#but i'm holding off until after the mob vote

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tta episode 5

“Last time on Total Takes Action: The teams formed their very own mobs to sell the now-contraband Chef Hatchet's Total Drama Yum Yum Happy Go Time Candy Fish Tails. The Fujoshis, despite a strong lead from Michela, lost after Bonnie ratted the team out, sending them to the Lame-o-Sine- but not without a special goodbye from their “friend” Caesar. Will the Anons keep their lead? Has anyone gotten Michela out of those cuffs yet? Find out now, on Total! Takes! Action!”

A black screen. Nothingness. 

Then, light. 

Caesar picks up the phone and holds the camera to the mirror, using the flash to do his hair in the dark. The bathroom door opens and Joner walks in, pausing to look up at the ceiling. 

“What happened to the lights?”

“They’re out again,” Caesar sighs. “I swear, I’m draining the life out of this thing just from doing my hair!”

“Where’d you even get that?” Sha-Mod asks from a stall. 

Caesar shrugs. “Found it just lying around. I’ve been using it to collect information in case I want to sue later. I have very good lawyers,”

Joner nods and whistles as he pulls a toothbrush out of his back pocket, half of his body out of the view from the camera, and wets it under the tap. There’s a heavy silence over the room. The bags under Caesar’s eyes are dark purple. 

The sound of a toilet flushing and Sha-Mod slamming the stall door follows and he walks in the background before reaching a sink off-screen. 

“Hey,” he says. Caesar looks over. “Sorry about Bonnie, man. It’s not easy.”

Caesar sighs and sets the phone down on the counter, shrouding the screen in darkness again. The audio continues to play without hitch. “It’s not easy. I wish it was,”

“When McLovin got voted off, I didn’t know what that meant for any of us,”

“Well, at least you still have Joner,”

Joner agrees through a mouthful of toothpaste. 

“I only had Bonnie,”

The sound of the door opening follows as someone new enters. “Hey, guys, we’re all meeting outside. We can’t find Chris,”

---

“I knew it was getting too quiet around here!” Scary says. She sounds mad, though the camera is obscured by a curtain of blue- Caesar’s pocket. 

“He probably just left to do something without telling us. Where’s Chef?” Michela asks. 

“Can’t find him either,” O sounds nervous. “No one panic, though, okay? Take deep breaths- everyone count to ten-”

“Oh, can it!” Scary snaps. “This is a challenge, obviously. You are all so juvenile.”

“How do you know?!” Scruffy says, panicking. 

The sound of footsteps. “The gate is locked. It looks like the lot is closed down,” Peter says. “We got evicted.”

Fren clears his throat. “Um… it definitely wasn’t an eviction notice,” 

---

“Oh… oh, this is not good,” O mutters. 

Caesar pulls the camera out of his blazer pocket and begins collecting evidence on the scene. Just inside the gates is a police-taped crime scene, complete with a chalk outline of a mangled body in the middle. Various red stains cover every surface. 

Caesar swallows. “Okay, from now on, this camera stays on,”

Scary ducks under the police tape and walks up to the stain-covered chalk outline. 

“What are you doing!” Peter asks. “This is a crime scene!”

“Oh, please,” they swipe some of the red liquid off the asphalt and lick it off their finger. Everyone gags. “It’s cornstarch and food coloring.”

“Nuh-uh,” O shakes his head. “I’m not playing these games. I’m going back to the trailer and waiting for someone to get us. It’s like my therapist always says-”

Everyone groans. 

"Someone's gonna get him alright," Michela mumbles, wiping some dust off her parka. "If this is a challenge, it must be crime themed."

"But we already had the mobster episode?" Joner asks cautiously. She glares at him for having the audacity to address her.

"There are different subgenres of crime,"

"As much as I hate to admit any of you resemble even the smallest fraction of intelligence, you're likely right," Scary crosses their arms. "Nonetheless, I'm not doing anything until Chris addresses us himself."

And with that, the group disperses.

---

Caesar records the sunset over the city and turns back to the craft services tent, where Michela is trying to open a can of beans with a shank. “Stupid kitchen… I cannot BELIEVE they took the can openers,”

“The sunset is pretty tonight,” Caesar says merrily. 

