#gang I have like 65 drafts

[lemonisntreal]

ouch.

[rappaccini]

alright i've had this thing in the drafts for a minute, and i just want it Out There.

semi-disorganized thoughts on the politics of gwen stacy, as they relate to race and privilege.

in general when it comes to the major female characters in peter's life, there's room to play around with their interpretations and race.

cindy moon has to be korean and glory grant has to be black because it's written into their characters

mj and betty can be anything, and have been racebent with great success.

felicia hardy can be a lot of things, but some should probably be avoided because if you write it wrong it could turn out offensive. like, if you make the only woc love interest the hypersexualized, 'crazy' criminal (especially if you make her the only black or brown love interest)... okay. not a good look there.

liz allan has been racebent... but she honestly works better as a white woman given how her character represents the waspy background peter initially wants to enter (mcu liz allan's a weird one, given the vulture twist. since homecoming borrows so much from miles, and tiana toomes was likely inspired by her, mcu liz reads like more of a first draft of tiana than a liz depiction).

gwen... hasn't really been racebent anywhere (unless you count gabi/gabriel o'hara and gayatri singh). and that follows, because she falls more in line with liz allan; this is a character whose whiteness-- or at least, her access to institutional privilege and status as part of that subset of women within society that are considered desirable, protectable and worthy of putting on a pedestal-- is very important.

this is too disorganized to write into like. a proper essay. so have some bulletpoints.

her background:

little is known about gwen-616's family background, apart from that she has relatives on her father's side who live in london (but it's not clear if they're literally british or they're just expats), and her mom's from a german/english background.

(spiderverse spider-gwen is specifically irish-american)

she had a christian, most likely catholic, upbringing.

we have no idea how gwen 616's parent's met. but gwen-617's father was a cop who met her musician mother at a peace protest; and since earth 617 is essentially 616 if gwen left peter, we can assume that's the intent for gwen-616 too. and gwen-65's father is specifically a former street gang member who, like 617, met gwen's artistic mother during a conflict with the police. he helped her police captain father resolve the situation. soon after they became a couple, and he became a cop. so spider-gwen's dad is specifically part of that phenomenon of poor men becoming cops to raise their economic status, and gwen in general is usually the product of a family where law enforcement is considered a tradition (and so is marrying law enforcement; her mother and grandmother both did it).

she isn't generationally wealthy or new-rich. her family is comfortably middle- to upper-middle-class and achieved that status before gwen was born (but her father remembers what it's like to be poor). she grew up without having to worry about money-- with the possible exception of tuition.

when gwen's mother dies (in 616 it's an unspecified illness; in 65, who knows), there's no mention of medical debt. so the family could afford it, or whatever helen had, they were lucky it didn't wipe out the family finances.

gwen and her father live in a nice but not luxurious apartment. (and 65a lives in a dated two-story house in peter's middle-class forest hills suburb, so she's presumably at his lower-middle-class income bracket)

gwen went to standard high, a prestigious prep school where she was classmates with the children of the city's best architects, physicians, business owners and billionaires. since her household's single-income (even before helen stacy died, she was a housewife), and they don't have any generational wealth, she would've had to have been on a scholarship to afford that tuition.

at that school, she's a popular honors student who wins class president, is best friends with the richest boy at school, dates the star quarterback, and laps up all the fancy college scholarships. and when she arrives at college, she leads a group of kids in freezing peter out like a high school mean girl, because he isn't giving her enough attention. so even though gwen wasn't rich, she was comfortably at the top of the high school hierarchy, and maybe even a bit of a bully. to say the quiet part out loud, if gwen had been a woc, everybody would've been giving her shit for needing a scholarship to afford to attend and she would never have gotten that level of acceptance.

she's a scholarship student (again!) at empire state university, where she's a top student in a stem major.

however-- that empire state scholarship isn't framed as a make-it-or-break-it achievement. when gwen's chasing it in high school, she doesn't say she can't enroll if she doesn't get it. so most likely, she could still afford college; she'd have just had a shitload of loans.

(gwen-65 goes to peter's public high school. she gets a scholarship to empire state too, but that's strictly a bullshit handwave of ~your superhero connection got you this made-up scholarship for interdimensional exchange students so you can go here~ that means nothing. for all intents and purposes she's a dropout.)

gwen stacy isn't a wasp, but she's white, anglo-saxon (or irish) and christian, so she's close enough to it to rub elbows with them. she isn't rich, but she knows how to fit in with rich people, and rich people let her get away with it. and she's one strategic marriage or career move away from getting into that social circle.

... her name literally means "white" in welsh.

her appearance:

the one trait that stays consistent throughout all her depictions, moreso than her personality or family background-- and the one trait a lot of men people bother to remember about her-- is that she's a blonde. and blondeness tends to be associated largely with whiteness.

gwen's largely regarded as the 'nice, tame good girl' ... even though in canon, she's a night owl who has a vicious temper, goes out partying often, juggles multiple suitors and is sexually forward. people keep forgetting all that, because something about the way gwen looks makes people keep defaulting to 'innocent.' -- it's that she's a blonde (specifically, a blonde being juxtaposed with a fiery redhead), and people are applying stereotypes about blonde girls being uptight and delicate to gwen.

gwen's a beauty queen. what kind of physical attractiveness do beauty pageants tend to reward?

even the gwens who aren't beauty queens are still regarded as extremely attractive. including spider-gwen, who puts no effort into her appearance, keeps finding herself the target of romantic and sexual attention. this girl is consistently at the top of whatever her society's beauty standard hierarchy is. (and we know that standard more often than not tends to center whiteness.)

spider-gwen's costume? white.

her politics:

gwen's father is vaguely on the left (if he weren't, sam bullit gloating about how captain stacy's daughter endorsing him is an ultraown to the libs wouldn't make sense), but she's... not.

rich boys and men in uniform -- soldiers, cops, football players, (unknowingly, superheroes) -- are the type of guy she prefers to pursue romantically (... likely taking cues from her mother and grandmother, who both married cops). flash thompson goes to fucking vietnam and she thinks it's such a turn-on that she slips him some tongue at the airport right in front of her boyfriend.

she's annoyed and unsympathetic when vietnam war protesters disrupt her education. i don't know if gwen's just that serious about her education or if she genuinely thinks the war's okay, but it's not looking good!

gwen's politically active: in high school, she runs for class president, in at least one continuity (21798) she's constantly brushing elbows with future politicians, and in 616 she earnestly participates in her local elections-- and though she ultimately votes and campaigns for the progressive richard raleigh, she does seriously consider publicly endorsing the racist republican with fascist leanings, sam bullit. she doesn't just vote, she campaigns. and sometimes, she runs.

she dislikes vigilantes and trusts the police.

she uses "my dad's a cop" as an excuse to get out of being punished and a threat to people she dislikes.

gwen's most prominent relationship was with peter, but she was going out with harry and flash casually at the same time and had dated plenty of guys in high school; she's by no means a blushing virgin who's loyal to Only One Man. gwen has options, and she pursues them.

she and peter had an implicitly sexual relationship, and she and darius leclerc were at least hitting second or third base, so gwen's cool with premarital sex. she consumes porn and even likes messing around in public (fooling around with darius at the public library; even asking peter if he wants to go to an adult theater to watch dirty movies).

gwen references betty friedan and the women's lib movement, and she's a female stem major in the 1960s, so she's a feminist and probably had no intentions of being a housewife... but her feminism starts and ends with herself.

even gwen-1610, the counterculture rocker chick who hates cops, jocks and bullies, and has casual sex, has this personality largely as a response towards her mother leaving her family. it's not that she's political or liberated, it's that she's raging against her parents and acting out to get a reaction. she hasn't applied her sense of disenfranchisement to anyone beyond herself. she's that kind of white punk.

the default gwen stacy is a white feminist who believes in and supports institutional power because she's always benefited from it, occasionally balks against it but only when it affects her, and she's naive at best and indifferent at worst to the ways it could hurt marginalized people -- specifically black people.

the elephant in the room

(... walk with me: given that the stacys get up close and personal with "spider-man" when hobie brown is wearing the costume to help peter throw off suspicion that it's him, and the textually racist sam bullit, a former cop, considers him public enemy #1 in the same issue where his blatantly racist policies are raised... there's a non-zero chance that the police-- including gwen's dad-- during the early 70s, think spider-man is a black guy and that assumption of his race is a contributing factor to their distrust of him. and gwen... agrees.)

look gwen-616 isn't beating the allegations. she was on the fence about voting for a racist cop, she backs the blue, she hates protests, she hates a vigilante that she has good reason to believe is a black guy. the way she's simply... never around randy robertson unless she's with peter, and surrounds herself with only white friends, is also telling too. it's all adding up to gwen being racist.

and the more that modern writers try to slap a band-aid over og gwen's issues with black people, the more visible they get.

gwen-616's relationship with her high school sweetheart darius and earth-8's alternate spider-gwen marrying a miles morales paint a very clear picture that gwen, in her default state, is the kind of white girl who would date or marry a black guy... but only the kind of black guy who's disconnected from his community and assimilating into greater white society to access wealth and power (miles-8, who mysteriously left his family, friends and world forever to live on a world where he's rich and famous), or who has already done this (darius, big man on campus at the rich kid school and son of multimillionaires), and she will make no effort to understand his perspective and stick up for him and his community.

in the case of darius, gwen-616's investigation into a crime lord gets darius's dad into a situation that gets him killed, apologizes for failing him... and proceeds to stan for a racist republican who explicitly wants to hurt black new yorkers two years later. retconning a romance with darius into her story means gwen learned nothing from that experience and her apology wasn't sincere.

gwen-8 in particular is the kind of white woman who'd marry a black man and have children with him... and make no effort to make sure their biracial kids are connected to the black community they're a part of. (miles's people are nowhere to be found on earth-8-- no presence, no mention, no photos on the wall, nothing. but gwen's half-black kids have photos with their white cop grandpa. that says a lot. and the fact that miles-8 doesn't even seem connected to his community suggests that quality made him even more appealing to gwen-8.)

even spiderverse spider-gwen represents this to her miles, whose interest in her is directly tied to his desire to ditch his dimension for the spider-society, and to leave brooklyn for princeton; atsv miles wants to pull a miles-8.

-> she unintentionally leads him into a situation where he comes under attack for reasons that are racially-coded by her peer group and she doesn't stick up for him. yes, she realizes she made a mistake and resolves to make it up to him, acknowledges that miles's community is important to him, that she has no right to remove him from them, and vows to help him protect them (which is more than gwen-616 ever does for darius or gwen-8 does for her miles)... but he still sees her as that easy way up the social ladder.

-> and gwen returns the favor. she prefers a heteronormative romance with the middle-class straight boy with a nice family who's bound for an ivy league and a bright future, who she barely knows, over the poor queer homeless punk boy who she has a stronger connection with. assimilation into a society (not even hers; any will do) ultimately matters more to her than the actual depth of the relationship. rio and jeff were right to doubt gwen's intentions, because they weren't sincere; deep down, gwen isn't here for miles, she's here for the stable family, accepting community and bright future he has and she thinks if she's his girlfriend, she can obtain those things by association.

-> which, in context: spiderverse spider-gwen's spent six-ish months as a homeless queer runaway who thinks she'll die a violent death at a young age. it follows that she'd badly want a stable situation, and be willing to throw herself at a boy to get it. her motive isn't climbing the social ladder, it's avoiding being shaken off of it. like with comics-spider-gwen, when spiderverse gwen feels adrift and in need of belonging, she goes looking for a romantic relationship with a straight boy who's palatable to society as a survival strategy. she's not desperately in love, she's desperately comphetting.

-> the narrative framing that romance as "look at how different and brave and boundary-breaking we're being!" even though it's fundamentally not, as this is still ultimately the male lead getting a romance plot with the female character who was only placed in the movies to be his future girlfriend, (especially in comparison to what she could have with hobie) positions spiderverse-gwen as... the kind of white girl who rebels against her conservative parents and the status quo she hates by getting a black boyfriend instead of addressing the actual societal problems that are harming her.

especially when you consider miguel is symbolically her foster father (his design and george stacy's are very similar, he has a dead daughter whose name starts with a g, he intervenes in gwen and george's confrontation right as george makes a move to disown her, he's introduced alongside jess, who gwen asks to 'adopt her' and who serves as her mother figure). gwen bringing miles to the society reads like a white girl bringing her black boyfriend home to piss off her conservative dad. and gwen goes looking for miles to further rebel against him.

