaterally reinstating President Obama’s DACA and DAPA programs, and decriminalizing illegal immigration, among other things. For the most part, he became difficult to distinguish from his Democratic opponents on immigration, except insofar as some of them chased after him as he moved left in the hope of capturing more votes. Thus did this unconventional aspect of his public persona recede.The story on gun rights is much the same. Vermont is caricatured as a semi-socialist state, and maybe the caricature is accurate. But it also has relatively loose gun laws, and a high rate of per capita firearm ownership. As a representative of the state in various capacities, Sanders has compiled a record that reflects this. The National Rifle Association helped him first win election to the House in 1990, where he would vote against the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. As a senator, he has supported bills that would allow firearms in checked bags on Amtrak trains. And after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, Sanders said, “If you passed the strongest gun-control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.” Though this record was a source of consternation for an otherwise adoring left in 2016, and was fodder for Hillary Clinton's campaign, he didn’t run away from it then.Four years later, the story was very different. A watershed moment came during a February Democratic primary debate, when he was asked about his past vote to protect gun manufacturers from lawsuits pertaining to the use of guns in shootings. “I’ve cast thousands of votes, including bad votes,” Sanders said. “That was a bad vote.” His 2020 platform proposed a buyback program for guns and a ban on assault weapons. In a fitting bookend to his elective career, it also demanded that Democrats “take on the NRA and its corrupting effect on Washington.” Once again, Sanders had tacked left under pressure in search of votes, willingly abandoning a unique part of his persona to the political needs of the moment.Shorn of the ideological heterodoxies that made him appealing, Sanders was reduced to his essence as a crusader for hard-left economics. When, in 2015, he argued that, “You don't necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm-spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country,” I still regarded his economic platform as a quirk that might inspire him to join with fiscally conservative Republicans to, say, cut corporate welfare. But it wasn’t a quirk at all: He recently expressed disgust at the idea that someone might make money developing drugs to fight the novel coronavirus.Meanwhile, in his second campaign certain aspects of Sanders’s record that were always there for those who wanted to see them became impossible to ignore. We knew in 2016 that, as mayor of Burlington, the just-married Sanders had visited the Soviet Union on a mission to procure a Soviet sister city that doubled as his honeymoon. Those facts would be more forgivable if he had not offered unqualified praise for Cuban “literacy programs” and the economic progress of Communist China in 2020.In 2016, smitten with the heterodox left-populist gadfly I thought I’d found, I either did not realize the currency that Sanders's economic views had in the Democratic Party or did not anticipate the extent of the foothold they would gain in it. This is due mostly to young voters, who in a 2019 Gallup survey thought almost equally well of capitalism and socialism (51 percent to 49 percent). Sanders consistently garnered more support than Clinton from this group in 2016. In 2020, he maintained that support to a certain extent, though it didn’t translate into actual votes as easily as it had before. Both times around, the center of the Democratic Party, such as it is, held. But the young democratic socialists uncovered by his campaigns continue to maintain that they are the future of the party’s politics, and of the country’s.If they are right, we can be sure that they won’t remember the Bernie Sanders whom I, as an outside conservative observer, once found somewhat compelling. For that Sanders held certain views they would abhor, views that he changed or abandoned when it became politically expedient. And that may be the most disappointing thing about Sanders: In the end, he stands revealed as just another guy all too happy to tell people what they wanted to hear.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3c2IFjm

[beautytipsfor]