Peter looks up from the table, where he’s closely seated between Michela and Fren. “Is it?”

Caesar nods, shaking the camera a bit. “Very. And there’s no need to worry, we’ll be fine as long as we stick together, right? They can’t just leave a bunch of teens here,”

“Oh, they can,” Scruffy mumbles from the other table, scratching at a bug bite erratically. “They’ve done it before- but, oh, wait, this isn’t before! This is all new!”

They laugh insanely and Joner and Sha-Mod look between each other uncomfortably. Scary stands. "You people are unbearable. I'm going for a walk,"

Just before they can formally excuse themselves, a scream from the trailer catches everyone’s attention and the group runs outside over the dark set. 

Caesar throws open the trailer door first. “O? O?” But there’s no one there. 

Fren mutters. “Uh-oh,” just as all the lights in camp go out. The screen goes dark. 

A few people scream. Scary laughs. “Oh, God. This is so corny,”

“Hold on, I have a night vision setting on this thing,” Caesar mutters. Suddenly, the vision in the camera returns, everything shrouded in green. 

“Is this really the time to be recording?” Fren asks. “I mean, we’re all on camera anyway.”

“This is for my... personal records, thank you,”

---

The group walks alongside each other back to the craft services tent. Joner walks on one side of Caesar, Michela on the other. They’re very clearly ignoring each other. 

Caesar sighs. “I miss Bonbon,”

Michela gives him a sympathetic look. “Yeah, I get the feeling. I miss Max, too,”

“They’d both love this kind of thing, huh?” 

Joner watches the interaction nervously, looking between the two and Sha-Mod. He stares at Michela for a few moments, working up the courage to say something, but then turns to Sha-Mod again with a sigh. 

“Sha-Mod, I- hey, wait… Sha-Mod?” he looks around. “Sha-Mod?”

“What happened?” Michela asks cautiously. 

“He was right here!” Joner squeals, hurrying closer to the group. 

The group enters the craft services tent and Michela takes a headcount.

“Okay, we’re just missing O and Sha-Mod. Everyone else is accounted for,” she taps her chin. “This doesn't feel like a crime flick. It must be a horror movie challenge, like last season’s.”

Caesar sighs loudly. “Bonnie…”

Michela ignores him. “Which means we need to stick together to avoid getting picked off. Maybe we should work by the buddy system to make sure no one’s alone,”

Scary rolls her eyes but doesn’t protest. “I call Scruffy,”

“Oh, thank God!” They whimper, clinging to her leg. “B-but at least if this is like last season’s… I’ll know what to do, right?”

Scary pats their head. “Sure thing, champ!”

Fren and Peter link arms, the latter shaking slightly, and Caesar coughs awkwardly. “Well… I have the phone…”

“You’re not seriously comparing your phone to a person?” Michela blinks. He shrugs. “I can’t partner up without Bonnie. It’s not right.”

She sighs and turns to Joner. “Okay, fine. Just don’t talk too much,”

---

The hours tick by. It’s now far after dark, nearing midnight. Scary yawns and stands, then begins walking to the tent flap. 

“Um, where are you going?” Caesar asks, holding the phone up to them as they leave. 

“To bed, numbskull. I’m tired,” 

“Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie? You’re gonna get beaten to death in a sleeping bag,” Michela says, rubbing her eyes. 

Fren nods. “We agreed on keeping watch in here,”

“Oh, whatever, you big babies. This is just Chris trying to creep you out, and it’s pathetically working. I have some physics to catch up on,” she walks out into the dark. Scruffy sighs and gets up to follow her. 

“Whatever,” Michela sighs, cradling her head in her hands. Fren pats her back reassuringly. 

---

A few more hours go by. Fren is sleeping, slumped over the table. Peter is rocking back and forth at his feet, and Michela is blinking slowly. 

The phone rests in Caesar’s lap as he snoozes, giving a skewed shot of the table from across the way. Every time he breathes, the camera slowly moves up, then down as he exhales. 

“Hey, don’t fall asleep yet,” Joner nudges Michela’s shoulder. “Remember that one sleepover we had where we pulled an all-nighter?”

She rubs her eyes. “We were twelve,”

“Yeah, but still. We made that pact that whoever passed out first had to take out my mom’s trash the next morning, so we both stayed up and made my little brother do it,” he laughs. “I miss that,” he smiles at her. “I miss us.”