-> to be fair, gwen's willing to show up for her black boyfriend and his community, which is more than what most of those girls do. and atsv makes a point of showing that gwen seeks a mentor in jess drew and friends in hobie and pav-- they're establishing that gwen is simply the kind of white girl who's drawn to people of color, black people especially, even when romance isn't on the table.

-> but she's still ultimately using miles as a band-aid over insecurities he cannot help her with, she still aims to assimilate into the system instead of finding a way to escape it, and she still won't be an ally until she thinks she can get a boyfriend out of it.

(... can we please unpack how spiderverse gwen has been spending every day with jessica drew and especially spider-punk for months... and yet a couple hours with miles, and the idea that maybe she can date him if she shapes up a little, are what radicalize her in the end? okay babe. i see.)

which makes (comics-)gwen-65's subtextual interest in hobie brown and glory grant, who are queer black punks, all the more interesting; the gwen stacy who's a fully-actualized hero is drawn to people of color as well, and to queer black love interests who won't conform, and not-so-coincidentally learns all on her own to look out for their interests without any expectation of a romantic reward for doing so. her love interests don't lead her to activism, her activism leads her towards her love interests.

-> and as comics-spider-gwen starts to regress, her romantic interests have switched to harry-and-em jay, and then just em jay. (and she's probably about to be paired up with miles, the guy who ends up with her supposedly-future-self, gwen-8, who takes far more after gwen-616 in her treatment of black characters. in other words, being with miles will make gwen regress into a much crappier person... because she's using him to get that same comphet security as spiderverse gwen.). not a coincidence.

her status in the narrative (to others)

gwen's role in peter's love interest hierarchy is similar to liz allan's: both are part of love triangles peter faces where he has to choose between an aspirational girlfriend who can give him what he wants materially but doesn't bring out the best in him (gwen and liz) and a girlfriend who cannot give him a gain in status but is in tune with his emotions (mj and betty).

-> in high school, peter (who's strapped for cash and starts his origin story as far more selfish, sexist and profit-driven) is drawn to liz's beauty and wealth, but ends up being pulled towards betty, who is working-class.

-> in college, peter is drawn to gwen's beauty, her stable future as a scientist, and a relationship with her means being accepted by her police chief father (... and therefore, spider-man being accepted by the law enforcement of the city at large)-- or mj, the unpredictable girl who juggles a half dozen jobs to chase a creative passion, and comes from a middle-class background just like his.

-> a relationship with gwen, through her social position, represents entrance into upper-middle-class prosperity, stable white-collar employment, and acceptance into the class that the status quo (the legal system and the cops) will protect. who are the people who tend to occupy this position in society. who do the cops protect. white people.

her role in the spider-man canon as the tragic helpless victimized love interest who's deified after her death... but whose death is never meaningfully prevented from happening again. (how many murdered girls are turned into symbols after their death, as the actual causes of their murders remain unaddressed? what do those girls tend to look like?)

this status relies on her whiteness. if gwen stacy were not a pretty blonde white girl, her murder would've been forgotten quickly because it wouldn't have been considered shocking or tragic, or worthy of obsessing over for decades.

and she wouldn't have been peter's love interest-- or even in the story at all-- if she were not white, because she was created in 1965.

spider-gwen, whose existence is a response to and condemnation of gwen stacy's fridging and reduction to the status of dead girlfriend on a pedestal, would never have been created in the first place if gwen weren't white.

if gwen hadn't been white, miles would never have been shipped with her in the first place because 1) spider-gwen wouldn't have existed. and 2) even if she did somehow, brian michael bendis loves swirl ships. he'd have passed right over her if she weren't white.

and gwen's importance in the spider-man canon [which she only has because she's white] is the entire reason comics miles is interested in her. he's literally told by the universe that the world where he gets the greatest institutional power and acceptance is the world where he has a blonde, blue-eyed white wife with a famous name and some not-so-coincidentally blonde, blue-eyed ambiguous-looking kids.

spiderverse miles is first attracted to her because he feels alone after leaving his community for the first time, and she makes him feel like he belongs at the visions, where he [and the audience] assume she's top of the social hierarchy; the same thing happens again at the spider-society, and both are part of atsv's greater metaphor about how those places are representative of a white-centric society. if gwen were not a white girl, the metaphor would instantly change.

miles likes gwen for multiple reasons (mostly that she's pretty and has powers, and spiderverse miles at least admires her intelligence and competence and enjoys her company), but given that he barely spent any time with her, the biggest one that nobody talks about is that she's a white girl, and he thinks he can speedrun his way to the status and acceptance he wants through a relationship with her. that's remained consistent between the comics and animated movies. the connection is literally skin-deep.

and out of universe... look, there's a reason that gwen and miles keep getting shipbait covers even when they had one regrettable makeout session eight years ago, have never actually dated, are interested in other people, and miles in particular largely dates nonwhite girls. there's a reason that the idea of gwiles has gotten more marketing than the reality of the relationship with a black girl that miles has been in for years. there's a reason editorial won't stop pushing gwen as a love interest, and won't even bother to try with tiana, and that's because they've already decided that the black girl isn't a commercial enough love interest for a mass audience, the white girl is... and that dating her will make miles more marketable too (... because aside from giving people a self-insert, if he has a white girlfriend, his stories will still center white people, and he'll have to prioritize their feelings). no surprise whatsoever that the first time miles made it to the movies, the white writers gave him a white love interest.

gwen's whiteness is the thing that gwiles stans like the most about her. putting aside how most of them have no clue who gwen is on her own and don't even know what her personality's like because her appearance is the most important thing to them, just watch how they talk about miles's other girlfriends and try to count the racist and sexist microaggressions.

and look at the way gwiles stans either completely ignore miles's blackness and how it informs his character or their relationship... or insist that white-ass gwen stacy would somehow speak perfect puerto rican spanish, be able to do miles's hair, and seamlessly fit into his community with no misunderstandings or friction. even spiderverse fans ignore their movie's own canon actually addressing those disconnects.

either they want the aesthetic of an interracial relationship without any engagement with the actual challenges of being in an interracial relationship, or they want miles to date a blonde blue-eyed white girl who behaves exactly like an afrolatina girl. okay. i see.

… even look at the way gwemj shippers blatantly ignore that em jay is already in a relationship with glory grant, or that gwen had a crush on her too. not a coincidence that the white f/f ship is getting favored over the ones with the black girl.

her overall plotline

is that of a privileged white woman who has faith in the system, slowly being failed by it until it kills her.

she's a star student studying to be a scientist, but she's consistently only valued by everyone for her looks. the reason her boyfriend noticed her in the first place is because she's pretty, and she's valued more for her appearance and politeness than her scientific aptitude or her status as peter's intellectual equal. her friends spend more time with her socializing instead of in the lab. who she's dating matters more to everyone than what her future career will be. her father cares more about her boyfriend than her grades. even her professor turns out to be only giving gwen special attention because he wants to fuck her, and he's so obsessed with her that he keeps cloning her after her death for that reason.

she trusts the cops to protect her, but they consistently don't.

she reaches out to a politician who's her dad's old police force friend for protection, but realizes he's only using her.

she trusts her boyfriend to be honest with her, but he never has been since the day they met. she believes she's in control of her relationship with him, but she never was.

her father, both the chief of police and the literal patriarch of her family, dies and leaves her completely alone.

she's ultimately murdered by her friend's dad*, and is put in a position to be murdered because her boyfriend won't be honest with her about the danger he's putting her in yet won't let her go when she makes it clear that she wants out of that situation bad enough to flee the country.

her murder itself strips her of all agency: she's so drugged she has no idea she's even being killed, and all retcons about how awake she was are more about her ~realizing her boyfriend was a hero~ than realizing she's about to die or that she's been lied to by said boyfriend.

*and depending on if you retcon a certain hated plotline or not, gwen's murderer, a wealthy and powerful middle-aged man who is her close friend's dad, may have coerced her, a teenager, into sex (which may have been her first time) and impregnated her. and her murder may in part be a coverup for that crime. look sins past was retconned because its the Fucking Worst, but this is how canon treats her and there are still fans and writers who hold a plotline that is so clearly a sexual assault against her.

(and then her murderer... never really gets punished for it. norman isn't killed, doesn't go to jail, even gets a redemption arc or two. and peter's off making out with her best friend a few issues later, never tries particularly hard to bring gwen back when dozens of other people are resurrected all the time, and whenever she's cloned, it's agreed that those clones don't count and aren't worth preserving. there is no justice for gwen's murder and everyone agrees that we don't need to bring her back anyway but we sure as hell will obsess over how tragic her death is. they like her better dead because if she's alive, they don't have full control over her anymore.)

she's failed by everyone and everything she trusts and cares about. specifically all the white men. her male friends, her boyfriend, her teacher, her father, his coworkers at the police station, her friend's father.

(... and the only people who have not failed her, and have even stuck up for or supported her are mj, sally green, aunt may, hobie brown, and darius leclerc. women and people of color.)

and maybe most importantly: she never gets an opportunity to process any of this or make a choice about it. because she's dead. and every time she's resurrected, it's only to fluff the ego of the guy who got her killed before being quickly killed off again. it's been like this for fifty years and it just doesn't stop.

-> gwen 6160, a version of gwen who gets to grow up to full adulthood and does so without spider-man triggering the collapse of the system around her-- and therefore, gwen still believes in it-- even goes so far as to become co-ceo of oscorp, and marry harry osborn-- a white billionaire who literally has the leader of their totalitarian oligarchal society on call. she has her doubts about the way things are and wants the system to change, but believes she specifically is superior enough to solve things with no consultation or oversight. this character's being primed to either have that arrogance lead to her death or a descent into supervillainy.

-> even spider-gwen has to unlearn her specifically white feminist politics. she needs to have the concept of gentrification being bad explained to her. she initially behaves like a rogue cop and her killing of peter parker is framed as an act of police brutality. the entire point of her initial comics run is gwen realizing that the police, the legal system, the media and society are corrupt and that she has to change her mindset if she's going to be a worthy protector of her city. she has to unlearn girlboss feminism, does so by listening to people of color, and refuses to take advantage of her privilege even when not doing so could get her killed-- when she's incarcerated, she receives a reduced sentence in part because of the optics of a girl with a 'good background' being locked up and she's offered a fully commuted sentence in exchange for becoming a government agent. which she refuses. the origin story of spider-gwen is all about radicalization. i can't get over how smart her creator was for doing that.

-> and as spider-gwen has since regressed back into white feminism, to the point where she's been explicitly called a "girlboss" on-panel, she starts palling around with her dimension's cops again and has not-so-coincidentally begun favoring only her white friends-- first harry and em jay, then only em jay (who she starts to have romantic tension with... even though em jay is already in a relationship with a black girl). and now she's abandoning the world she spent years learning to be a better ally to entirely for an easier one where she has fewer responsibilities and is in closer proximity to the important men who treat her like a romantic object.

the missed potential of gwen stacy's plotline all boils down to lack of agency. she needs to live so she can realize how she's been failed, and decide what to do about it.

if she concludes that the system is bad for her and stands up against it, she stands a chance at breaking the cycle, surviving and becoming a hero, like ghost-spider.

if she doubles down on supporting it, it will corrupt her into a villain.... and probably kill her once she's not useful to it alive anymore.

to bring the subject of this ramble home: the payoff we're waiting for in gwen's narrative is about how a white woman responds to realizing the system she's been raised to trust and uphold is corrupt and broken. you have to reckon with your privilege, how you've been lied to, how the power you thought you had doesn't actually exist, how your special position near the top of the hierarchy has nothing to do with how special you are and everything to do with keeping you close so the people with actual power can use you to replicate the system through another generation, the authority figures in your life are actually useless or harmful and the people you've been taught to push away are actually your real allies. and then you choose to help undo that system to liberate yourself and the other people it's hurting... or you keep believing the lie because you'd rather keep the few privileges it does allow you, become complicit in its continuation and it still eats you up when it's done using you.

spider-gwen already passed this test and become a hero (but may fail it if she ends up with miles). gwen-6160 has failed and become villainous. gwen-616 has never gotten to take it, so her fate's still up in the air.

anyway politically speaking, from right to left, the main gwens go: 6160/hickman ultimate (knowingly complicit in some war crimes), 616/original (wobbling on the fence until she loses her balance and gets impaled by it), 1610/bendis ultimate (edgelord who occasionally stumbles onto the right idea), 65b/spiderverse (she's a little confused but she's got the spirit. dump miles and you've got it.), 65a/spider-gwen (the actual radical, pre-spiderverse synergy).