Bernie Sanders, Sellout

Yesterday, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Despite early successes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Sanders failed to put up much of a fight against Joe Biden after the latter convincingly won South Carolina. And so, for the second campaign in a row, he has come up short against a weak but well-known presumptive front-runner.In the not-too-distant past, this would have depressed me. When Sanders announced his 2016 presidential campaign, I had never heard of him, but he didn't take too long to figure out. On economic questions, he was among the left-most political figures ever to achieve prominence in America, and was clearly proud of it. On other issues, he strayed from left-wing orthodoxy in some interesting ways. He evinced a skepticism of open borders and increased immigration that occasionally made him sound downright Trumpy. He had a surprisingly decent record on gun rights. And above all, he actually seemed to believe what he said, which I found a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed with the obfuscation and opportunism of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.Four years later, my view of the Sanders phenomenon has changed completely. I do not now mourn the end of Sanders's candidacy, because in his second run for the White House he proved himself to be just another politician: He deemphasized or outright jettisoned his politically inconvenient stances in pursuit of power, while remaining true to a core far-left agenda that, in the absence of that aura of integrity, seems far scarier than it did four years ago.It was always one of the more striking aspects of Sanders's rhetoric that he could sound like an immigration hawk. In a 2015 interview with Vox, he famously called open borders a “Koch brothers proposal”:> It would make everybody in America poorer — you’re doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don’t think there’s any country in the world that believes in that. If you believe in a nation-state or in a country called the United States or UK or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people. What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them. I don’t believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.To be fair, Sanders wasn't necessarily getting immigration-policy advice from Mark Krikorian. He represented an older strain of left-wing thought that argued against immigration from the perspective of labor unions concerned about multinational corporations and undercut wages. But nevertheless, when he spoke of the issue, he could sound surprisingly like Donald Trump, then rampaging his way through the Republican primaries.That Bernie Sanders is gone now. His 2020 platform called for “breaking up ICE and CBP and redistributing their functions to their proper authorities,” unilaterally reinstating President Obama’s DACA and DAPA programs, and decriminalizing illegal immigration, among other things. For the most part, he became difficult to distinguish from his Democratic opponents on immigration, except insofar as some of them chased after him as he moved left in the hope of capturing more votes. Thus did this unconventional aspect of his public persona recede.The story on gun rights is much the same. Vermont is caricatured as a semi-socialist state, and maybe the caricature is accurate. But it also has relatively loose gun laws, and a high rate of per capita firearm ownership. As a representative of the state in various capacities, Sanders has compiled a record that reflects this. The National Rifle Association helped him first win election to the House in 1990, where he would vote against the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. As a senator, he has supported bills that would allow firearms in checked bags on Amtrak trains. And after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, Sanders said, “If you passed the strongest gun-control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.” Though this record was a source of consternation for an otherwise adoring left in 2016, and was fodder for Hillary Clinton's campaign, he didn’t run away from it then.Four years later, the story was very different. A watershed moment came during a February Democratic primary debate, when he was asked about his past vote to protect gun manufacturers from lawsuits pertaining to the use of guns in shootings. “I’ve cast thousands of votes, including bad votes,” Sanders said. “That was a bad vote.” His 2020 platform proposed a buyback program for guns and a ban on assault weapons. In a fitting bookend to his elective career, it also demanded that Democrats “take on the NRA and its corrupting effect on Washington.” Once again, Sanders had tacked left under pressure in search of votes, willingly abandoning a unique part of his persona to the political needs of the moment.Shorn of the ideological heterodoxies that made him appealing, Sanders was reduced to his essence as a crusader for hard-left economics. When, in 2015, he argued that, “You don't necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm-spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country,” I still regarded his economic platform as a quirk that might inspire him to join with fiscally conservative Republicans to, say, cut corporate welfare. But it wasn’t a quirk at all: He recently expressed disgust at the idea that someone might make money developing drugs to fight the novel coronavirus.Meanwhile, in his second campaign certain aspects of Sanders’s record that were always there for those who wanted to see them became impossible to ignore. We knew in 2016 that, as mayor of Burlington, the just-married Sanders had visited the Soviet Union on a mission to procure a Soviet sister city that doubled as his honeymoon. Those facts would be more forgivable if he had not offered unqualified praise for Cuban “literacy programs” and the economic progress of Communist China in 2020.In 2016, smitten with the heterodox left-populist gadfly I thought I’d found, I either did not realize the currency that Sanders's economic views had in the Democratic Party or did not anticipate the extent of the foothold they would gain in it. This is due mostly to young voters, who in a 2019 Gallup survey thought almost equally well of capitalism and socialism (51 percent to 49 percent). Sanders consistently garnered more support than Clinton from this group in 2016. In 2020, he maintained that support to a certain extent, though it didn’t translate into actual votes as easily as it had before. Both times around, the center of the Democratic Party, such as it is, held. But the young democratic socialists uncovered by his campaigns continue to maintain that they are the future of the party’s politics, and of the country’s.If they are right, we can be sure that they won’t remember the Bernie Sanders whom I, as an outside conservative observer, once found somewhat compelling. For that Sanders held certain views they would abhor, views that he changed or abandoned when it became politically expedient. And that may be the most disappointing thing about Sanders: In the end, he stands revealed as just another guy all too happy to tell people what they wanted to hear.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3c2IFjm via Beauty Tips

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[tendance-news]

Yesterday, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders officially dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Despite early successes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Sanders failed to put up much of a fight against Joe Biden after the latter convincingly won South Carolina. And so, for the second campaign in a row, he has come up short against a weak but well-known presumptive front-runner.In the not-too-distant past, this would have depressed me. When Sanders announced his 2016 presidential campaign, I had never heard of him, but he didn't take too long to figure out. On economic questions, he was among the left-most political figures ever to achieve prominence in America, and was clearly proud of it. On other issues, he strayed from left-wing orthodoxy in some interesting ways. He evinced a skepticism of open borders and increased immigration that occasionally made him sound downright Trumpy. He had a surprisingly decent record on gun rights. And above all, he actually seemed to believe what he said, which I found a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed with the obfuscation and opportunism of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.Four years later, my view of the Sanders phenomenon has changed completely. I do not now mourn the end of Sanders's candidacy, because in his second run for the White House he proved himself to be just another politician: He deemphasized or outright jettisoned his politically inconvenient stances in pursuit of power, while remaining true to a core far-left agenda that, in the absence of that aura of integrity, seems far scarier than it did four years ago.It was always one of the more striking aspects of Sanders's rhetoric that he could sound like an immigration hawk. In a 2015 interview with Vox, he famously called open borders a “Koch brothers proposal”:> It would make everybody in America poorer — you’re doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don’t think there’s any country in the world that believes in that. If you believe in a nation-state or in a country called the United States or UK or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people. What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them. I don’t believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.To be fair, Sanders wasn't necessarily getting immigration-policy advice from Mark Krikorian. He represented an older strain of left-wing thought that argued against immigration from the perspective of labor unions concerned about multinational corporations and undercut wages. But nevertheless, when he spoke of the issue, he could sound surprisingly like Donald Trump, then rampaging his way through the Republican primaries.That Bernie Sanders is gone now. His 2020 platform called for “breaking up ICE and CBP and redistributing their functions to their proper authorities,” unilaterally reinstating President Obama’s DACA and DAPA programs, and decriminalizing illegal immigration, among other things. For the most part, he became difficult to distinguish from his Democratic opponents on immigration, except insofar as some of them chased after him as he moved left in the hope of capturing more votes. Thus did this unconventional aspect of his public persona recede.The story on gun rights is much the same. Vermont is caricatured as a semi-socialist state, and maybe the caricature is accurate. But it also has relatively loose gun laws, and a high rate of per capita firearm ownership. As a representative of the state in various capacities, Sanders has compiled a record that reflects this. The National Rifle Association helped him first win election to the House in 1990, where he would vote against the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. As a senator, he has supported bills that would allow firearms in checked bags on Amtrak trains. And after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, Sanders said, “If you passed the strongest gun-control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.” Though this record was a source of consternation for an otherwise adoring left in 2016, and was fodder for Hillary Clinton's campaign, he didn’t run away from it then.Four years later, the story was very different. A watershed moment came during a February Democratic primary debate, when he was asked about his past vote to protect gun manufacturers from lawsuits pertaining to the use of guns in shootings. “I’ve cast thousands of votes, including bad votes,” Sanders said. “That was a bad vote.” His 2020 platform proposed a buyback program for guns and a ban on assault weapons. In a fitting bookend to his elective career, it also demanded that Democrats “take on the NRA and its corrupting effect on Washington.” Once again, Sanders had tacked left under pressure in search of votes, willingly abandoning a unique part of his persona to the political needs of the moment.Shorn of the ideological heterodoxies that made him appealing, Sanders was reduced to his essence as a crusader for hard-left economics. When, in 2015, he argued that, “You don't necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm-spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country,” I still regarded his economic platform as a quirk that might inspire him to join with fiscally conservative Republicans to, say, cut corporate welfare. But it wasn’t a quirk at all: He recently expressed disgust at the idea that someone might make money developing drugs to fight the novel coronavirus.Meanwhile, in his second campaign certain aspects of Sanders’s record that were always there for those who wanted to see them became impossible to ignore. We knew in 2016 that, as mayor of Burlington, the just-married Sanders had visited the Soviet Union on a mission to procure a Soviet sister city that doubled as his honeymoon. Those facts would be more forgivable if he had not offered unqualified praise for Cuban “literacy programs” and the economic progress of Communist China in 2020.In 2016, smitten with the heterodox left-populist gadfly I thought I’d found, I either did not realize the currency that Sanders's economic views had in the Democratic Party or did not anticipate the extent of the foothold they would gain in it. This is due mostly to young voters, who in a 2019 Gallup survey thought almost equally well of capitalism and socialism (51 percent to 49 percent). Sanders consistently garnered more support than Clinton from this group in 2016. In 2020, he maintained that support to a certain extent, though it didn’t translate into actual votes as easily as it had before. Both times around, the center of the Democratic Party, such as it is, held. But the young democratic socialists uncovered by his campaigns continue to maintain that they are the future of the party’s politics, and of the country’s.If they are right, we can be sure that they won’t remember the Bernie Sanders whom I, as an outside conservative observer, once found somewhat compelling. For that Sanders held certain views they would abhor, views that he changed or abandoned when it became politically expedient. And that may be the most disappointing thing about Sanders: In the end, he stands revealed as just another guy all too happy to tell people what they wanted to hear.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3c2IFjm