Michela frowns and looks away. “Things are different now,”

“Come on, Miccy. What do I have to do to make it up to you?” 

She sighs and rolls her eyes. “I dunno, why don’t you plan out some huge cheesy gesture to win me over, like in the movies,”

Joner nods in thought as Caesar suddenly wakes with a start, the phone falling off of his lap and onto the grass. He picks it up seconds later and holds it to his face, breathing on the camera and cleaning the lens with his sleeve before turning it back around. “Everyone still here?”

“We heard Scruffy screaming about a half hour ago but nothing else,” Michela leans on the table. “Fren, do you still have to go to the bathroom?”

She nudges him awake. He blinks slowly and nods.

“Okay. Joner, you’re up with me. Let’s go. And stay together,”

The three stand and head out. As they leave the tent, Michela stops them. “What are those?”

Surrounding the tent are dozens of oddly woven branches and piles of rocks. Most of the weaving is shaped like Chris. 

“Symbols!” Joner quivers, hiding behind Michela. 

Michela sighs and continues leading the two out to the bathrooms, avoiding knocking over any of the ornaments. 

---

Caesar sits in the craft services tent, propping up the phone against a box of napkins and pointing it at himself. 

“This is Caesar. Video diary #13,” he folds his hands in his lap. “I’ve been telling everyone I’m collecting evidence, but I just need an outlet. Without Bonnie here, with nothing to do… I feel like I’ve been relying far too much on Bonbon,” he looks down. “I’ve been a burden. I’m useless here. I’m just not built for this show! I’m a host! I-I’m a host! And there’s no shame in that!”

He sighs.

"I just wish I could've done better for Bonnie. I don't know if what we have is platonic or... whatever. But I'd like to figure that out together,"

Peter stirs from under the table and Caesar quickly grabs the camera, flipping it back around. Peter rubs his eyes as he sits up, looking around like he can’t remember where he is. 

“Caesar?” he looks around. “Did everyone else get snatched?”

“Nah, Michela and Joner took Fren to the bathroom… wait, they’ve been gone for like, forty minutes now,” he checks the time on the phone. "Weird."

The tent suddenly begins shaking violently, large shadows on either side casting a menacing frame over the two. Peter jumps and scrambles outside into the dark.

"Peter, wait!" Caesar says, but he disappears. Caesar hugs his knees to his chest and trembles as a dark figure re-enters the tent.

"P-Peter?" he asks, voice shaking.

The figure hurries over, face red and wheezing.

"Joner! What the-"

"Michela and Fren-" he pants. "Dark figures- serial killers- witches!"

Caesar stands. "Okay, that's it!"

Joner collapses to the grass and lies on the ground face-first before looking up as Caesar leaves. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna win this dumb challenge!"

---

Joner jogs to catch up with Caesar as he storms ahead.

"This is suicide, dude! You're gonna get snatched!"

He shakes his head. "I can't think about that now. I'm going to win, I'm going to be the last one standing!"

Joner sighs, his shoulders hanging. "You deserve it, man. You're a better dude than I am,"

"Oh?" Caesar raises an eyebrow, his gossipy tendencies getting the better of him. "Why's that?"

"You're a great friend to Bonnie. You two always have each other's backs and stuff, and I..." he sighs, rubbing his shoulder. "I really let down Miccy. We'll never be friends again."

Caesar slows his walk, thinking aloud. "Bonnie and I aren't perfect. We have our own problems, too... is making it up to Michela what you really want?"

Joner nods, kicking a rock across the grass. "Don't feel bad for me, bro. Even if I did win, there's no way she'll ever forgive me,"

Caesar sighs.

---

"This is Caesar. Video diary #14. I just remember feeling so bad for the little guy. Bonnie and I... our story is just beginning. And I want to find out where that goes together. If Bonnie hated me and we got separated for another four weeks? I don't think I could live with myself,"

---

Joner and Caesar approach the communal bathrooms, their footsteps seeming to echo. The camera swings around to Joner, who blinks, and then back to the door. 

Caesar walks in first, and the camera takes a moment to adjust. Fren is standing in the corner of the bathroom, facing the wall, completely still. 