[mintywolf]

A Long Road Home - Page 65 Author Notes

Page 65

I genuinely did not know what these three characters were going to look like until I started drawing them. The gunslinger in particular; she was originally a warrior with a greatsword in earlier drafts, then I decided that giving her a gun would be a way to show the ways new technology is spreading throughout Exandria, but I didn’t have a clear idea of what she’d look like. I wanted to steer away from the traditional Western movie gunslinger image and decided that an early adopter of the gun might be steampunk in aesthetic, and then went back a little further in era to this 1700s, early Industrial Age look. The cleric is a devotee of the Everlight so he’s in yellow robes and then I was really tired and somehow managed to mix up “rogue” with “ranger” on the third person haha. So it’s a rogue with a ranger aesthetic.

Interestingly, the early drafts of the script specified for them all to be in red cloaks because it was so long ago we hadn’t even heard of the Ruby Vanguard yet. I’d meant for them to be associated with the Stratos Throne, and, having noticed that Otohan Thull dresses in red despite being leader of the all-yellow Paragon’s Call gang, figured she must have had some other affiliation and thought it might be that. I was only partially correct -- she is wearing the color of another organization, but the Stratos Throne ended up being a lot less important to the plot than the early part of the campaign suggested.

So these three are no longer tied to any particular alliance, but we will be seeing them again.

[silver-inked]

3, 12, 1nd 13 for the wip ask game? 👀

#3. My most recent WIP is a month old. I started it after a huge burst of energy and I wrote down ideas for several fics but this one is the one that has stuck (the rest are on a long pause). I have no idea when I will finish it because it’s become a monster that consumes my brain but doesn’t write itself. Which is bad, because I already had one of those and I can’t finish the previous monstrosity either (RIP Unboxing Intro).

#12. I have multiple drafts mostly because when I write story always changes five times at least from what was originally planned. This time around, I was originally writing just a Saya fic and Black Cat team up fic, which turned into a Cindy Earth-65 meets Saya and Black Cat that digs deep into their relationship with “our” Cindy, which turned into Cindy Earth-65 does all of that but also Saya gets to have an existencial crisis and deal with her inner motivations and family issues. So help me, idk if I will ever finish this, but I promise I have a vision!! I swear!

#13 I Don’t know exactly what the summary will be or the tags. This fic puzzles me. Maybe something like….

Almost a year after failing to strike the deal of her career with the gangs in New York City, Saya finds herself cutting lose ends and preparing for her final showdown. This time she won’t fail.

New York however isn’t so keen to have Saya back. After the reveal of one of her father’s scandals, reporter Cindy Moon is one of the first to reach out and ask for a statement.

And how could Saya say no to her?

But things aren’t as they seem as months pass and Saya prepares for her final checkmate. Every visit to New York becomes more unsure as Cindy’s past starts to bleed into the crime scene of New York and onto Saya’s doorstep.

And then one day to the next, Cindy Moon becomes another. The new Cindy Moon could give Saya everything she ever thought she wanted, but faced with the chance of working with Black Cat find out the truth, will Saya choose what she has been working towards or will she give Black Cat a fair fight for “our” Cindy’s love?

Thank you for the asks!! I loved doing these!!

[reddeadreference]

Blog Progress Update (Not so Low-Honor Blog #4)

Drafts: 65 - Queue: 60

Finish Dates (as in last post of the category will be posted on the day specified)

New Hanover Gazette - April 29th

Chapter 6 - April 30th

Epilogue Part 1 - May 10th

Blackwater Ledger - May 13th

Epilogue Part 2 - May 22nd

Saint Denis Times - May 27

Point of Interests - May 27th

Not really low honor blogging anymore cause I’m into the Epilogue.

I’ve realized how to get certain scenes without having to replay the entire game so many times. If I save before each mission, use a cheat to lower honor all the way (cause I need a certain newspaper to raise it all the way) get that version of the scene then reload with no cheat on and get the opposite. I’ll be able to make the posts/videos quicker this way. 

(If I had known I’d be getting the cutscenes recorded I wouldn’t have to replay so many times but I have none of the scenes from chapters 1-4 soo… oh well At least chapter 1 is all the same which like maybe two small changes depending on hunting first or Kieran first. 

More opportunities to get more photos and everything else. Plus I only need Strangers missions for John and for Arthur once each it’s only main missions I need so many times cause honor doesn’t affect strangers I don’t think.

In epilogue part 1

I both understand and don’t understand Abigail being angry at the end of “Jim Milton Rides Again?” Like… John Boss told him to get his guns. Geddes doesn’t care as long as John helps. Like I understand she wants John to give that life up but John’s right “What choice do I have?”  

Part 2

Oof hearing Charles and john talk about low honor Arthur… but also Charles just ran over like two people in the getaway XD

But this also tells me in order to get all the proper dialogue I’m going to have to complete the epilogue’s first part more than once to get the other versions of it.

Honor doesn’t effect John like it did Arthur so I only need the convos about Arthur and doing diff missions in diff order (like sadie before uncle and vise versa at the end of Ep 1)

I noticed something, Mr Wayne said “I didn’t think they’d attack.” So does that mean he SAW them in the woods? Or that he just didn’t think the Skinner Brothers would attack them in general?

Dutch… “Same as you… I suppose.” Like.. he KNOWS we’re here to kill Micah… so… he basically says he’s gonna kill Micah right away, right?… but also Micah says they’re teaming up again… meaning this is also the first time Micah’s seen Dutch again after all these years?

Okay anyways I got the Ep missions all recorded and there’s only two places where honor determines dialogue in the first and last mission of part 2 which I can get to with a previous high honor chapter 6 save so that’s no problem.

Listening to the credits as I do stuff now. 

Okay, so I didn’t buy a single newspaper and apparently I can’t get all three versions at once. If I buy the first of one the other two are gone. SO, I did a save reload thing to check all the default articles so when I replay and get all the Arthur stuff (cause I hadn’t recorded those) I’ll get the added articles. They don’t get added if I do the things as John unfortunately.

Soon I’ll have all POI and newspapers done and queued so I can start on the cutscene posts. I’ll have a handful or more done by the time the mission posts are done in the queue. I’ll get some character posts going (outfit details, location details, etc.) starting with the Van Der Linde gang. I still need to finish the chapter 4-6 camp posts but that’s just more a matter of putting them together.

I need to 100% the Colter posts first so I can make the navigation for the app work. So I’m gonna work on that, I have the queue set for more than a week so it’s not like I’m rushing -

Okay did the first 1 and a half missions before I just googled rdr2 transcripts and found someone else already did the entire game BUT they didn’t get added or alternative lines (as in they played one way and just wrote that down but didn’t write down choices or extended lines). I’m only gonna copy the dialogue, not the descriptions they wrote, it’ll be the same as me typing it from watching the cutscenes only it’s not gonna take me over a year. Like I said, they didn’t get all optional dialogue or alternative lines so I’ll add in those. I also don’t think they did Stranger missions.

I’ll have a link to the original page <- here as well as probably either on the disclaimer/credits page(I’m gonna add credits to the disclaimer page) or on the page for cutscenes. Because considering it took THEM over a year… I REALLY don’t wanna have to pause and type and pause and type over and over again just for the cutscene posts. 

I’ll do the video stuff myself. I’m going to post the first missions cutscene and transcript asap just to show how the rest will look. (and again cause I need to finish the Colter page)

I should have Chapter 1′s first mission done within a couple hours it won’t take long. I’ll do like I’ve done before, upload them to my YouTube channel to have them on the blog (cause the videos would be WAY too big to just post to tumblr alone).

[chiseler]

Hero of Our Nation

I first encountered Roger Ramjet on a Chicago public access station in 1983. It was part of an early morning show apparently aimed at stoner insomniacs. The show came on at five and also included episodes of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, that awful Beatles cartoon, and a weather report clarified by some appropriate pop song (“Here Comes the Sun” or “Here Comes the Rain Again”). I was usually up and around that early for some godforsaken reason, and originally started watching on account of Lancelot Link. Always did love that Lancelot Link. But Roger Ramjet was, well, let’s just say it was a revelation.

Roger Ramjet, “ that All-American good guy and devil may care flying fool” (as he compulsively introduces himself) was a none too bright and none too coordinated drug-dependent space age superhero in an ongoing battle against the assorted forces of evil (or more specifically, N.A.S.T.Y.) to preserve the American Way of Life. He was square-jawed, straight-laced, straight-faced, and True Blue if little else, so hyper-patriotic that nearly every time his name is spoken aloud an American flag, a bald eagle, or a rotating ring of stars appears on the screen. After catching one or two episodes, I forgot all about Lancelot Link.

The show was easy to overlook, especially when squeezed between the Beatles and some secret agent chimps with a psychedelic band. The episodes were only five minutes long (maybe seven with the abrasive theme song filling out the opening and closing credits), and were so crudely drawn and animated it might at a glance seem like something a couple of junior high school kids threw together in their basement one weekend. The shows were so primitive they hardly bothered with niceties like “backgrounds” satisfied instead to settle for rudimentary suggestions of a setting. But the writing was so sharp and the voice talent so good what it really felt like, if you paid attention, was a spoof of a ‘40s radio serial like Sky King or Gangbusters, complete with a soap opera organ and illustrated by a handful of jerky drawings scratched out by someone’s kid. People who thought Jay Ward’s Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right were crude when compared with the output from Disney or Warner Brothers had no idea what “crude” meant. 

Looking at it today what it reminds me of more than anything are the paper cutout animations of the earliest episodes of South Park, before they upgraded to Flash. Along with the lo-fi stylistics, the humor was clearly aimed at an adult audience while pretending otherwise.  You may not find any child molestation jokes or crass religious cracks in Roger Ramjet, but for 1965 the lightning-fast humor was pretty hepcat and sophisticated, with undisguised satirical references to the Cold War, Central American turmoil, and the  Vietnam War (“Hey kids, this is Roger Ramjet,” demanding that you stay tuned to this station to see my next adventure,” Roger announces in his commanding superhero baritone. “Or I’ll see to it that all you little rascals are drafted.”) . Mixed in with the topical jokes we also get some highly unlikely name drops, from Noel Coward and Henry Cabot Lodge to James Joyce and bawdy nightclub performer Rusty Warren, as well as film parodies and  literary nods to the likes of Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye.  It’s also a little less than what you might call racially sensitive by modern standards (consider Mexican revolutionaries The Enchilada Brothers, Beef and Chicken).

While a lot of the more timely jokes might be lost in the murk of the over 50 years since it first aired, there’s plenty of rapid-fire absurdity that’s timeless, from the misspelled title cards punctuating the narration to the self-consciously dumb coked-up adventures.

Bullwinkle aired from ‘61 to ‘64. Roger Ramjet came along a year later and Jay Ward’s influence is undeniable. The difference was Roger Ramjet crammed the equivalent number of bad jokes, references, and plot twists of a typical 8-part Bullwinkle serial into each five-minute episode, both mirroring the rapid-fire screwball dialogue of the ‘30s and the frenetic quick-cut comedy to come along a year or two later in shows like The Monkees and Laugh-In.

The episodes were produced with essentially no budget and were cranked out very quickly by a small team of writers, voiceover artists and animators with solid day jobs in radio and TV. They were all seasoned pros, some dating back to the days of classic radio, who worked on the show after hours as a way of letting off a little steam and tossing around a few cynical, subversive  cultural jabs their day jobs wouldn’t allow. The show was created originally by animator Fred Crippen  (who went on to work on some pretty dreadful crap like the Extreme Ghostbusters  and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Ken Snyder, an ad exec who moved over into producing cartoons. They brought in a remarkable team of voice talent and comedy writers, including Gene Moss (the voice of Smokey the Bear) Jim Thurmam (who did a lot of kids shows including Sesame Street), Dick Beals (the original voice of Gumby), and the great Gary Owens, a drive-time deejay in LA who would get national recognition soon enough as the on-screen announcer for Laugh-In. Although they would all get specific credits in the end (Crippen as director, Moss as a writer) it was a communal effort, in which everyone contributed to the writing, and everyone, even the executive producer, did a few of the voices. Apart from the regular crew, careful listeners might also catch a few uncredited guest appearances by some surprisingly big names (I’m told Sinatra and Dean Martin appear in an episode, but I’m still looking for that one). Owens was the star, though, as his ability to read the most ridiculous lines in a dramatic deadpan made him the perfect Roger Ramjet. Together they made 156 episodes (about 150 still exist), which were sold directly into syndication in ‘65 as half hour shows, each containing three unconnected adventures. I can’t say as I’m exactly sure who they thought their target audience was at the time, except maybe each other.