[frontstreet1]

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PITTSBURGH — The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre was brought into court in a wheelchair Monday, as some members of the Jewish community and others objected to President Donald Trump’s planned visit, accusing him of contributing to a toxic political climate in the U.S. that might have led to the bloodshed.

With the first funerals set for Tuesday, the White House announced Trump and first lady Melania Trump will visit on the same day to “express the support of the American people and to grieve with the Pittsburgh community” over the 11 congregants killed Saturday in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

Some Pittsburghers urged Trump to stay away.

“His language has encouraged hatred and fear of immigrants, which is part of the reason why these people were killed,” said Marianne Novy, 73, a retired college English professor who lives in the city’s Squirrel Hill section, the historic Jewish neighborhood where the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue took place.

Meanwhile, the alleged gunman, 46-year-old truck driver Robert Gregory Bowers, was released from the hospital where he was treated for wounds suffered in a gun battle with police. Hours later he was wheeled into a downtown federal courtroom in handcuffs to face charges.

Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers vowed to rebuild following a weekend massacre at his Pittsburgh synagogue where Robert Gregory Bowers is accused of killing 11 people in what is believed to be the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. (Oct. 29)

A judge ordered him held without bail for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, when prosecutors will outline their case. He did not enter a plea.

During the brief proceeding, Bowers talked with two court-appointed lawyers and said little more than “Yes” in a soft voice a few times in response to routine questions from the judge. Courtroom deputies freed one of his cuffed hands so he could sign paperwork.

He was expressionless.

“It was not the face of villainy that I thought we’d see,” said Jon Pushinsky, a congregant who was in court for the hearing.

Federal prosecutors are pressing for the death penalty against Bowers, who authorities say expressed hatred of Jews during the attack and later told police, “I just want to kill Jews” and “All these Jews need to die.”

After the hearing, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady called the shootings “horrific acts of violence” and added: “Rest assured we have a team of prosecutors working hard to ensure that justice is done.”

The weekend massacre — which took place 10 days before the midterm elections — heightened tensions around the country, coming just a day after the arrest of the Florida man accused of sending a wave of pipe bombs to Trump critics.

The mail bomb attacks and the bloodshed in Pittsburgh set off debate over whether the corrosive political atmosphere in Washington and beyond contributed to the violence and whether Trump himself bears any blame because of his combative language.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, said the White House should contact the victims’ families and ask them if they want the president to come. He also warned Trump to stay away when the first funerals are held.

“If the president is looking to come to Pittsburgh, I would ask that he not do so while we are burying the dead,” Peduto said. “Our attention and our focus is going to be on them, and we don’t have public safety that we can take away from what is needed in order to do both.”

The White House did not immediately respond to the mayor’s request. Asked if Trump has done enough to condemn white nationalism, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said he has “denounced racism, hatred and bigotry in all forms on a number of occasions.”

Some looked forward to Trump’s visit.

David Dvir, 52, an Israeli-born Squirrel Hill locksmith whose shop is festooned with Israeli and American flags, said “we need to welcome” Trump, for whom he voted, because “it’s our president.”

Kristin Wessell, a homemaker who lives near Squirrel Hill, said Trump should steer clear of Pittsburgh to let the victims’ families “grieve how they see fit.”

“I feel a lot of his comments are very much dog whistles to nationalists and white supremacists and racists. So, yeah, I do place part of the blame on this on him,” said Wessell, a Democrat, who was passing out bouquets to passersby across the street from a kosher grocery store. “Anti-Semitism has always existed. But I feel like he is giving cover to people to be more blatant about it. And to be more violent about it, rather than trying to calm and heal.”