“Fren…?” Joner asks. 

Something offscreen lunges at the two and they both shriek. The camera cuts to and from black before landing in an odd angle on the floor, giving a skewed shot of Caesar tackling a black-robed figure and attacking it on the ground.

The phone tips over. Black. Caesar screaming. Joner picks up the camera and starts running in the opposite direction as Caesar shrieks "MY HAIR!"

The lights in camp suddenly flash on, and the screen goes white. 

---

“Well… that was fun,” Chris chuckles, standing at the podium in the amphitheater. “I hope all of you enjoyed playing that as much as I like watching it.” He chuckles, holding up Caesar’s phone. “Teens today are too easy- you give them a phone and they do your job for you!”

Everyone crosses their arms and glares at Caesar. He smiles nervously. 

“Ultimately, the Anons took the win again, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for you. In fact… Joner came up with a pretty sweet idea for me earlier,” he grins wickedly. The campers stare at him, confused. “But nevermind that. Let’s get this started! Michela, you’re safe.”

“Peter,”

“Fren,”

“O- you were the first out- and Caesar- your spelled doom for your team,” Chris holds up the last Gilded Chris Award. “O…

… You’re safe. Caesar- sorry, dude.”

Caesar mumbles to himself and stands passively, almost pleasantly. 

---

CAESAR: “I’m not even mad. Let’s be real- if I wanted to win, I would! But I wasn’t born to play, I was born to lead. I’m a host at heart. Now it's time to find out what this "Aftermath" thing is all about,”

---

“Who will be taking the carpet of shame next time? And who will make it one step closer to the million? Find out next time, on Total! Takes! Action!”

[jaythelay]

Usually I'd take the effort to find sources and list them, for myself mostly, but it's just such a blatant situation. There's no reason to try because info will flood out and the reasonable will be obvious as it has been.

It is a LandSlide of failure for this party and I am absolutely all in. A real "just turn your brain off, everything is working out" situation.

What else do ya'll got!?!? PLEASE keep entertaining us normal people. God knows there's nothing better than seeing the holier than thou but completely contempt crumble under their hubris after stomping on EEEEEEVERYONE to get to this point.

No empathy. No sympathy. You forgone your humanity long ago when you stopped holding Dear Leader accountable. You praised, enabled, donated to, and defended a child rapist grifter with ties to only our worst enemies. Every grifter you praised turned into a pedophile or wife beater. Every single one.

You hoped like hell that if Dump was in those logs, people would ignore it. You hoped like hell the violent rhetoric would only be towards minorities and other political ideologies. It has been steadily R's against all.

Ya got caught up in the game of hate cults and damaged the fuck out of the world, permanently making social differences dangerous situations, killed dating scenes and public locations, you killed safety and trust in our fellow man. Ya lost everything and gained nothing but everyone's contempt and laughter.

Go message your families an apology and be better. Because the game is over. Ya lost. You imploded in on yourselves. And Not One Soul has an ounce of sympathy. You pushed friends and family away, pulled friends and family from their friends and family, for a cult of lies. An internet hate mob that seemingly never ends.

You called yourselves domestic terrorists. You told women they don't deserve rights or bodily autonomy. You're scared of virtual and real women being trans, you told every race you believe they should be enslaved, you aligned with nazis, you align yourselves with our country's threats, you bullied children online for being cringe, you created communities that turned on themselves into doxxing and violence. Damn near every talking head has a police report involving a child or woman. Ya raided the capitol on J6th, ya made community after community, game after game overwhelmingly toxic, and then finally you tried to assassinate an ex-president and current republican candidate, you failed, again, pathetically, and now all that's left. All ya got in that little tank of lies and Larps, is that the shooter, before he was able to vote, when he was 17, in 2021 3 years ago, donated 15$ to a liberal group. (He registered republican long after) Congrats. (Claps for you)

Today is great. I got a real pep in my step. Thank you for the wonderful season finale. What a display! What a display. What can you do next??? That notch is reaching the end of the timeline, ya still got time to try again! Maybe not the murder thing tho, as is Literally Always your rhetoric. Can't say that dems calling him a threat to the nation did it, because it was a republican that did it. Because republicans and Dump only have violent rhetoric until something happens to them, then they pretend to have empathy and weewy weewy hate what dems are saying (oh no! they're upset he missed! Remember when Dump was going to send the military to our houses to search for "illegal immigrants"?)