Much like William Conrad in Bullwinkle, each show opened with our narrator, Steve Allen alum Dave Ketchum, setting the mood and the scene (“In today’s depressing episode,” he’d begin with dramatic enthusiasm, or maybe it was an “existentialist episode,” “phlegmatic episode,” “rickety episode,”  “hairy episode,” or “ethnic episode”). Then we’re out of the gate at a breakneck pace, with a flurry of gags coming from every direction. “Ramjet rode into Boot Hill,” we’re told,  “where the men were men and the women were men, which can get pretty old after awhile.”

While none of the shows are connected, there are a few recurring characters and locations worth remembering: Roger hails from Lompoc, an actual California town (“where nothing ever happens, and seldom does”) and  takes his orders from General G.I. Brassbottom, a no nonsense military man who “hadn’t had an original idea since he was a civilian.” He’s also assisted by Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee, the unusually chubby  kids who make up the American Eagle squadron. Like Roger, all the members of the squadron wear their white jumpsuits and flight helmets at all times (Roger even wears his helmet on dates), and in true superhero sidekick fashion, their primary job is to get Roger out of scrapes and make sure his drugs are handy. 

That’s one little detail more than a few casual viewers have taken umbrage with. Roger, see, is a pretty hapless character most of the time, but he repeatedly saves the world thanks to a little help from his Proton Energy Pills (PEP), which take five seconds to kick in, then give him the strength of 20 A-Bombs for 20 seconds. Modern viewers seem a little uncomfortable with the idea of a superhero gulping amphetamines in order to function, but all I can say is, well, it was a different time, and hey, it worked for Roger and Elvis both.

The proton energy pills come in handy when dealing with his arch-nemesis Noodles Romanoff, the short, trench coat and fedora wearing head of N.A.S.T.Y. (the National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos). Romanoff may not have a Natasha, but he does have a gang of cronies and thugs who all mumble in unison (save for one, who can’t seem to get the rhythm). 

Along with Romanoff and his gang, Roger also has to contend with some lanky alien robots, the Solenoids (voiced by executive priducer Ken Snyder), and their repeated efforts to invade the planet in assorted ridiculous ways (in one episode, they begin kidnapping all the Miss America contestants, who “were disappearing faster than co-eds at a Dartmouth weekend.”)

When not saving the world, Roger found himself competing with the smarmy hotshot test pilot Lance Crossfire (who sounds an awful lot like burt Lancaster) for the affections of Lotta Love, the fickle Southern belle with a taste for the finer things in life.

Then there are the adventures themselves. Some seem standard superhero fare, but only to a point. Earth is besieged by flying saucer attacks (sort of). Roger’s hometown is terrorized by a werewolf (sort of). Roger plays tennis with a kangaroo, or becomes the first man to surf in space,  or, in a personal favorite, attempts to stop the flow of bootleg comic books into America’s drug stores.

Actually, there’s an interesting moment in that one that revealed just how subtle you could be even with animation this unsophisticated. Okay, so Noodles Romanoff, see, is replacing real comics in drug store racks with bootlegs in which popular superheroes are humiliated, all in an effort to destroy the morale of America’s children. After Brassbottom shows Roger a few examples (the issues include “Superman Gets Beat Up by a Chicken!” and “Ratman Stubs His Toe!”) he explains that if this sort of thing continues, “America’s kids won’t have anyone to look up to except YOU, Ramjet.” Then, for just an instant in that crude and jerky style, Roger cuts his eyes toward the camera, revealing in that moment everything we needed to know, namely that it’s what he’s always wanted.

Thirty years on and that still sticks with me.

In the end, though, the characters and storylines are secondary at best In Roger Ramjet. At heart it’s  a matter of trying to keep up with all the lightning-quick  jokes and wordplay, the non-sequiturs and references. In the five minute span of one cowboy-themed episode I counted nods to at least seven classic Western films, from High Noon to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and I suspect I missed a few. It really is such a dizzying blur of dialogue and bad puns and cultural references, sometimes, christ, even just references to old jokes that take the form of bad puns (“Waiter, there’s a spy in my soup” or “how many angels can swim in the head of a beer?”), that absurd as it all is, repeated viewings are a necessity to catch everything. It’s a bit like having the complete contents of an issue of MAD magazine jammed onto a single page. It can make your head hurt after a while, but it’s worth it. Whether the density and the pace make it better or worse for stoner viewing is something, I guess, each stoner will need to answer for him or herself. Lots of bright colors, though.

In 1965 there was nothing new about making cartoons with adult sensibilities in mind. Betty Boop and Bugs Bunny were made to be shown as short subjects to largely adult audiences. Jay Ward’s cartoons a few decades down the line were near-revolutionary for smuggling hip, subversive political humor into what had become an exclusively child-friendly format. What made Roger Ramjet so radical was it’s blend of ‘30s radio style with mid-’60s cynicism, as well as its foreshadowing of our shrinking attention spans, a hyper-condensed proton pill of comedy and commentary disguised as just another dumb, low-rent superhero cartoon. Although it’s barely remembered today, its influence is still evident in most any subversive animated show you can name, even if they’ve slowed things down a bit.

by Jim Knipfel

[anastkantdhangar]

Why India’s Social Milieu Needs An Urgent Contemplation

India, traditionally, has been offering astounding variety in virtually every aspect of social life - diversities of ethnic, linguistic, regional, economic, religious, class, and caste groups crosscut Indian society, which gives light to its very inclusive, secular and democratic character. But why there has been a social unrest lately?

India ranks 144th on the World Happiness Index out of a total 156 countries on the list, even behind the likes of Pakistan, ranked 66th, and Bangladesh, ranked 107th.

17th June, 2019, a 24-year old man called Tabrez Ansari was mob-lynched in Jharkhand. He was tied to a pole sometime around midnight, and was beaten brutally till 6 in the morning, and was also forced to chant Hindu sayings. As usual, police arrived late, Tabrez was taken to the hospital, where even his blood pressure was not recorded. He died four days later.

Kashmiri Pandits were victims to a similar unfortunate happening. They were forced to exodus from their own home, and ever since, Kashmir has been even more of a hot topic.

It was a similar mob which chased and killed Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in December, 2018 in Bulandshahr. He was trying to control a mob that had gone on the rampage after cow carcasses were discovered nearby the locality. The same mob also raised slogans against the police during the unfortunate happening.

Back then, between 2015-2018 specifically, such things were done in the name of cows, an animal which holds a religious significance in Hindu mythology. Considerable amount of such happenings on the name of cow slaughtering frequently grabbed news headlines back then, and as a consequence, consumption of beef in India saw some low. When reports of cow being starved to death in official government shelters started coming in, and also about that stray cattle were destroying crops and farmers were not very pleased with it, politics abandoned cows. It is obvious that cows, along with other animals, need to be protected, also given the fact that dairy products are a must, there needs more to be done to protect and nurse them. But the project of fear and violence that had been started, still continues in various forms.

But, unfortunately, cases of mob-lynchings still take place in our beloved India. The very recent case of Palghar district in Maharashtra, where two Hindu saints, while being in police custody and being taken to Gujarat, were attacked by locals. Reports suggest that the rumors were spread in the area about a gang which abducts children, and on the suspicion of the same, the saints were beaten to death, while the act of police standing quietly beside raised many questions.

A particular section of society, including sections of media, left no stone unturned to give it a communal angle. And there is no denying that there are communal and casteist angles to most of such cases, but there is a larger angle to it. The fact that somehow normal and a routine act it has become to lynch anyone you disagree with, who is outnumbered, is a thing which we need to question. What message are we passing on to the youth? Aspiring to be a global superpower, what are we projecting ourselves as?

The Larger Picture

Democracy has space for various views, expressing dissent in a dignified manner, solving issues, but no democracy can justify use of violence or any arbitrary means to deal with dissent. The very feeling of people that they too are ours should not be compromised at any cost.

The fact that the frequency of such acts has increased in last few years outlines that a message has been passed on to the society, especially the youth, that to beat up someone who does not agree with you, or who expresses any or some form of dissent is a normal practice. Of course, there also has to be some manner and dignity in which dissent should be expressed in a democratic society. But to suppress dissent brutally should not be a solution in a civil society.

This the reason why a new debate had acquired the headlines for some time about whether and how India has been growing intolerant rapidly, but the media and the viewers, the public, a large part of it, did not pay much attention to it. This was and is, what I believe, still a relevant question to ask and explore.

A considerable section of the youth has grasped that dissent or disagreement can be or has to be suppressed, even if it needs violence, which is more than worrisome. This is very much evident owing to recent JNU Campus Violence amongst students back in winter during anti-CAA protests. And the youth today, is the future tomorrow, which is why this makes it even more worrisome.

This even stops many from expressing their views, fearing that might get beaten up by the people having other views, and by not letting other ideas to be out there in the society, the prevailing ideas of the authorities are being hailed as champions. This is where we are failing as a democratic society. We have stopped or started to prevent asking questions.

A democratic society is always full of different ideas, views and perspectives, that is the beauty of democracy. A democratic society always cleaves up, if a one and only idea prevails in the society, there has to be something wrong, we are never going to realize what's wrong in such a scenario, and we have contemporary examples of such autocracies. And there were reasons why human, with time, switched from monarchy to democracy, he liked the idea of discussing various angles and coming up with one which could be best, as it will cover as many as loopholes, angles and point of views as possible, for the best of interests for every section of the society.

The Core Youth Issue

India’s 65% population comprises of people aged 35 or below, making it potentially one of the youngest country in the world, but what’s fresh in them? 

A child learns most of the civil and moral values at home, he learns what he sees, and tends to practice the same, this is the normal scenario. What he learns through the education system, along with his moral values, is somewhat an outline of what kind of a person one is, how one’s attitude is. And India’s education system has been questioned ever since.

The Indian government’s very own draft education policy tells us that National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rates 68% of our Universities average or below average, and 91% of our colleges are rated average or below average. These second-and third-grade colleges would have produced generations of average or below average students and scholars.

Today’s youth of India has been in the making for decades. A great deal of efforts must have been put in to finish off all the curiosity and hunger for knowledge and information. The youth no longer wants to understand why a system made them spend lakhs of rupees studying, when at the end most of them could not find jobs which could even earn them Rs.20,000 per month, but still are repaying their education loans. It is the official data released back in 2018 that around 67% families in India survive with a monthly family income of Rs. 10,000 or below.

Those who demand information, who understand their world, those who question the status quo, are the ones who sustain democracies. Can we expect such democratic ideals from the youth of a country where 91% colleges and 68% Universities are average or below average? 65% of Indians might be under the age of 35, but there’s little sign of anything fresh in their thinking. Their minds are not young. They were first burdened with great ignorance, and now they’ve been blinded by communalism.

With 91% colleges being second and third rate, it was inevitable that the youth is kept away from the realm of knowledge. This must have had a large say on why WhatsApp University became so popular, the very messages people received on their private chats must have felt to them that they now had an access to knowledge, the very fact that it was so easily accessible, made it very impactful. Lies and misleading information designed to prejudice them and incite them to violence now began to reach their smartphones as personal texts. 

Fear Of Speaking Out (FOMO FOSO)

Our Lok Sabha has passed amendments to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act last year, that gives authorities the power to declare any individual a ‘terrorist’. After it was amended, many social workers who have worked for the under-privileged for years, and raised important issues which was not in the best of interests for the authorities, have been imprisoned under UAPA.

As an obvious consequence, many have held themselves back to not speak out on issues they would have spoken on otherwise, the fear of intolerance of some sections of the society which may turn ugly and the fear of trolls of social media of the great IT Cell may also have been the reasons for the same.

There was a very popular dissent outrage in the form of protests in the form of anti-CAA-NRC protests. Protests in cities and college campuses took place across the nation, some also turned ugly as violence broke out in certain protests. To counter anti-CAA-NRC protests, pro-CAA-NRC protests were also being held in various parts of the country, which was first of its kind. The national lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic has brought the topic to a stop, but during this lockdown, various student leaders of anti-CAA-NRC have been charged under UAPA.

JP Narayan addressing a rally during JP movement in 1974. Many scholars speculate that the real Emergency started not in 1975, but in 1974.