The youngest of the 11 dead was 54, the oldest 97. The toll included a husband and wife, professors, dentists and physicians.

Bowers was charged with offenses that included causing death while obstructing a person’s right to the free exercise of religion — a hate crime — and using a gun to commit murder. He was also charged under state law with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation.

The president of the hospital where a wounded Bowers was taken said that he was ranting against Jews even as Jewish staff members were treating him.

“He’s taken into my hospital and he’s shouting, ‘I want to kill all the Jews!’ and the first three people who are taking care of him are Jewish,” Jeffrey Cohen of Allegheny General Hospital told WTAE-TV. “Ain’t that a kick in the pants?”

Cohen, who is also Jewish and a member of Tree of Life synagogue, said he stopped by Bowers’ room.

“I just asked how he was doing, was he in pain, and he said no, he was fine,” he told WTAE. “He asked who I was, and I said, ‘I’m Dr. Cohen, the president of the hospital,’ and I turned around and left.”

He said the FBI agent outside Bowers’ room told him he didn’t think he could have done that. “And I said, ‘If you were in my shoes I’m sure you could have,’” Cohen said.

Just minutes before the synagogue attack, Bowers apparently took to social media to rage against HIAS, a Jewish organization that resettles refugees under contract with the U.S. government.

“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people,” he is believed to have written on Gab.com, a social media site favored by right-wing extremists. “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

HIAS had recently weighed in on the migrant caravan heading toward the U.S. from Central America, urging the Trump administration to “provide all asylum seekers the opportunity to present their claims as required by law.” The president has vilified the caravan and pledged to stop the migrants.

One of the targets of the mail bomb attacks last week was liberal Jewish philanthropist George Soros, who has been accused by far-right conspiracy theorists of paying migrants to join the caravan.

Bowers was a long-haul trucker who worked for himself, authorities said. Little else was known about the suspect, who had no apparent criminal record.

___

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of “Pushinsky” and “Jeffrey” and to show Jeffre Cohen’s comments were made to “Good Morning America,” not WTAE-TV.

By ALLEN G. BREED, MARK SCOLFORO and MARYCLAIRE DALE – 0ct 29. 2018 – 6:32 PM EDT ___

Associated Press reporter Claudia Lauer contributed to this report from Philadelphia.

___

For AP’s complete coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings:

https://apnews.com/Pittsburghsynagoguemassacre

Trump Visit Stirs Debate; Massacre Defendant In Court PITTSBURGH — The man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre was brought into court in a wheelchair Monday, as some members of the Jewish community and others objected to President Donald Trump’s planned visit, accusing him of contributing to a toxic political climate in the U.S.

[kidsviral-blog]

Sick sarcasm: Piers Morgan jokes that he’s ‘gleeful’ about Newtown massacre

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/sick-sarcasm-piers-morgan-jokes-that-hes-gleeful-about-newtown-massacre/

Sick sarcasm: Piers Morgan jokes that he’s ‘gleeful’ about Newtown massacre

http://twitter.com/#!/piersmorgan/status/281475415250452480

Piers Morgan has a penchant for exploiting tragedies to push a political agenda, but this afternoon, he outdid himself in morbid fashion. Right after tweeting that his anti-gun views derive from his concern for murdered children …

My ’cause’ is stopping more children dying > RT @spongesteve no we are accusing u of exploiting deaths of children to further ur own cause.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

… he said this:

Morgan was being sarcastic, of course. But his ghoulish sense of humor and his tasteless timing failed to amuse. Twitterers were shocked, saddened, and thoroughly disgusted:

Can we deport this buffoon already? RT @jaseliberty Wow. Just wow. Piers Morgan has no shame. twitter.com/piersmorgan/st… …

— Joshua King (@joshuadking) December 19, 2012

@piersmorgan “gleeful” people died to push your agenda. You’re a sick man.

— glockmaster (@aaronjoseph81) December 19, 2012

He really is. RT @toddkincannon: .@piersmorgan You are one sick son of a bitch for being “gleeful” over Newtown.

— Chris (@movementarian) December 19, 2012

POS Morgan’s show needs to be cancelled! RT .@toddkincannon: .@piersmorgan You are one sick son of a bitch for being “gleeful” over Newtown.

— Bruce W. Schank (@BWSchank) December 19, 2012

No words. @toddkincannon RT @piersmorgan You are one sick son of a bitch for being “gleeful” over Newtown.#CNN #guncontrol #newtown #tcot

— Mojeaux (M. Grey) (@_MGrey_) December 19, 2012

AMEN!! RT @toddkincannon: .@piersmorgan You are one sick son of a bitch for being “gleeful” over Newtown. @cnn

— Walt B. (@ImAlwaysRight_) December 19, 2012

A disgusting human being. RT @toddkincannon .@piersmorgan You are one sick son of a bitch for being “gleeful” over Newtown.

— Brady Cremeens (@brady_cremeens) December 19, 2012

.@piersmorganWhoa…Gleeful? Fuck you,you sick son of a bitch. You’re a monster, but probably representative of most evil progressives

— Doug Adams (@teledude54) December 19, 2012

That last RT of @piersmorgan. I just did = disgusting. #cnn

— Jason Savage (@jsavage207) December 19, 2012

@piersmorgan <<– it seems you bask in the glory of being a #PieceOFShit!

— Donny (@BopMonkey) December 19, 2012

@piersmorgan you are sick and disgusting!

— Tom Pickering (@JerseyFLGuy) December 19, 2012

. @piersmorgan and the Westboro Baptists: two peas in a ‘I’m glad those kids are dead’ pod. F*cking sick f*cks.

— Kevin Eder (@keder) December 19, 2012

.@piersmorgan You are a disgrace & a sick individual. We will be very “gleeful” when you leave our country!