Perhaps ya'll can stop being so mad and scared. Idunno. Might just wanna leave politics all together if I was ya'll. There ain't no recovering from this. Ya chose to be ignorant and because of that you're lost as all hell reading conflicting lies from your own community. r/conservative is in a frenzy hoping to god it doesn't get worse and impossible to obscure the truth. And all they got. ALL THEY GOT. is that their party member once donated to liberals when he wasn't even able to be registered to vote. Incredible.

I'm gushing. GUSHING! Just delighted. Nothing. Nothing has worked out for the domestic terrorists since Dump took over and they let crazies in. All they can do is point at old man ass joe biden and try to say he's as crazy, corrupt and bombastic as Dump, and while for sure he is a genocider, he's boring. He's stale.

They're pointing at Palpatine and then a generic 83yo man and saying they both wield infinite power.

Rambling rambling rambling. I'm just extatic that these idiots really are trying the 15$ angle. I was a bit bored, even they know that's a weak angle. BUT IT'S ALL THEY GOT! They still had time to say ANYTHING else! Anything that DOESN'T point RIGHT BACK TOWARDS THEM.

They could've lied about any number of things yet again! They know it won't work! It's too big! Too many eyes! There's actively NO CONNECTION OTHER than the fact republican rhetoric lead to a republican attempting an assassination upon the republican candidate and ex-pres!

I HAVE TO STOP. I'M JUST SO EXCITED THEY REALLY HAVE NOTHING! ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS KEEP MOCKING THE SITUATION AND R'S ARE GONE! NO SERIOUSNESS, ONLY LEVITY! ONLY HUMOR!

LOOK AT DUMP'S BALD ASS HEAD! HAHAHA god I love politics again.

[justathingfromthebrainvoid]

Okay, so, mob vote.

First off, these are just my thoughts and in no way am I advocating for one. It would be nice if this year with the new voting system that people voted for what they truly wanted and the more influential people in the community didn’t try to skew the vote one way or another. Please consider all options through your experience so there is the most fair vote possible.

Now, for the actual breakdown of mobs since my brain is firing all three neurons over this.

First, facts.

The sniffer comes from eggs you find in underwater chests, used to be extinct, you have to help them hatch, they have a baby stage as shown in the trailer, grow to be fairly large (probably at least 2-3 blocks tall), and they find seeds of plants (confirmed possibility of ancient seeds/unique plants).

The rascal lives in the mines (above *just below y=0), plays “hide-n-seek” with the player, and upon finding it three times gives the player a prize (the trailer shows an enchanted iron pickaxe).

And the tuff golem is a passive golem you craft (like the iron and snow golems), that will freeze and unfreeze randomly, when unfrozen it wanders around and picks up any dropped item if it is not already holding one, *returns to the same place after refreezing, and while crafting you can add a wool block for a cloak of a matching color.

Now each seems to expand a different area of minecraft that I know parts of the community have wanted expansion on (though whether they would link directly to different parts of the update is not something I am speculating on). The tuff golem relates to the ambience/movability of things in the game, display and decoration, and a new use for tuff. The rascal gives more use to the mineshafts and it’s prize system could be useful. The sniffer adds a bit more to underwater ruins, plants and horticulture, and the connection to the past.

There are possibilities with each mob and how they fit in with the game, but with the information given so far one of them does seem to effect more. And I would say this is entirely because of the information presented (and my own playstyle/experience in Minecraft).

We don’t know what the prize loot from a rascal would be other than it can’t be too overpowered for new worlds, but that risks making it redundant to long standing worlds. A new experience to/for the mineshafts, but we don’t know enough about how it’s balanced

The tuff golem has commonalities with things already in the game (item frames, armor stands, allays, and the other golems) or previous mob votes (the copper golem), but is still a completely new mob which should not be forgotten. A new creature to add life to one’s base, but we don’t know enough about how it’s unique.

The sniffer... the sniffer is the mob with the fewest questions and unknown information. We don’t know what type of plants it finds or how we hatch it, but those questions add interest rather than confusion. And what we do know fits in pretty well with Minecraft.