In the history of independent India, its hard to remember any other popular mass protest where people across the nation came to roads to express dissent to the authorities, only one such example crosses our minds - the JP Narayan movement in 1974, during the time when Indira Gandhi used to be the PM of India, which mostly included students, and was ultimately suppressed after imposition of Emergency in 1975. But owing to a new practice we have accepted of labeling every sound that questions the authorities as anti-nationals or leftists.

India has had a history of patriarchy, which still prevails in many forms. Women in India, historically, have not been provided equal rights and recognition as men do. In such a nation, be it in the name of anti-CAA-NRC, such a large all-women protest of a scale as big as Shaheen Bagh is a very, very rare thing. Irrespective of our political affiances and interests, the fact that historically deprived women actually came out and led a mass protest on their own, which lasted for more than 3 months and has come to a haul owing to the pandemic, this certainly deserved some thoughts.

Motive of the protest, political interests and such stuffs can be and should be questioned, but in the process we should also give some recognition to things which are rare and important.

We all may share different political thoughts, different political affiliations, but at the end of the day, we all belong to one nation, and our ideas should be for the best of interests for our nation and its people as a whole.

[duhragonball]

Field Guide to the Rock Humans

I wrote this earlier today and Tumblr ate the post.   I've noticed that ever since Tumblr last changed the dashboard, this will happen.   I don't think it saves drafts like it should, and if you zoom in on the screen too much it closes the post editior window.   So I'm doing what I used to do on Livejournal and writing this out on Notepad before I commit to posting.   So Tumblr's regressed to 2005 standards.  

Anyway, what I want to do here is go over all the Rock Humans in JoJolion.    While reading Part 8, I kept getting frustrated that there seemed to be an endless supply of Rock Humans running around, and every time Josuke turns around, there's another one waiting for him.  

But as it turns out, there really aren't that many of these guys.   The JoJo Wiki lists 13 characters, and three of them are Rock Animals who may not even have Stands.   Two of them are the A. Phex brothers, who are only a threat when they work together, so really, you're only dealing with nine Stand Battles, which seems like a pretty reasonable number when you put it that way.    Even so, I want to write all this out, because it helped me make better sense of the plot.  

What I'm going to do here is list each character, with their Stand's name in [Brackets], followed by the span of their first appearance to when they were last active.    Let's get the Rock Animals out of the way first, since they're fairly minor characters.

A. Iwasuke, JJL #22-Present

Iwasuke is either a stray dog who wandered onto the Higashikata estate, or he was purposely sent there by Yotsuyu Yagiyama to get Tsurugi's attention.   I just assumed Iwasuke was a normal dog who somehow got strange rock characteristics from all the weird stuff going on with the Wall Eyes and the Higashikata land and whatever else, but the JoJo Wiki calls him a Rock Animal, so okay.  Whatever his ties to Yotsuyu, Tsurugi adopted the dog after Yotsuyu's death, and gave him the name Iwasuke.   I don't think he's appeared since Chapter 77, but as far as I know he's still alive.  

B. Doremifasolati Do, JJL #65-70

Unlike Iwasuke, Doremi is unmistakably a Rock Animal because he looks absolutely nothing like any real-world animal.   He burrows underground, and his master, Urban Guerrilla, can ride inside him like a tank.   They died together while fighting Josuke Higashikata, Rai Mamezuku, and Yasuho Hirose.

C. "Hair Clip Rock Animal", JJL #71

This creature lived and died in 2005, several years before JoJolion takes place.   A 13-year-old Yasuho purchased a hair clip, not realizing it was actually a Rock Animal.  For some reason it inflicted various misfortunes upon her, including a dandruff-like skin condition, and making her see a simulation of her father telling her that he would never visit her again.   Yasuho nearly committed suicide because of the Rock Animal's machinations, but Dr. Holly Kira saved her.   While in the hospital, her son Yoshikage Kira stepped on the hair clip, never realizing that it had been alive.  

I never quite understood the point of this flashback, except to illustrate the depth of the connection between Yasuho and Josuke, and to show that the Rock Humans must be inherently evil, since even Rock Animals appear to delight in cruelty and suffering for some reason.    

And now the Rock Humans.  

1. Yotsuyu Yagiyama, [I Am A Rock], JJL #26-32

Yagiyama was the first Rock Human in the series.  He claimed to have killed Yoshikage Kira, but in the flashback shown in Chapters 50-53, that's not actually how it went down.  Like all Rock Humans, he had no name until he stole the identity of some unsuspecting human.   Yotsuyu became an architect, building the Higashikata House, as well as renovating the Morioh baseball stadium.   But he was also part of the Locacaca Organization, a group of Rock Humans who smuggle Locacaca fruit into Morioh to sell to humans and for research at the TG University Hospital.   Yotsusu was with the smuggling wing of the group.  

Pre-JoJolion, Yoshikage Kira and Josefumi Kujo stole a branch from one of their imports, and Yotsuyu and his boss Tamaki Damo ambushed them and interrogated them to get it back.  Later, he discovered Josuke at the Higashikata house, and manipulated Tsurugi into helping him trap Josuke.   His plan ultimately failed, and he died when Josuke submerged him in the sea to interrogate him.   When his body collapsed into rubble, Josuke and Norisuke Higashikata realized that they were dealing with a group of inhuman enemies.

"I Am A Rock" has the power to cause specific objects of Yotusuyu's choosing to fly toward his target.   He has to touch a target to activate the ability, and then the objects will be attracted to the victim and eventually push throug the victim's flesh to reach his very center.  

2. Aisho Dainenjiyama, [Doobie Wah!], JJL #38-42

Aisho was apparently the sales and delivery guy for the Locacaca smuggling ring.  Pre-Jojolion, Kira and Kujo stole a Locacaca Branch from him while he was transporting it through town.  

Following Yotsuyu's death, Yasuho Hirose discovered his connection with Aisho, who worked as a security guard at the baseball stadium Yotsuyu renovated.   She and Tsurugi tried to spy on him, only to run afoul of his Stand.   During the battle, it was revealed that Aisho knew Jobin Higashikata, but he was killed before anyone could find out the extent of that relationship.    

Doobie Wah! is an automatic pursuer Stand.  When activated, it chases after the victim, producing miniature tornadoes from the victim's own breath.   These tornadoes will attack the victim relentlessly, and the only real defense is to stop breathing or attack Aisho directly.    

3. A. Phex the Elder [Schott Key No. 1] JJL #44-46 4. A. Phex the Younger [Schott Key No.2] JJL #44-46

These two guys were the assassins for the Locacaca Organization.   Pre-Jojolion, they were tasked with pursuing Kira and Kujo after they escaped from Damo and Yotsuyu.   Then they were sent to kill Karera Saknami, due to her connection with Kira, and followed her for trail for six months.

Their chase led them back to Morioh, where Josuke saved Karera from their attack.    She then returned the favor, setting the brothers on fire while they were attacking Josuke.  

Their Stands are somewhat limited in power.   Schott Key No. 1 merely teleports objects from the left hand to the right.   Schott Key No. 2 emits toxic gas at all times, so the user has to keep it inside a soccer ball most of the time, as even he is not immune to the gas.  Working together, the brothers can combine their abilities to be more formidable.  

5. Tamaki Damo [Vitamin C] JJL #47-55

Damo ran the "Damo Kan" Cleaning Service as a front for his smuggling ring.   When his four subordinates all perished, he seduced Hato Higashikata so that she would bring him home to meet her family.    Once inside, he used his Stand to incapacitate them all, hoping to interrogate them for answers.   But Josuke appeared and managed to free Hato, enabling her to fight back against Damo with her own Stand.  Before dying, he offered to help Josuke get Locacaca fruit for his mother, but Josuke killed him instead.

Vitamin C liquefies its victims, reducing them to malleable fluids that Damo can torment with ease. The ability is triggered once the target touches Damo's fingerprints, so his strategy is to enter a room without being suspected and then touching lots of things so that his victim will touch the same objects without realizing the danger they're in.  

6. Dolomite, aka Masaji Dorokoma [Blue Hawaii] JJL #59-63

This guy was never part of the Locacaca gang, and had no interest in the Locacaca fruit, because he lost his limbs and most of his teeth in an accident, and figured the fruit's equivalent exchange powers would do him no good, since he was missing too many body parts already.  

But somehow, Dolomite knew Jobin Higashikata, who sought his help in obtaining the "new" Locacaca fruit that would come from the stolen branch that was hidden somewhere in the Higashikata Estate by Yoshikage Kira and Josefumi Kujo.   Jobin suggested that this new breed of fruit might even be able to heal Dolomite, so he agreed to make a go for it. Instead, he was defeated by Yasuho Hirose before he could kill Josuke and tell Jobin what he had learned from him.  

Notably, Dolomite is the one Rock Human that the good guys haven't killed.  Josuke decided that he's no longer a threat, and he doesn't really know anything.  

Blue Hawaii can control the mind of a victim once they touch something that was connected to the user, like a tooth.  The victim will attack and pursue Dolomite's target, and the mind control can be transferred to another victim on contact.  Blue Hawaii seems to only be able to control one person at a time, but the power is very difficult to escape, so the only real defense is to attack the user.

7. Urban Guerrilla aka Dr. Ryo Shimosato, [Brain Storm] JJL #65-70

The other side of the Locacaca Organization was a group of four Rock Human doctors based out of the TG University Hospital.    Dr. Ryo Shimosato, operating under the guise of "Urban Guerrilla" was sent to intercept Josuke and the "Plant Appraiser", Rai Mamezuku, before they can locate the New Locacaca branch on the Higashikata estate.  He was defeated, along with his Rock Animal, Doremifasolati Do.   Unlike Damo's group of smugglers, who were only out to recover their stolen property and protect their secrets, the four doctors seem to view the New Locacaca branch to be a breakthrough discovery, and they want to take possession of it for their own research.  

Brain Storm is perhaps one of the bullshittiest Stands of them all, in that it's not only incredibly overpowered, but also fails to actually do what's it's supposed to do whenever it's inconvenient for the plot.    Supposedly, it dissolves flesh, and when it comes into contact with flesh, it drives "feelers" even deeper into the victim, which supposedly causes even more damage from the inside, and it "multiplies exponentially".  So you'd think this would destroy a person within minutes, but instead the good guys just seem to shrug this effect off, because no one has any healing abilities in this part, and no one wants to see the main characters with gaping holes all over their faces.      

8. Poor Tom [Ozone Baby] JJL #70-76

This is the second of the four doctors, although we never got a real name for the guy.   Does everyone in the obstetrics ward call him "Doctor Poor Tom?"  Following Urban Guerilla's defeat, Poor Tom contacted Jobin Higashikata and offers to stop Josuke from finding the branch.  You'd think that by now Jobin would know better than to trust the Rock Humans, but whatever.  

Jobin buried Poor Tom's Stand, Ozone Baby in the Higashikata Orchard, believing it would prevent Josuke and Rai from entering the property.   Instead, it nearly killed everyone in a 100 meter radius, including Jobin himself.  Tom's real plan was to search the orchard for the branch once everyone was safely dead.  So Jobin set fire to the orchard and called Tom to tell him it was on fire, just so Tom would have to come to the orchard in person and cancel his Stand's attack in order to keep the branch from burning up.   Soon after, he was defeated by Josuke, but he managed to secure a branch and get it to a waiting ambulance, only to die from a gunshot fired by... someone.    But Tom died in vain, as his allies received the branch, only to find that it was not the right one, and Jobin had managed to hide it in his house.  

Ozone Baby alters the atmospheric pressure of its surroundings.  The pressure increases greatly outdoors, but even in an enclosed space, it slowly increases, so that there is no real escape from the effect.  

9. Dr. Wu Tomoki [Dr. Wu], JJL #76-82

The third doctor of the Rock Human cabal at TGU Hospital.   I'm not quite clear on how this got started, but somehow Jobin's wife Mitsuba paid Dr. Wu 200 million yen for medical treatment, and he just kept giving her doses of Locacaca, which would heal one body part only to inflict a new ailment on a different part.   So Mitsuba kept coming back for more treatments.    I'm not sure if Wu was doing this to use Mitsuba as a test subject for his experiements, or if he was just bilking her for money, or if he was using her to get information about the Higashikata household.   Maybe all three.  When Yasuho tracked Poor Tom to the hospital, she discovered Dr. Wu's scheme, and she and Mitsuba fought against him.   Josuke finally killed Wu by drowning him in medical cement.  

Wu's eponymous Stand allows him to transform his body in a cloud of fine particles, which drifts along air currents.  Upon contact with a victim's body, he can penetrate the body and trigger allergic reactions, or fuse with the victim's tissues to control them like a puppet.  