— J Craig (@conservJ) December 19, 2012

@piersmorgan Keep being a tool, you’re doing it so well.

— David (@YouGotTheJuice) December 19, 2012

@piersmorgan You’re a piece of shit.

— Takashi Hara (@gallikuson) December 19, 2012

I’m man enough to admit I’ve shed tears several times over Newtown. @piersmorgan is “gleeful” about it. Absolutely sickening.

— Todd Kincannon (@ToddKincannon) December 19, 2012

This much is clear: Piers Morgan is reveling in all the attention.

Just remember, Musket Morgan: It takes a “showboat” to know one.

***

Update:

Morgan may love the attention his idiocy brings him, but he’s not taking kindly to well-deserved criticism:

This is the kind of spell-bindingly stupid attack I’m getting now from the gun rights activists: breitbart.com/Big-Journalism…

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

RT @savingjustice: Wow @piersmorgan, you are one sick, pathetic individual. To be happy about the murder of children so YOU can push you …

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

RT @brady_cremeens: So, will CNN let @piersmorgan‘s comments slide? Do they want to be affiliated with the liberal who ADMITTED glee ove …

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

Deliberating twisting my obvious sarcasm to inspire hatred is, yes > RT@noltenc @piersmorgan reporting something you wrote is an ‘attack’?

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

Pretty sure Morgan inspires hatred all on his own. And not only is he refusing to accept that he’s a colossal jackass, but he’s lashing out at anyone who dares to point it out:

No @noltenc – you deliberately smeared me for political expediency. Which is sad, pathetic, and journalistically cretinous. Be ashamed.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

@benshapiro You lot knew what you were doing, especially with your headline. And it was disgraceful. Feel proud, seriously.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

Gee, projecting much, Piers? How pathetic.

@noltenc I knew, and admired, Andrew Breitbart. He would never have stooped as low as you today. Cheapest of cheap smears.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 19, 2012

.@piersmorgan You are full of it. You did not “admire” Andrew Breitbart. You said he was “notoriously evil.” townhall.com/tipsheet/katie…

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 19, 2012

The man has no shame.

.@noltenc I like how @piersmorgan is trying to blame you for his obviously politicized and offensive tweet. Classic liberal redirection.

— Mays (@jmaysnc) December 19, 2012

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/12/19/sick-sarcasm-piers-morgan-jokes-that-hes-gleeful-about-newtown-massacre/

[the-record-columns]

March 28, 2018

Songs about Preachers and possums...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher                                                                                                  

   There are several photographs on page 2 of this issue of The Record about a quarterly music event which is held in the fellowship hall of the Arbor Grove United Methodist Church in Purlear.

   Arbor Music, as it is called, is a treat like no other when a random group of very talented musicians come together to put on a show for what is rapidly becoming a packed house.    

   No rehearsals.  No practice. No nothing,  But I have bought many a ticket for shows that weren't even in the neighborhood of being as good as Arbor Music was this past Thursday.

   As always, different things are more special to different people, and I want to take a few minutes to share a little with you about two persons in particular I enjoyed this past Thursday.  One is Herb Key, who I have known and respected for many years. The other is an older gentleman named Fred Watkins, who I had never seen or heard of before.

   Herb Key is a well known musician and luthier who is a member of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.  He has played for many events The Record has hosted, as well as at countless other venues far and wide, including even Carnegie Hall. Through the years of our association during many venues, Herb found out that my mother, Cary, when I was a small child, sang a song to me as a lullaby called "The Preacher and the Bear."  I had always thought it was just something she had learned on the farm in Surry County, never thinking it was a record produced by several people beginning as early as 1905.  When I mentioned the song to Herb one day, I learned that he knew the song well, and he has been kind enough to sing it several times through the years at events I attended.  

    This past Thursday was no exception.  When Herb took his turn in front, he sang "The Preacher and the Bear" once again, and I was able to relive one of my favorite memories of childhood--and the song I sang to all my children as well. That night's rendition of the song was made even  more special because my, brother, T. A. was sitting right behind me, and he knows the song by heart at well.

  And then there is Fred Watkins.  When I arrived at Arbor Grove on Thursday, one of the first people I saw was Jane Brady.  She had kindly found me a seat near the front and pointed out Mr. Watkins.  He was seated, had his own oxygen supply with him, and had a harmonica in his hand.  Jane then told me about what she called the "possum song" that she hoped he would do.  As the evening went on, he played the harmonica along with the guitars, banjos, fiddles and other instruments during the various songs which were performed. Then, well into the program, David Johnson introduced Fred Watkins to a huge ovation.  He took his spot and promptly stole the show by singing' "Five Pounds of Possum."

   All in all it was a wonderful evening.  David Johnson as emcee was perfect; seamlessly mixing the wide variety music with an Easter message, and occassionally just having fun. He spoke of his childhood and how Eugene Canter taught him how to catch a baseball.  He went on talking about Gene and his love of hunting and fishing, and ended with a story about there being a newborn baby in the neighborhood who was taken to Gene's house because the family didn't have a scale to weigh the child.  David said when they put the baby on the set of fish scales on Gene's back porch, that the infant came in at just over 38 pounds.

   When the  folks at Arbor Music began to ask Gene about that story, I'm told he would only say, that "..well, it was a big baby."

  The Preacher and the Bear

The preacher went out hunting,

it was on a Sunday morn,

He knew it was against his religion,

but he took his gun along.

 He shot himself three fine quail,

and one little measly hare,

And on his way returning home,

he met a great big grizzly bear.

 The bear walked up in the middle of the road,

he walked up to the preacher you see,

The Preacher got so excited,

that he climbed a persimmon tree.

  The bear sat down underneath the tree,

and the preacher climbed out on a limb.

Then he cast his eyes to the Lord in the skies,

and these words he prayed to him.