Two of the mobs are something that has to be created by the player, either literally in the case of the tuff golem or in the sense of preservation for the sniffer. Two of the mobs have a very clear “use” (and quick side note “use” is not something needed by all mobs, but does weigh in fairly heavily with peoples opinions on things such as mob votes), with mining and loot given by the rascal, and new plants and farming coming with the sniffer.

AND I COULD VERY WELL BE MISSING SOMETHING, but from what we’ve been shown, I feel like there’s going to be a clear winner.

[ravnlghtft]

Monday night, I hopped on IG live to talk about what happened at the Capitol. My story is one of many. It’s not the only story or the central story.

But, it’s important to share because so many of the people who helped perpetrate what happened are trying to tell us to move on and forget about what happened – saying it isn’t a big deal.

They’re asking us to move on for their own convenience. These are the same tactics used by abusers. What they are really asking is: “Can you forget about this so we can do it again?”

I'm a survivor of sexual assault, and I haven't told many people that in my life. But when we go through trauma, whether we have neglectful parents or any kind of trauma, these episodes can compound on one another. Part of my hesitancy to tell this story until now has to do with some of my trauma. As a survivor, I struggle with the idea of being believed.

Many Republicans have done everything they can to try to rewrite history. They say we’re exaggerating or stoking tensions or even that I should apologize. Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz have had nearly a month to apologize for their role, but over and over they’ve doubled down and said they did the right thing and if they could go back, they’d do it all again. That’s why they need to resign, because they will do it again.

First, let’s dispel the idea that this insurrection happened suddenly – that there was no way for Hawley, Cruz or Trump not to see this violence coming or anticipate their role in stoking it. Everyone knew something was going to happen.

One week before, I started to get text messages from other members of Congress saying that I needed to be careful on Wednesday. So I started thinking through a security plan with my staff.

Insurrectionists arrived in town starting on Monday. That day, as I exited the Capitol, a crowd of Trump supporters were gathered directly behind my car. All there was to protect myself and other members of Congress was a waist-high fence.

My heart was beating fast. They were yelling insults my way. I tried to lighten the mood to create enough space for me to drive away and get out of there.

Later that day, I went to the grocery store and saw all these people in MAGA hats. It felt tense. And, I guess it felt like – whether you’re from the Bronx, New York City, Queens, or wherever – you can just catch a vibe and kind of know a general sense of when things aren’t right. And things started to feel “not right” when I was in that grocery store that Monday night.

By Tuesday, 24 hours before the events on January 6th, I had already resolved that I wouldn’t go back outside except to vote. Myself and other members asked about security plans, and we were told that it was being handled by Capitol Police and couldn’t be shared.

Fast forward, Wednesday, January 6: At 12:45pm, my chief of staff called me and asked how I was feeling. In that moment, I was feeling great – Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff had just won. I was on cloud nine. It took a weight off my shoulders – and I hoped maybe it would take the wind out of the sails of the growing mob outside the Capitol.

Shortly after we hung up, I heard violent bangs on my office door and all the doors into our congressional office. My legislative director – G – told me to hide. I ran into the bathroom – then quickly realized I should have gone to the closet instead. When I opened the door to move, I heard that someone had already gotten into my office. It was too late. Then, they started to yell: “Where is she?” “Where is she?” “Where is she?”

This is the moment I thought everything was over. As a spiritual person, I thought: if this is the plan for me, people – you all – would be able to take it from here. I felt that things were going to be okay and that I had fulfilled my purpose.

Peeking through the hinges of the door behind which I was hiding, I saw a white man with a black beanie come into my direct office. He continued to ask, “where is she?” “where is she?” Finally, I heard G follow him and say “Boss, it’s OK to come out.”

The man in the black beanie was a Capitol Police officer – he was alone with no partner, and I never heard him identify himself as Capitol Police or anything. We weren’t sure if he was there to help us or hurt us. He was looking at me with a tremendous amount of anger and hostility.

Yelling, he told us to go to a different building where all Members would be extracted – not providing the room number or any other exact information on where in the building that extraction point was. Still, we started running. Alone with no escort and no specific location, we could hear the rioters outside. Not knowing where to go, I ran to find the offices of members I knew in the building. After running up and down the stairs, googling frantically to find room numbers, I eventually found Rep. Katie Porter’s office and asked if we could shelter with her.