10. Dr. Afeku Satoru [Unidentified Stand], JJL #76-Present.

Presumably the final boss of JoJolion, and the sole survivor of the Locacaca Organization, unless Dolomite wants to join.  

Satoru acts as the Head Doctor of the TGU Hospital, a largely ceremonial role.  His Stand apparenly causes objects to collide with anyone who attempts to follow him or get a look at his face.    The Stand's exact abilities are not yet clear, although it seems reasonable to assume that something has to trigger this ability, since it only seems to work on Satoru's enemies.   He gave a lecture announcing a new Locacaca-based medicine, and his audience was able to see him just fine.  

Satoru appears to show up in multiple places at once, leading Rai Mamezuku to speculate that the image of the elderly doctor is actually the Stand, meaning that the user must be someone else, somewhere else.    Whatever the case, he's been roaming the Higashikata estate, searching for the Locacaca Branch, and in Chapter 96 he entered the house, since that's where Jobin's been keeping it.  

One wonders why he doesn't just strike some kind of deal with Jobin and Josuke.  They only want the fruit to lift the Higashikata Curse and save Holly Kira, and he only seems to want to push the boundaries of modern medicine.   You'd think everyone could get what they want, but Satoru seems to think he's invincible, so maybe he sees no need to bargain.  

More to the point, Holly Kira probably got sick in the first place because she was involved in his Locacaca research to some extent.   She helped set up the lab they used for the research, and when she started asking too many questions, she would up bedridden.   So maybe Satoru doesn't want Holly to recover for fear of the secrets she might reveal, but this begs the question of why he doesn't just have her killed.  

As for Josuke, he seems to have shifted tactics.   Instead of pursuing Satoru at all costs, he's taking Holly's advice and concentrating on a different goal.   If it puts him in Satoru's path, so be it.   On the other hand, Jobin seems to be determined to fight him head-on, which is probably the worst possible move...

[captain-sodapop]

So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking (uh-oh), and here’s the thing:

Most people agree that The Outsiders takes place in either 1965 or 1966.  I always went with ‘66, and I’m too entrenched in that to think otherwise now, but I can see ‘65, too.  Anyways, so it’s probably one of those two years.  Now, if you know me, you know I’m a big Beatles fan, and I’m even taking an entire college course about them (almost unnecessarily for me, but it’s fun, okay?), so I kinda like to poke fun at the greasers for this quote:

“They liked the Beatles and thought Elvis Presley was out, and we thought the Beatles were rank and that Elvis was tuff, but that seemed the only difference to me.”

I mean - okay.  Okay.  Let’s start with the two most obvious things:

1. The Beatles are not rank.

2. Elvis was definitely out.  He had been drafted at the end of the 1950s, and that was a part of the death of that era of rock, along with the death of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis being blacklisted as a pervert and Chuck Berry going to jail...it was the end of an era, and the gang would have been kids when that was happening, middle school-aged at the oldest, compared to say...John Lennon being about eighteen.  Ponyboy especially would have been very young when Buddy Holly died. 

So what did that leave them with between 1958 and when The Beatles came in 1964?  Well, obviously, people still kept listening to that rock music from the fifties, which I guess that the gang was still listening to the stuff they remembered from when they were kids, because I can’t exactly imagine Dallas Winston doing the Twist, or Steve voluntarily listening to The Skyliners.  There’s Hank Williams, but Ponyboy and Dally hate his music, he had been dead since 1953, and implied that liking his music made you out of touch (”He [Buck Merill] was out of it.  He dug Hank Williams - how gross can you get?”)  But country and western music would have been - and is - huge in Oklahoma.  It was the days of the Grand Ole Opry, which was popular nationwide.  Then there’s the folk movement, which by the time of the book/movie had morphed into the folk-rock movement thanks to Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, etc.  But that came a little after The Beatles; the folk movement pre-1964 would have mostly been Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Pete Seeger, and the Kingston Trio.  Those guys.  However, folk music was kind of an “educated” genre, and probably wouldn’t have appealed to a bunch of young guys living on the wrong side of the tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, even though the father of folk music - Woody Guthrie - was an Okie himself.  Then there was obviously still guys like Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin, who even socs would view as being “parent music,” so they’re out at the jump.

So they don’t like classic crooners.  The gang probably didn’t get the appeal of folk music.  At least a couple of them don’t seem to be too into country.  Probably weren’t into new pop and dance music.  And they don’t like The Beatles.  So, yeah, I guess the gang and other greasers were hanging onto rockabilly and fifties rock, and I’d be interested in whether or not they might be into Motown/soul/blues (which would have been referred to, especially in the south, as “race music.”)  They were into that greaser music, but by the mid-sixties, greasers weren’t really a thing, ya know?  It was folkies and the pre-hippie era, which would reach it’s peak in the late sixties, so not too long after the book (they get mentioned in That Was Then, This Is Now, which is in the same universe and even has Ponyboy in it).  

Here’s what I’m getting at: from what we can get from Pony’s telling of the world around him, he and his friends aren’t into modern music.  They’re behind the times.  Just by saying in 1965/66 that he and his friends are still into Elvis while the socs are into The Beatles almost makes them anachronistic.  Now, obviously this book was written during that time period, so this is probably an accurate reflection of the kids in Tulsa at that time, which makes this even more interesting.  The Beatles have proven to be a timeless band for anybody from all walks of life, cultural leaders of the decade.  Parents didn’t like them in much the same way they didn’t like Elvis.  They were the rebellious choice!

Until the Rolling Stones got big.

Stones fans were the real rebels.  The Beatles were tame in comparison.  I can see the gang getting into them completely.  But The Beatles came first, and that still leaves the gang in a lag, and there are a few things that absolutely baffle me.  

It’s probably my bias showing through, but let’s say the book takes place in 1965.  It’s also been widely agreed upon that it takes place in the fall, so in the fall of 1965, Rubber Soul hadn’t been released yet, but there was still Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and Beatles for Sale.  All of those albums have pop, Motown, soul, and blues music on them.  Something for everybody, and a great movie to boot.  That is already a lot of great, innovative music, and it’s not even the group’s peak of innovation.  It would be a little weird, in the fall of 1965, to not like The Beatles.  Not liking The Beatles didn’t make you cool back then (which I guess is another thing that makes the greasers outcasts.  A trivial thing, but also kinda not.  We’ll return to that in a minute.)

Now, let’s imagine the book takes place in the fall of 1966.  Not only did you have all the albums I just listed, but Help!, with the accompanying movie, Rubber Soul, and Revolver.  Fucking Rubber Soul and Revolver!  Both of which have allusions and overt references to drug use, politics, and spirituality.  They were vastly influential and rebellious and so, so different than anything else on the radio that by the fall of 1966, if you didn’t like The Beatles by then, it really was a matter of what the fuck is wrong with you?  By the fall of 1966, Elvis and his contemporaries were indeed an influence and important, a gateway for these guys, but we were two years away from his comeback.  He wasn’t relevant.  Preferring him over The Beatles and the rest of the bands from Britain just wasn’t the thing to do.

To me, all of this is so revealing.  It’s a tiny detail, a throwaway comment made by Ponyboy early in the book as being the only difference he could see between greasers and socs, but it tells us so much.  It is yet another thing that alienates Ponyboy, his friends, and the guys on his side of town from the upper class in Tulsa.  To like The Beatles would probably mean conformity to them, which is such a surface-level take on them, but to them, the guys that you see on Ed Sullivan singing songs from The Music Man in suits probably don’t seem very rock-and-roll at first.  In fact, the way they dressed was probably extremely off-putting for blue-collar guys like the Curtis brothers and Two-Bit Mathews (who had sideburns before John, Paul, George, and Ringo decided they were cool ;).  Their dislike makes them look stuck in the past and the socs look progressive, when really the socs are just keeping up with the times (which were admittedly progressive, so culturally, the socs were “with it”, which is a commodity of the upper class, to be educated culturally.  But The Beatles were pretty accessible, let’s not pretend they weren’t.)  They have made a judgement based on appearances and surface level stuff, the very same thing they accuse the socs of doing to them.  

With just this one comment about musical preferences, we see a reflection of the situation around them.  They were digging in their heels.  The socs are certainly just as guilty of their part in the class war, but in my eyes, this one line shows the greasers as the ones least willing to budge, stuck in their ways, stuck in the past.  I mean, who later approaches them to organize a rumble to resolve this issue once and for all?  Cherry and the rest of the socs.  It also reveals them as being left behind.  The world around them is moving forward without them, and in order to catch up, they’re going to have to face their adversaries.  But what happens when you do that?  The rumble victory didn’t mean as much as they thought it would.  Did things cool off?  Yes.  But I don’t think that has anything to do with winning the rumble.  I think it has more to do with everybody realizing that things should have never gotten to that point.  Then everything just sort of awkwardly comes to a point where you look around and decide it’s time to grow up and put your differences aside as best you can.  You grow up.  

But the greasers are still lower class.  They can’t change that.  It doesn’t matter that they won, just like Randy, with his semi-Beatle haircut, predicted.  They’ve grown up, and they can see now that winning the battle doesn’t mean they’ve won the war, and they likely never will.  

So what do you do?  

Well, you pick yourself up.  You realize they’re well-off and you’re poor, and those things are hard to change, are systematic, so what’s the point in the grudge?  It’s exhausting, anyways.  You stop putting grease in your hair.  You take off the leather jackets.  You probably keep your switchblade, but as a tool, not a threat - in fact, you’re thinking a multi-tool might be more practical.  You look around and think it might be better to identify as just an Okie - everybody in Oklahoma is an Okie, anyways.  You realize Elvis isn’t cool anymore.  You get in your old pickup, you turn on the radio, and you don’t change the station when Tomorrow Never Knows comes on.

You start liking The Beatles.

[pastelbatfandoms]

Pick 14 OC’s

1. Roxy (WWE) 2. Michelle (Riverdale) 3. Renee (The Flash) 4. Rika (NOES) 5. Carrie (Gotham) 6. Helena (AHS) 7. Rihannon (HP)

8. Amara (Marvel) 9. Meghana (Descendants) 10. Esme (Descendants) 11. Marianna (TW) 12. Suzanna (TWD) 13. Mandy (ST) 14. Ashlee (AVTED)

1. Would you rather date 5 or 12?

Suzanna. I feel like Carrie might kill me if I pissed her off....

2. A man wearing a thong and boxers on his head comes up to 8 and demands their money. Their reaction? Amara would taken aback and just look at the guy weird. “Earth has some strange customs.” She mutters as she hands him some Asgardian coins.

3. 6 comes home and finds that 2 has broken into their house and is stealing their possessions. What happens? Ah hell...literally. Michelle,I’d run. 

4. Would 13 ever have sex with 9? lol their is no way they’d meet,but if they did I mean Meghana is a Demi God so probably. 

5. What would 5 and 10’s lovechild look like?  Well She or he would definitely have dark hair,and striking Romanesque features with bright eyes. In a word,stunning. 

6. What would 7 never ever admit to the world?  Other then not telling Muggles she’s a witch...I’m not sure.

7. Do you think that 1 is sexy/cute? um yes lol

8. Is 9 or 14 more likely to commit murder? Ashlee,I mean she kills Deadites all the time. 

9. What is the last thing that 14 would ever wear? Anything too frilly and princess like. 

10. Why would 13 hate 7? I have no idea...maybe jealous of her because one she knows magic and also she can have the men in her life at the same time!

11. Is 4 a virgin? No

12. What would 2 get 3 for their birthday? Michelle would probably get her a gift card to a Restaurant or a jewelry store. 

13. Does 9 go to church? No,doesn’t exist in Auradon. 

14. 12 and 1 go scuba diving. What happened? Skipping,because I have no idea. 

15. Would 6 survive a zombie apocalypse?

Dang wish this question had been for 12...but Helena would be fine,chances are her Husband made The Apocalypse so....

16. Who’s taller, 4 or 14?

I think Rika.

17. 5 and 8 get in a fight. Who surrenders first?

The Carrion Crow vs The Valkyrie...That would be some battle! I can only seeing Carrie surrendering first because Amara has powers. 

18. Does 13 trust 3 enough to drive with them during a heavy rainstorm in heavy traffic? yeah sure,just don’t let Mandy drive. 

19. Could 8 ever win a swimsuit competition? YES

20. What scares 7 more than anything? Losing her loved one’s,especially to He who shall not named...

21. How long could you stand to be around 10? A good while,she’d be fun. 

22. Your old high school enemy comes up to you on the street and punches you in the face. What would 13 do? Mandy would beat the crap out her. 