 Now Lord, didn't you deliver Daniel from the lions den,

and Jonah, from the belly of the whale, and then,

Three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace,

Yes, the Good Book does declare.

So, oh Lord, if you can't help me,

for Heaven's sake, don't you help that bear.

    Five Pounds of Possum

My Children are hungry, my dog needs a bone.

I ain't got no job now, so I'm just driving home.

An hour after sundown, and much to my delight,

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

Chorus

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight,

If I can just run him over, everything will be all right.

We'll have some possum gravy, oh what a wonderful sight,

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

Won't have to clean me no chicken, won't have to open no cans,

 Just a little it closer, and I'll have it in my hand.

I think the time has come now, to go from dim to bright,

There's 5pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

 Chorus

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight,

If I can just run him over, everything will be all right.

We'll have some possum gravy, oh what a wonderful sight,

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

 Won't have to clean me no chicken, won't have to open no cans,

Just a little it closer, and I'll have it in my hand.

I think the time has come now, to go from dim to bright,

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

 Chorus

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight,

If I can just run him over, everything will be all right.

We'll have some possum gravy, oh what a wonderful sight,

There's 5 pounds of possum in my headlights tonight.

  Are we really foresaken?

By LAURA WELBORN

Palm Sunday is one of my favorite services. I am not sure if I love its pageantry or the fact that it’s the start of Easter with new beginnings.  

Then I think of Jesus on the cross asking “…my God, my God why have you forsaken me?”  

And then I wonder how we feel forsaken when things don’t go our way. We all get frustrated when things don’t play out the way we expect them to, and people don’t behave like they’re “supposed” to.   I tend to get frustrated with myself when things don’t go right, but maybe I am judging myself against the wrong measure of success and not looking into the deeper meaning of what is “supposed to be.”  Maybe I haven’t been forsaken, and maybe I am successful in a different way. I was challenged by a friend to look deeper and find my own personal measure of success.   When I did look deeper I saw my life in a different way.

So how do we “reprogram” our brain to look beyond what is facing us to see the deeper purpose and celebrate our impact on the world.  

One way would be to not imagine the worst when you encounter a little drama.  When someone is acting irrationally, don’t join them by rushing to make a negative judgment call.  Instead, pause.  Take a deep breath…When you feel like things are about to blow, take a long deep breath. Deep breathing releases tension, calms down our fight or flight reactions, and allows us to quiet our anxious nerves so we choose more considerate and constructive responses, no matter the situation.

Sometimes good people behave poorly under stress.  When you pause, it gives you space to collect your thoughts and it also allows the other person the space to take a deep breath with you.  In most cases, that extra time and space is all we need.

In the busyness of today’s world people tend to be worried, fearful, hurting and distracted about everything.  The word compassion means “to suffer with.”  When you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes, you give them the space to regroup, without putting any extra pressure on them.  We never know what’s really going on in someone’s life. When you interact with others in stressful environments, set an intention to be supportive by leaving the expectations, judgments and demands at the door.

Keeping “the positive” in mind helps you move beyond the negativity around you.  At the end of the day, reflect on your small daily wins and all the little things that are going well.  Count three small events on your fingers that happened during the day that you’re undoubtedly grateful for.  

And pay it forward when you get a chance to.  Let your positivity empower you to think kindly of others, speak kindly to others, and do kind things for others.  Kindness always makes a difference.  Create the outcomes others might be grateful for at the end of their day.  Be a bigger part of what’s right in this world.

I challenge you to try this—start small with just three deep breaths and three minutes of meditation a day. Do this for 30 days.  After 30 days, if this daily ritual becomes easy, add another two breaths and another two minutes to your ritual.  When you begin a day mindfully, you lay the foundation for your day being calm and centered -focused on your strengths giving way for you to positively impact your world.  

  “Do or Do not, there is no try”

By HEATHER DEAN

Record Reporter

               So were the words of Jedi Master Yoda when a young Luke Skywalker was in Jedi boot camp.

                 You see, Luke was from a rural farming community, a small town boy, living in a lonely galaxy far, far, away and had no reason to ever think danger would strike there. Until one fateful day, the bad guys attacked and he found his friends and family massacred in what should have been his safe zone.

                 But what could he do? He was just a kid. The Empire had military grade weapons, political backing, and he was “just a dumb teenager” on a farm. He was angry and frustrated, feeling powerless when Master Yoda uttered the words that would be his turning point: “Do or Do not, there is no try.”

                 Long story short, he found a mentor in Obi Wan Kinobi and a trainer of the force in Yoda.  He joined The Resistance, becoming one of the most widely known and powerful forces to be reckoned with in the galaxy.

                 He was a Jedi.

               A Rebel with a cause.

 And he had a twin sister who didn’t back down in the face of adversity, even though she too was only a teenager.

               A Padawan, or Jedi apprentice, is a trainee who receives one-on-one instruction. When a Padawans training is completed, they must pass certain trials.  (Padawan means “learner” in Sanskrit)

"As a parent, haven’t we all said that we want to raise good humans, kind and compassionate, yet independent and be able to critically think for themselves? That we don’t want our child to conform to a societal norm, to think out of the box?  To teach them to be brave enough to stand up in the face of adversity when they see something wrong? (i.e. bullying)

 So now the kids we have raised are doing just that, adults on social media are losing their minds. “Adults” are attacking the youth, threatening, bullying, shaming, spouting nonsense like “These stupid dumb teenagers eating Tide pods are trying to tell adults what to do when they can't even vote yet? What idiots.”

(Brace yourselves. A lot of them are seniors, and the voting registration of kids 18-21 just went through the roof.)

Perhaps the problem is the “adults” that are ignorant, lacking compassion and empathy.

 Sadly, most of these same “adults” are part of Generation X, my generation, parents of the generation rising up. Need I remind you, what we did back in school? I sat and watched classmates sniff glue, markers, computer duster, whippets, helium… Not to mention our generation thought mullets were cool. But you're going to call these kids stupid? Please.