She welcomed us in, and we started searching for where we could hide. We pushed couches against the door. I found clothes and sneakers to change into in case I needed to run, jump out of a window, or blend in with a crowd. We turned off all the lights.

Shortly after we finished barricading ourselves, we received intelligence that bombs were found not far from where we were. We discussed what we’d do if the building exploded. Staffers were making decisions to put their lives on the line to save us.

When I finally learned the location of the extraction point, I didn't feel safe going there, knowing that some Republican members were live tweeting the locations of the Speaker and others. I knew the National Guard hadn’t been called. We were in Rep. Porter’s office for hours.

After the building was secure, I walked over to Rep. Pressley’s office where she and her staffers made sure I was fed. We were at Ayanna’s office until 4am as Congress finally proceeded with voting to certify the electoral college. There are more details to share at some point, but not today.

Rep. Pressley told me that night that what I experienced was traumatizing. Hearing her say that, it forced me to pump my brakes. If you have experienced any type of trauma, just admitting and recognizing it is already a big step. The moment you admit that a thing happened to you is hugely important.

I look back on this and Ayanna really helped my healing. Telling your story is an important tool for healing, which is why I’m telling mine. Together, we have 435 stories and we need to tell them because every time a Republican gets on television and tells us to forget, these stories are reminders of what they’re trying to absolve.

What happens now should not be a partisan issue. This moment is not about a difference of political opinion. This is about basic humanity.

We knew that violence was expected on January 6. We knew the rioters depended on someone upholding the lie that the presidential election was fraudulent. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley chose to tell the lie because they thought it would be politically advantageous.

Six people have lost their lives, eyes and limbs have been lost, and many more people traumatized. Even after all of that, not even an ‘I’m sorry.’ Not even an: ‘I didn’t realize what I said would contribute to this violence and if I had known, I wouldn’t have done it.’ Instead the response has been, ‘I did the right thing and I would do it again.’

If that is their stance, these members will continue to be a danger to their colleagues. Given the same conditions, they will choose to endanger their colleagues for political gain again. That’s why we need accountability.

It’s not about revenge, it’s about creating safety. We are not safe with people who hold political power who are willing to endanger lives for political gain.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this or listen to my IG live. I’ve been giving myself the time and space to heal. And, if you’ve experienced trauma, I hope you’ll do the same. You don’t need to have experienced the worst thing or the biggest thing. Talk to someone about it. Acknowledge it in your heart.

Big hugs and build a snowman for me,

AOC

[jos-corner-of-the-world]

The Assignment - (16)

Alex was sitting at her desk just before lunch when someone knocked on the door and Kihyun stuck his head into her office.

“Kihyun! Hello.” She said standing up from her chair.

“It's nice to finally meet you Alex. I feel like I've known you forever!” He laughed, shaking Alex’s outstretched hand.

“Are you about ready for lunch? We can just ride together.”

Well shit Alex thought. She hadn't even thought of that.

“I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, I gave another friend coming. He just came back to Korea after spending time in America.” Alex said. The only lie there was Jooheon wasn't quite a friend.

“That's perfect! We can all share stories of the American dream.” Kihyun laughed.

“I have a couple things I need to finish up and then I'll come find you.” Alex told him.

As soon as he'd left her office, she grabbed her phone and immediately called Jooheon.

“I didn't even think of transportation. He wants to ride together”

“It's fine. I brought the sedan. Wonho and Changkyun will be in the SUV a ways behind us. I'll meet you at the front gate at noon.”

----

Alex tried not to laugh as she saw Jooheon waiting at the front gate for them.

“I gotta run to my car quick before we leave. I'll be right back.” Kihyun said as he walked off.

“My God Jooheon. I said casual, not cheap mob boss.” She said to him as soon as Kihyun was far enough away.

“What? I like it.” He defended weakly.

“Of course you do. It's so gaudy. You should update your wardrobe. You wore shit like that in college too.”

Before Jooheon could come up with a rebuttal, Kihyun was running back to them.

“Sorry about that. Left my wallet in the glovebox. Should we head out?”

“Sure. Jooheon is gonna drive if you don't mind. I didn't drive this morning so we'll just hitch a ride with him” Alex said.