23. What would 2 say/do when extremely drunk? I’m just going to put this gif here...Remember Michelle starts off with Jughead...

24. Would 1 ever crossdress? like wear a suit? Sure I guess.

25. 1, 8, and 14 are playing tug-of-war against 7, 9, and 12. Which side would win? Roxy,Amara,Ashlee VS Rihannon,Meghana and Suzanna. 

If Amara couldn’t use her powers I’d say Meghana would win for her team because she is the daughter of Hercules. 

26. 11 and 3 are arguing. Who resorts to violence first? Marianna she is a Wolf...Good luck Renee. 

27. Does 9 or 4 have a worse temper? Meghana,She got pretty pissed after Hades broke up with her. 

28. Who would you least want to meet in a dark alley, 14, 11, or 6? Helena,Definitely... 

29. If 10 got drafted for the army, would they go for it or dodge the draft? She’d dodge it like a thief in the night ^_~

30. What is 13’s worst memory?

Billy’s death.

31. Why would the government be after 3? Because of her connection to Reverse Flash. 

32. You run into 2 on a busy street? What is the first thing you notice about them?

Her Gothic attire

33. Would 11 ever get cosmetic surgery?

No

34. Does 5 love or hate themselves?

She does to an extent,but I feel like she regrets some of her past actions and who she associated with/dated. 

35. 13 gets hit on by someone of their own gender? Their reaction?

Ok,I mean she’d be flattered but she doesn’t really swing that way. That I know of....

36. What is 14’s worst habit or addiction?

This might change,since I haven’t written her into a story yet. But I think Ashlee has a tendency to think she can go it alone,she’s very stubborn and doesn’t forgive easily either. 

37. What kind of movie would 11 go see? An Action movie

38. Does 10 still live with their parents? Technically Esme lives at a boarding school,so no. 

39. Does 6 dance?

Yes,usually to entice Michael or to entice someone to their side. Helena is also very good at swing dancing as well. 

40. 3, 5, 12, and 14 are playing poker. Who is the most likely to cheat?

Carrie.

41. What would be the main thing standing between 1 and 10’s love?

the fact that there in 2 Different stories, Michelle is with Juggie and Esme is with Charming. Michelle would remind Esme too much of what she was trying to escape from the isle. 

42. Is 2 or 4 more mature?

Rika,she is older. 

43. Does 1 or 8 have a bigger ego?

Amara,though Roxy does know a thing or two about ego’s,dating wrestlers...

44. Would 12 rather drive a small, environmentally friendly car, or a huge Hummer with bad gas mileage? A hummer,because at that point it wouldn’t matter. A vehicle is a Vehicle in The Apocalypse,though she’d prefer a Motorcycle.

45. Does 6 care about their appearance? Yes,she’s spent years not being able to see it as a Ghost,so now she can be quite fussy at times. But given who she’s dated in the past that’s not surprising....

46. 5, 7, and 14 go into a haunted house. What happens?

Carrie wouldn’t be phased she’s seen worse,so has Ashlee but she hopes there’s no ACTUAL evil dead here,which would be what Rhiannon would try and find out. 

47. 13 is walking along and gets pulled aside by a prostitute. Do they accept the offer? omg what is with these questions...poor Mandy lol honestly living where they do she’d probably be used to it,she’d just brush her off and walk away. She has Billy,she doesn’t need to PAY for it. 

48. Does 10 have or want kids? No she’s too young,though I’m sure Chad will want an Heir at some point. 

49. How will 13 probably die?

omg! Easy answer probably by a Demogorgon!

50. Why was 6 picked on at school?

Helena was actually...because she was different then the other kids,an orphan Witch,no one dared pick on her after she met Dandy though. 

51. For what would 11 worship 4?

Marianna would look up to Rika because she’s “fought” a dream demon and survived,even though she’s only human. 

52. 3 and 14 are running against each other for president. Who do you vote for?

Probably Renee she seems a bit more level headed then Ashlee but then Eobard might become Vice president...I suppose it’s better then Ash! lol

53. 1, 8, 12, and 14 gang up on 5. How long does 5 last?

Quite awhile and this must be when Carrie is bad again,otherwise Amara would have no reason to fight her. 

54. Who would 11 rather take to the prom, 2 or 9?

Mari would take Shelle to the prom,she’s a bit more low key.

55. Would 7 ever wear a leopard-print miniskirt in public?

Maybe

56. Who has a more normal weight, 4 or 10?

I have no idea,I suppose Esme.

57. Why would 13 be arrested?

For Beating up someone or stealing or underage drinking/smoking.

58. 3, 6, and 11 go to the movies. What happens?

Renee would be watching it,Helena would be bored and Mari would try to enjoy it but would get irritated at the group of people talking to loud and kicking her seat,that she’d promptly get up and tell them off. 

59. 13 is trying to escape from a burning building, but sees 1 trapped in the corner. Would they try and save 1?

Yes bad girl or not she’s still not going to leave someone to die.

60. 14 and 8 are exploring an abandoned tomb, when 14 suddenly falls through the floor and barely manages to avoid the spike traps. How would 8 save them?

With her powers,she’s levitate Ashlee back up. 

61. Would 2 rather marry 6 or 14?

Probably Ashlee.

62. Does 10 smoke or drink?

:: Nope.

63. The house is about to explode, and 9 can only save 3 or 12. Who do they choose?

Suzanna...Hopefully Renee could get herself out or Thawne could come to her rescue. 

64. Would 11 ever deal drugs?

:: No, never.

65. Did 13 graduate high school?

she’s still in school

66. 7 tries cooking a new icky looking dish and invites 4, 9, and 13 to dinner. Who eats the dish? Mandy,she don’t care. Its better then nothing,she’s not as picky as she used to be. 

67. Would 3 ever pierce their tongue?

:: No

68. What about 9 annoys 14?

That she’s a God yet she can’t fix The Deadite problem...

69. Does 1 or 5 sleep more?

Roxy

70. Who does 14 like most out of 2, 8, and 12? Who do they like the least? Suzanna,they can relate to each other more,though I feel like Suzanna would be the mother figure,Amara would be the cool big sister and Michelle would be like Ashlee’s twin or BFF. 

[bbcbreakingnews]

Failure of institution that Dubey got bail: SC

NEW DELHI: It is a “failure of the institution” that a person like Vikas Dubey got bail despite several cases lodged against him, the Supreme Court Monday said on Monday, while asking the Uttar Pradesh government to consider having a former apex court judge and a retired police officer in the inquiry committee probing the encounter of the gangster. “This is the failure of the institution and the person, who should have been behind the bars, got bail,” a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said, adding, “We are appalled to the fact that a person like Vikas Dubey got the bail despite so many cases.” The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, told the Uttar Pradesh government that they have to “uphold rule of law”. The top court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for Uttar Pradesh, to look into the aspect if the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state have made certain statements and then something has followed. “You as a state have to uphold the rule of law. It is your duty to do so,” the top court said while hearing a batch of pleas seeking court-monitored probe into the encounters of Dubey and his alleged associates. The bench also sought a report on the court orders which were passed in cases related to Dubey. The bench said it cannot spare a sitting top court judge to become a part of the inquiry committee. The bench suggested changes in the inquiry panel and sought a draft resolution from the state government by July 22. The Uttar Pradesh government, in an affidavit filed in the apex court in the matter, has said that it has appointed a judicial panel of Justice (retd) Shashi Kant Agarwal, a former high court judge, as a single member commission of inquiry to probe into the encounters of Dubey and his alleged associates. During the hearing on Monday, Mehta told the apex court that he will produce a draft notification with regard to the changes suggested in the inquiry panel by July 22. Mehta said law has been set in motion in the matter and the inquiry has started. Referring to the records, he said Dubey was on parole and he was facing cases in 65 FIRs. Eight policemen, including DSP Devendra Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops shortly after midnight on July 3. Dubey was killed in an encounter in the morning of July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhauti area, the police had said. Prior to Dubey’s encounter, five of his alleged associated were killed in separate encounters. During the arguments, Mehta said that eight policemen were killed and their body mutilated when they had gone to raid Dubey’s place. “I am not justifying as to what happened later,” he added. The bench observed that there was big difference between the last year’s Telangana case, in which four accused in gang rape and murder case of a veterinary doctor were killed in an encounter, and the incident involving Dubey. “You have to be very careful and you have to follow the law,” the bench said, and asked Uttar Pradesh to add a former apex court judge and a retired police officer to the inquiry committee. “We don’t want people to go to Allahabad and conduct an inquiry there in pandemic times,” the bench said, while observing that locally available former judge could be a part of the inquiry panel. One of the petitioners in the matter requested the bench not to allow Uttar Pradesh government to choose the members of the inquiry committee. “Are you saying a former Supreme Court judge and former High Court judge are state sponsored?,” the bench said, adding, “This attitude of mud slinging at all must stop some time”. In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the state government has said that police party escorting Dubey from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur had to “fire back in self-defence” as he had tried to escape and was killed. The UP government has constituted a three-member SIT, headed by UP additional chief secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy on July 11, to look into the crimes committed by the dreaded gangster and the alleged collusion between Dubey, police and politicians, the affidavit has said. “The only option available to the escort party, under the circumstances was to fire back in self-defence,” said Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthy, in the affidavit filed on behalf of the state, in the matter. The top police officer has denied that Dubey had surrendered at Ujjain and said that the accused who was on the run was identified at the Mahakaal Temple by the Samiti authorities as well as the policemen at the temple premises.

The post Failure of institution that Dubey got bail: SC appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

from WordPress https://bbcbreakingnews.com/failure-of-institution-that-dubey-got-bail-sc/

[buddyrabrahams]

10 best moves of the NFL offseason

The new league year is still less than two weeks old, but already the entire NFL landscape has changed quite a bit thanks in large part to free agency and an uncharacteristically active trade market. Couple that with a plethora of new head coaches, new general managers and shifts in front office structure, and there’s been a substantial amount of shakeup around the NFL.

But which teams and players have benefited most from all these changes? Who has gotten better? Who has gotten worse?

Here’s a look at the 10 best moves of the 2018 NFL offseason to date.

10. Eagles acquire Michael Bennett

The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl title on the shoulders of their dominant defense, which was highlighted by one of the better and more versatile defensive lines in football. So, what did the Eagles do as they begin their path to a repeat? They further bolstered their defensive line with the addition of Michael Bennett, who had been traded by the Seattle Seahawks as part of their organizational purge.

To land Bennett and a seventh-round pick, the Eagles sent back a fifth-round selection in the 2018 draft and wide receiver Marcus Johnson, who signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted rookie out of Texas in 2016 and was rarely used.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Bennett came with some unexpected baggage. He recently had a warrant issued for his arrest as part of an ongoing assault investigation. Bennett allegedly injured a 66-year-old paraplegic woman during Super Bowl LI, which led to an indictment by a Texas Grand Jury.

The charge carries a potential for 10 years in prison, but so long as Bennett gets his life in order and pays the proper restitution, it should still result in a good acquisition for the Eagles.

9. Texans sign safety Tyrann Mathieu

When the Arizona Cardinals decided to part ways with veteran Tyrann Mathieu, he immediately became the premier safety available on the free agent market. And it didn’t take very long for a plethora of teams to come calling. Mathieu made it immediately clear that money wouldn’t determine where he eventually signed, acknowledging that he needed 2018 to showcase his talents and prove he’s still the same dominant player he once was.

In the end, it was the Texans who walked away victorious in the Mathieu race, signing the Honey Badger to a one-year, $7 million deal. And now Houston will get the best Mathieu can possibly offer.

“This is my test. Not too many people have my story,” Mathieu told Bleacher Report. “And this is my story: A guy goes from unknown to a Heisman Trophy finalist. He gets kicked out of school. He absolutely rebounds himself. He becomes a millionaire. He’s taking care of his family. And then he’s getting injured.

“How can he get back to the top of that mountain? People never do it. You’ve seen guys go, and then drop off. They never returned. . . I will, though.”

8. Browns trade for quality quarterback, receiver tandem

The Cleveland Browns were extremely active to start the offseason and have not slowed down to date. And while they traded away some quality talent, they also brought some back in.

Whether or not the Browns intend to take a quarterback No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, they needed a starter for the upcoming season and were able to land by way of the Buffalo Bills, who accepted a third-round pick (No. 65 overall) in exchange for Tyrod Taylor.