 Unlike the war against the Empire that spanned for generations, leading the Rebel Princess to say “A lot of good people died to get this information” our young Padawans have faced their trials, and said “Enough is Enough!” And so begins The Resistance in our day. Teenagers are leading the charge for change, standing in solidarity across the nation.  

  When you strip away the entire partisan knee jerking on both sides, the simple fact is that kids are dying at school, and they’d rather not. They are asking for help from adults. That’s it.

 May the Force be with you young Jedi, always.

 Snake in the Grass

By EARL COX

Special to The Record

 Danger comes in many forms and it’s what we fail to see or detect that can harm us the most.  I’m not talking about terrorism but rather about silver-tongued deception.

 Some are attempting to capitalize on the division that exists in America today between blacks, whites, and others. Hatred and violence are fomented by evil design to stir up political unrest. If enough seeds of discord are scattered and take root, minority voters become easy prey for the liberal, leftist agenda.  We must take note of those who are sowing such seeds and carefully warn others not to be deceived.

 Louis Farrakhan, known as the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), is one such figure.  Formed in 1930 for the purpose of targeting African Americans in what was a majority Caucasian society, the NOI is hard at work today under Farrakhan’s leadership stirring up hatred against whites and Jews. Clothed in a form of religion, the organization has great appeal to its target audience.

 Farrakhan emerged in 1977 as a masterful orator. He became widely recognized for his outspoken vitriol against white society and his extremist views are unchanged today. Often he refers to whites as the devil and blacks as the chosen race of Allah refuting that the Jews are God’s chosen people. While his fiery speeches draw many followers, his messages are not meant to unify but rather divide.

 Farrakhan’s hatred is not limited to whites.  He also rails against Jews and against Israel. Recently he delivered a speech at his annual Saviors’ Day 2018 Address which was peppered with anti-Semitic statements. He blames the Jews for whatever comes out of Hollywood and claims Israel is an imperialist country wreaking havoc on the Palestinians.  Of course he has no facts to support his slanderous claims yet his message hits a home run with his audiences. Referring to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians as a master–slave type of relationship, he masterfully takes command of his audience enticing them to buy into his false narrative.  By making this correlation, his audience responds in sympathetic and predictable fashion.

 Louis Farrakhan is a snake in the grass and he has friends and associates in high places. He’s been seen with members of Congress and reportedly with the deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Furthermore, he is no stranger to former President Barak Obama or the Congressional Black Caucus. Practiced in the art of persuasive double-speak and confusion, Farrakhan is a dangerous man not in and of himself but because he has influence.  

 Fox news reported on “links with seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus” and Tamika Mallory, co-president of the Women’s March. The seven members were named, and several have since condemned Farrakhan’s vile racist and bigoted views but some of the same members who denounced Farrakhan’s bigotry also praised him as a person.  Any elected official who would associate with a man who calls Jews “satanic” and publicly praises Hitler as a “very great man” should be forced to resign from office.

 While everyone should denounce such incendiary acrimony coming from Farrakhan and the NOI, there are others like him living in Israel’s neighborhood. They can be just as outrageously deceitful, turning truth into a lie and a lie into a truth, and show a face that speaks of a separatist attitude challenging everyone they consider enemies.

  Dolley and the Easter Egg Roll

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

Did you know that Dolley Payne was born May 20, 1768 in North Carolina? Her father was John Payne from and her Quaker mother was Mary Coles Payne. John became a Quaker after he married Mary. It was a tough life for them as plantation farmers in Virginia or North  Carolina. When Dolley was 15 she, her seven siblings and parents moved to Philadelphia. John went into the starch making business which also fell on hard times.

At the age of 22 Dolley married John Todd, a promising young Quaker lawyer. It was only three years before Dolley became a young widow and buried both her husband and one of their three children due to a yellow-fever epidemic.

Within 11 months, Dolley would say "I do" to James Madison, a well-established Virginia congressman who was 17 years her senior and was also a Founding Father of the United  States. Over time James would make his way up the political ladder. It was in 1801 that President Thomas Jefferson asked him to serve as Secretary of State. Upon acceptance the Madison family moved to Washington and this would be the start of Dolley Madison’s rise to becoming a popular figure in our nations history. Her husband became President James Madison on March 4, 1809 and served till March 4, 1817.

We often talk about the state of birth for our U.S. Presidents, however we don’t talk a lot about the state of birth for our First Ladies. While it is not an elected office, they are expected to serve and Dolley Madison certainly did that.

On resent visit to The Inn of the Patriots Bed and Breakfast in Grover, N.C. I visited with the owners Marti and Stormy Mongiello, both are U.S. Veterans and Marti has served as a Presidential Chef and director at Camp David. So, they do know more then just a few things about White House and Camp David History.

From the opening of the Inn and the US Presidential Culinary Museum the Mongiello’s have hosted an Easter Monday Egg Roll to coincides with the official White House Egg Roll. Hundreds of children show up at 11am in the little town of Grover, N.C. for the fun filled official egg roll event at which each child nine and under receive one official White House Egg representing the White House and the President at the time of Easter Egg Roll.  The 2018 Eggs are signed by President Trump and the First Lady.

Marti shared a bit of the historic legend. As the story goes John Payne Todd also known as Payne Todd, was Dolly’s son from her first marriage and was adopted by James Madison when Payne was two years old. While he did not have to worry about a good meal at home, Payne did not have a simple or easy life, reportedly he was troubled as an alcoholic most of his life and he never seemed to make traction for doing much good with any aspect of his life.

However, He did share a story with his mother about a game where children were rolling colored eggs in the sand with a stick at the pyramids of Giza. He suggested to his mother that they share the custom on or near the grounds of the U.S. Capital. Soon after, that’s exactly what happened.