“Sounds good. I'm still trying to get reacquainted with my surroundings anyway.” Kihyun said.

Alex sat in the backseat, per Jooheon's insistence and listened as the two guys had their introductions.

Alex used the time to change her brainspace. To remind herself that Jooheon was her friend today. She reminded herself that they liked each other and had no ill will towards one another. They'd already agreed that they would only discuss the first two years of college, leaving out their dating as to not make it confusing. Alex had suggested it as a way to keep her anger in check. Jooheon had agreed to spare Alex the painful memories if he could.

----

When they got to the restaurant they were seated at a table near the back wall. Ten minutes later Alex saw Wonho and Changkyun come in and sit a few tables away.  Changkyun made eye contact with Alex and gave her a small nod and smile, which Alex returned. Kihyun had grabbed her attention before she could acknowledge Wonho.

“So you guys met at college?” Kihyun asked.

“Yeah. At orientation. He'd heard me speaking Korean on the phone and struck up a conversation.” Alex said.

“That's pretty cool. It's awesome you guys found each other. You were both in a new environment and fate worked out well.”

Right...fate Alex thought snidely, but managed to keep it from coming out of her mouth.

“So how did you like America?” Alex asked him in way of changing the subject.

“I liked it a lot. D.C is a busy place, but I got used to it quickly. There were many more pros than cons.”

“What were some cons?” Jooheon asked.

“You mean other than the dude they voted for President? Not going to lie, he makes our worst politicians look not that bad. Other than that it was the fact I was alone. The whole town is so busy and the turnover rate for government employees there is so high. It's hard making friends. Honestly though, it got a bit better after I met Alex here. Made work much more bearable.”

Alex couldn't help the smile that came on her face.

“I feel the same way. I was so lost when I first started, but you helped me through a lot. I appreciate it.” she said.

No one noticed, but Jooheon became tense. His body recoiling at the idea of Kihyun and Alex becoming close. He knew he had no right to feel this way, but he did nonetheless.

“So are you back for good now then or will you be returning to America soon?” Jooheon asked.

“I think I'm back for good. But it can change. I didn't even know I was coming back to Korea until last week. I go wherever the job takes me. My parents don't like it much, but we make due. I'm sure it's about the same as your parents felt when you guys went off to college in America.”

Alex couldn't tell him how wrong he was. She wasn't going to bring down the mood of lunch. So she responded with a non committal maybe and left it at that.

----

“Did you seriously do that?” Kihyun asked, holding his sides he was laughing so hard.

“We did. By the time his partner Wonho got there, the fire department had just left.” Alex laughed.

She didn't even realize her mistake until Kihyun spoke up.

“Oh, partner? Are you guys still together?” He asked Jooheon.

“Uh, yeah we are.”

“See, that's so sweet. Relationships are hard yet you guys have withstood time and distance.”

“What? What relationship?” Jooheon asked.

“Your relationship with Wonho...your boyfriend?”

Alex couldn't help it, she doubled over with laughter.

“It's not funny Alex! Look at the confusion you created” Jooheon said to her.

“Am I missing something?” Kihyun asked genuinely confused.

“Wonho's not his boyfriend.” Alex said through fits of laughter.

“But you said partner. And you said you're still together.” Kihyun pointed out.

“Both are technically true.” Jooheon said. “In America, Wonho and I got really into UFC. We started training together and fighting. We did ametuer UFC for four years. We still do some stuff on the side here in Korea. He's my training partner.” Jooheon said, telling the truth.

“Oh! I'm sorry to assume!” Kihyun said quickly.

“It's okay. Alex here has a way of mixing words and meanings.” Jooheon said.

He regretted it as soon as he said it, knowing he was the one that statement rang true to. But Alex hadn't even heard him. She was still laughing.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” Jooheon asked.

“I'm just picturing it. You said you and Wonho do stuff on the side and not gonna lie, the imagery is fucking great.” Alex laughed.

“Seriously? Stop!” Jooheon said, missing the humor in this situation.

“You know damn well that's not what I meant. Wonho isn't even attractive. The only thing good with him is his build. Dude is all girth and no brains.” Jooheon scoffed.

His comment only made Alex laugh even harder.

(17)