While the origins of the Easter Egg Roll are still debated we know that over the years the tradition would evolve and move to the White House Lawn during the Rutherford B. Hayes administration and take on different aspects.  However, the basic attributes remained the same. Having fun while rolling decorated eggs, some simple and some more complex. Just like all of us.

As we celebrate the Holy Day of Easter and have fun with some of our secular traditions may we always remember where we come from and the contributions of the dirt we played in as kids.  

  You can email Carl at Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com

Carl White is the executive producer and host of the award winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In the Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its seventh year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte viewing market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturdays at noon. For more on the show visit  www.lifeinthecarolinas.com

[anthonycharlestabone]

Having trouble viewing? View in Browser Friday, November 10, 2017 Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here. Developing now, Friday, Nov. 10, 2017: Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore insists he won't drop out of the race amid sex allegations President Trump sends strong trade message at APEC summit Senate GOP unveils tax plan that clashes with proposal preferred by Trump, House GOP LAPD reportedly forming task force for sex abuse cases in Hollywood THE LEAD STORY: Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore vows he "will never give up the fight" as some members of his own party urge him to drop out of the race after a report of sexual contact with a woman when she was 14 ... Meanwhile, the White House said President Trump believes Moore "will do the right thing and step aside" if the sexual misconduct allegations are true, but cautioned against a rush to judgment ... Moore lashed out at "the Obama-Clinton machine's liberal media lapdogs" after The Washington Post reported on a woman's claims that the former judge and staunch social conservative initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979 when she was a teenager. In a series of tweets Thursday evening, Moore claimed "The forces of evil will lie, cheat, steal –– even inflict physical harm –– if they believe it will silence and shut up Christian conservatives."  Mitch McConnell: If sex allegations are true, Roy Moore must end Senate campaign What you should know about Roy Moore TRUMP TOUTS "MUTUAL RESPECT AND MUTUAL BENEFIT": President Donald Trump sent out a strong message on trade at a meeting of Asia-Pacific countries in Vietnam, saying the United States could no longer tolerate chronic trade abuses and would insist on fair and equal trade policies ... Addressing the summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders, Trump said the United States was ready to make a bilateral deal with any country in the Indo-Pacific region, but only on the basis of "mutual respect and mutual benefit." Trump's China visit brings $250 billion in U.S. business deals Trump: 'I don't blame China' for unbalanced trade  relationship with U.S. Trump to North Korea: 'Do not underestimate us' TAX REFORM IN JEOPARDY?: Republican leaders hoping for swift passage of a tax reform bill may be in for disappointment ... Senate Republicans have unveiled their own version of a tax reform bill that would cut billions in taxes for individuals and corporations – while clashing with the version preferred by President Trump and House Republicans by delaying a corporate rate cut for a year to lower the cost of the bill. The move came as a key House committee on Thursday approved a revised version of its tax bill, which included restoring the adoption tax credit after protests by family advocate groups and other interests. The Senate's bill, though, injects new drama into the debate.  GOP tax bill is a "game changer" for the American people: Kevin Brady HOLLYWOOD SEX ABUSE TASK FORCE: The sexual abuse problem in Hollywood has gotten so bad that the Los Angeles DA’s office has decided to form a special task force, whose sole purpose is to probe allegations of assault and harassment ... Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the team’s creation on Thursday as police continue to investigate claims made against some of the movie industry’s biggest names. 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Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)] didn't really have a chance. They even moved the bank account of the DNC from Washington, where it had been for decades... to the same bank in New York where Hillary Clinton's bank account was." – Campaign finance law attorney Cleta Mitchell, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," arguing that Hillary Clinton and her campaign should be investigated over whether they "willfully" misused tens of thousands of dollars while the DNC allowed them to control much of its apparatus. WATCH TAX PLAN DEBATE: "It cannot be that it is more lucrative to not work and raise four kids with the government benefits that come with that than it is to take a job for $35,000 a year. That can't be, and our tax code should not encourage that." –  Sen. Marco Rubio, on "America's Newsroom," on his desire that the tax reform plan double the per-child tax credit to $2,000 to help working class families. WATCH   ACROSS THE NATION Texas church, site of deadly shooting, to be demolished. O.J. 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Cranberries grab Thanksgiving spotlight, especially in Wisconsin.  Doughnut shop robbery suspect gives victims consolation crullers.   STAY TUNED On Fox News: Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Sen. Pat Toomey explains what is in the Senate GOP's tax plan; "The Property Man" Bob Massi takes us inside the Building Homes for Heroes event; and don't miss our Veterans Day town hall panel! Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: We'll have new info on the investigation in the Las Vegas massacre. "Clinton Cash" author Peter Schweizer takes on the state of the Clintons after Donna Brazile's bombshell book revelations. On Fox Business: Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Rep. Chris Collins, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Katherine Shappley, Facebook director of Small Business for North America will take on the latest in lawmakers' quest for tax reform and a breakdown of the differences between the House GOP and Senate Republicans' plans. Mark Penn, former 2008 Clinton presidential campaign strategist, takes on Donna Brazile's allegations in her new book. Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: IHOP President Darren Rebelez and Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge talk tax reform;  former NFL coach Sam Wyche reflects on being honored with a Rose Bowl Parade float. The Intelligence Report, 2 p.m. ET: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin breaks down the state of tax reform and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on how media ownership rules must adjust to the digital era.  On Fox News Radio: CHECK IT OUT  - Fox News Radio has launched the Fox News Rundown! This long-form podcast features insights from top newsmakers, along with reporters and contributors from across all Fox News Channel platforms. All episodes of this podcast can be found at: www.foxnewsrundown.com. Want it sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.   #OnThisDay 1969: Sesame Street premieres on National Educational Television (later PBS). 1954:  The U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, is dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia. 1775: U.S. Marines are organized under authority of the Continental Congress.   Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Enjoy your Friday and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning. Unsubscribe | Contact Us ©2017 Fox News Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036. Privacy Policy.