With a quarterback in place, the Browns then sent DeShone Kizer to the Green Bay Packers for cornerback Damarious Randall.

On the very same day the Browns acquired Taylor, they also landed wide receiver Jarvis Landry from the Miami Dolphins for a 2018 fourth-round pick and a 2019 seventh-round pick.

It was a lot of wheeling and dealing for the Browns — just a small amount of the work they did through trade — but it gave them a quality quarterback-wide receiver combination for the 2018 season, and kept them in position to take a quarterback No. 1 overall should they so desire.

7. Patriots trade for DT Danny Shelton, CB Jason McCourty

The New England Patriots had an obvious problem on the defensive side of the ball in 2017, and Matt Patricia leaving to coach the Detroit Lions certainly added to lingering concerns as the new league year opened. But Bill Belichick and the Patriots promptly shored up some weaker areas by acquiring quality talent by whatever means necessary.

In two separate trades with the Cleveland Browns, the Patriots were able to land defensive tackle Danny Shelton and cornerback Jason McCourty, who will be paired with his twin brother, Devin.

What’s significant about these trades for the Patriots isn’t just that they were relatively inexpensive, but that they bolster their defensive line and secondary substantially. Shelton finished the 2017 with a Pro Football Focus grade of 81.5, while McCourty finished 2017 with a grade of 83.9.

Adding quality, consistent and serviceable talent is what the Patriots do in the offseason. Getting the most they can out of those players is what they do during the season. So love them or hate them, New England came out on top with both of these trades.

6. Raiders hire Jon Gruden as head coach

There were quite a few coaching hires in the NFL this offseason, including Steve Wilks by the Arizona Cardinals and Matt Patricia by the Detroit Lions. But perhaps none was immediately as impactful or stirring as the return of Jon Gruden to the Oakland Raiders.

Gruden’s return revitalized an Oakland fan base starved for success, and it seemed to have a similar impact on the players. And while there’s really no telling how Gruden’s second stint in Oakland will ultimately play out, it has the potential to boom just as much as it has the potential to bust.

It has, after all, been 10 long years since Gruden last graced an NFL sideline and 17 years since he was last part of the Raiders’ organization. But while serving as an ESPN broadcaster, he remained very close to the game. And there’s no denying the value Gruden was able to gain through his knowledge of football’s evolution even though he fully intends to go “old school” in his second stint with the franchise.

5. Jaguars swoop in, sign Andrew Norwell

When the new league year arrived on March 14, most NFL experts firmly believed that All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell would sign with the New York Giants. Some even went as far as to “guarantee” the signing, saying it was a mere formality.

Tom Coughlin, who spent over a decade coaching the Giants, had different ideas. And in a wildly unexpected twist, he and the Jaguars swooped in and pulled the rug out from not just the Giants, but a handful of other teams who were chasing Norwell.

Jacksonville landed Norwell on a five-year, $66.5 million deal, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. And in the end, it will be money well spent as the Jaguars look to continue their ascension and now feature an interior anchor for years to come.

4. Giants fill two major holes with Nate Solder, Alec Ogletree

The New York Giants had more than a few needs coming off of a 3-13 season in 2017, which included the termination of head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.

Under new general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur, the Giants entered the offseason with a renewed focus on repairing their damaged offensive line and shockingly thin linebacker corps. It didn’t take very long for them to address both areas.

They were able to acquire veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two late-round draft picks, and later added left tackle Nate Solder on a four-year, $62 million deal that made him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL.

Although the collective cost for the two players seems extensive on the surface, Gettleman & Co. did what they had to do in order to shore up two extremely weak areas. It won’t fix all of the team’s problems, but it will go a long way in helping to rebound after a franchise-worst season.

3. Jets move up to No. 3 pick in draft

The New York Jets, like many other teams, apparently have their sights set on a franchise quarterback entering the 2018 NFL Draft. Of course, with the No. 6 overall pick, they were on the outside looking in.

In an effort to move up, Gang Green paid a king’s ransom, sending the No. 6 overall pick and three second-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick.

The price to move up three spots was remarkably steep, but in a quarterback-rich draft, the Jets knew they’d put themselves in a position to snag one of the top three by moving up. Of course, the downside is that they weren’t able to get the No. 1 or 2 pick away the Browns and Giants, so they’ll ultimately have to pick up leftovers — assuming both Cleveland and New York select a quarterback with their picks.

The good news is that even in such a scenario, the Jets walk away with one of Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen or Josh Allen, and all three appear worthy of such a gamble.

2. Bills swap their way to a great position

The Buffalo Bills aren’t hiding the fact that they’re looking for a franchise quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft. The only problem entering the offseason was that they weren’t in a great position to land one.

Although they may still be on the outside looking in, a series of very clever March trades have put them in remarkable position to ultimately finish the quest they embarked on the very moment the 2017 season ended.

First, the Bills unloaded quarterback Tyrod Taylor, trading him to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the No. 65 overall pick. Then, just days later, they traded left tackle Cordy Glenn to the Cincinnati Bengals and swapped first-round picks, moving from No. 25 overall to No. 12 overall.

While that’s not high enough to walk away with one of the draft’s top quarterback prospects, the trades have helped stockpile assets for the Bills, who are now expected to attempt a move up into the top five. And with No. 12 and No. 22 picks in Round 1, as well as picks No. 53 and No. 56 in Round 2, the ammo needed is most certainly there.

It has been an aggressive strategy for the Bills, but their wheeling and dealing has put them in good position to reach their ultimate goal.

1. Vikings make a big splash, sign Kirk Cousins

Entering the offseason, the prized free agent was always expected to be quarterback Kirk Cousins. And even after Case Keenum put up wildly unexpected numbers for Minnesota in 2018, the Vikings intended on entering the Cousins sweepstakes.

With the Jets, Broncos, Browns and others also quarterback-hungry entering free agency, the race was destined to be a tight and expensive one. But in the end, it was the Vikings who came up big, signing Cousins to a three-year, $84 million deal that is fully guaranteed.

Expensive? Without a doubt, but the addition of Cousins immediately turns the Vikings into an even stronger Super Bowl contender and shores up the quarterback position for at least three seasons.

“I would be here a long time if I were to read off the grocery list of reasons why this is the right fit,” Cousins said during his introductory press conference. “But for the sake of time, winning is what I said it would be all about, and it’s true. I came here for the chance to win. Probably the best chance. That is all that matters in this business.”

It’s a match made in heaven for both Cousins and the Vikings because they legitimately provide each other the best chance to win.

from Larry Brown Sports https://ift.tt/2GfM6na

[thetawlfoundat]

`The following blog is a ROUGH DRAFT I would  like comment on. It will be featured on other blog sites and published in the Prison Insider a magazine that is trying to bring attention to Prison life and mass incarceration and its policies. Anne-Valerie ask me to write this blog and I would like comment on it before it is taken to press. Thank you and God Bless!

                                LOCKDOWN    (i) "Lock down Lock down!" Are the first screams I hear. Yelled by as many prison personnel as possible. They are taught to use these screams to disorientate prisoners, so that they can take control. In the prison Housing Unit there are approximately 120 inmates; so 15-20 prison officers & staff rush out of their offices or from their post to usher us -by threat- to LOCK DOWN!

  (ii) Instantly, my pulse quickens and my heart races due to the screams and obscene threats. Because I am in a High Security prison I have to first look for my "homies" (prisoners from my home town or gang) to see if they are under threat or in danger. If I fail to make sure they are safe or fail to come to their aid & assistance; when needed my other "homies" will revisit my failures via violence. So Once I am satisfied that my "homies" are safe I do as I am threatened and WALK to my cell.

(iii) As the cell door is slammed behind me, I go over in my mind my initial threat assessment. Although it took seconds to do, time actually slowed for me as I took in everything at once. This skill is honed by doing 16 years in the most volatile and violent prisons in America. As I wait for the door to be locked I hypothesize and try and figure out the probability of the time on lock down. Then it comes. That echo from the insidiously ominous "click". The "click" that sparks a moment of panic and feeling of entrapment. The "click" that tells you that you are now locked in your cell and there is nothing you can do about it. I feel I am being burried alive.  My cell feels like a tomb. It is a debilitating feeling. I have to quickly shake it off and deal with the reality at hand; that reality being that we are going on lock down.

     I turn to my cell-mate to ask him "what happened?". Even though I know that he knows as little as I do...or maybe not. I have learned that you ask questions in prison not so I can listen to the answer but for the purpose of reading the body language, speech patterns and behavior of the person I put the question to. So I do this to my cell-mate and watch him carefully as he answers. Since he doesn't know anything I move to the window.

 (iv) At the window I do another threat assessment. The prisoners returning from their jobs or from the yard always know more than those who were in the Housing Units. Since we can't hear one another we talk thru furtive jesters or hand signals. If I can't get anyone's attention I watch the number of prisoners passing by every second. The more that pass by the less time on lock down. The less that pass by every second the higher the probability of being lock down for awhile. My concern grows.

 (v) After this assessment I sit on my bunk and think. I am flooded with a wave of emotions, That threaten to drown me. My emotions range from being glad I did not have to come to the assistance of any of my "homies". Then I grow disappointed as my daily routine has just been interrupted. Next I grow angry because my communications with my family and love ones have come to an abrupt halt. Communication is a great barrier for prisoners. The one way to lose communications with people is repeated locked downs. Lock downs are deleterious to maintaining a communications with people on the outside. I am pissed and depressed all at once.

    At that thought, suddenly, everything in my life starts to feel unsettled. But I can't dwell on that because now worry creeps in; it tells me to think about my own safety. So I go thru the scenarios. Did a prisoner attack a prison officer, official  or staff? If so their will be retaliation. Did one of my "homies" get into it with another group of prisoners. If so the repercussions could last years. Someone could end up dead. Other things creep into my mind as well; like is my cellmate holding any contraband (weapons or drugs). If so we are sure to be stripped searched while on lock down and if they find it they will charge us both. Overwhelmed by these emotions I lay back on my bed and curse. I think to myself "here we go again". I am frustrated. I am  angry. I am distraught.

 (vi) Since lockdowns happen so often in high level federal prisons  -at a minimum of two, every 90 days not spent on lock down- I prepare myself mentally to share a small cell with another grown man. If I am lucky this will only be for a week. If I am unlucky this will extend 14-30 days. Hopefully, my cellmate has prepared for lock down like me. because we are served cold food (bologna and artificial cheese) for 7 days, prisoners usually have a "lock down" bag under their beds. This bag consist of instant soups, chips and cookies. I am hoping my cell mate has a lock down bag because if not I will have to share mine. In the case of long lock downs managing food can be an extra dynamic that can be stressful in an already ultra stressful environment. Not having food or not sharing food can lead to violence between cellmates and any fight in prison, especially in a locked cell can mean a fight to the death.

      Because of these facts I ask my cell-mate if he has enough food for lock down. I inventory my own bag to make sure that I will have enough for us both in case we are locked down for weeks. The last thing I need is a fight to the death between me and my cell mate over food. For "lifers" like myself, a murder done in self-defense can be construed by an over zealous Assistant United States Attorney as an "aggravating factor". If so determined I could be tried for the death penalty. This law only applies to lifers. My cell mate on the other hand could kill me and probably only get 8 years. The irony in my particular situation is that I was given a Life sentence based on non-violent drug crime and he was given a much lesser term of imprisonment than me for a murder- a violent crime. I laugh at that hypocrisy and scoff at the disadvantage and decide to out think my cell mate for the entire time we are locked down. I will need my mind to tow the line.

   After I am satisfied that I have enough food for us both I close my eyes and calm myself. It will take some time but it has to be done. I already know what will happen. It will take 72 hours before I get a shower. We will get stripped searched and our cell searched. What prisoners call a "shake-down". If my family calls to the prison, due to my absence of communication, they will be given no information about what is happening and will not even be told if I am alive or well. This small injustice will probably cause my family member or love one to blame or reprimand me for putting them thru all of this and knowing I am part of the cause I feel guilty and grow even more angrier. Something I have to quickly gain control of this is the wrong time to be thinking irrationally. So I breath and find my calm and drift into the silence as I know that 65% of the prison population is doing the same ritual as me.

 (vii)  On this lock down there was no assault on staff. I learn however, that it was one group against another group. I am relieved that my "homies" are not involved. If they were once off of lock down I would have to "strap up" go to the yard and probably "get it in" with prison knives (some laced with poison made from human feces) and face the gun tower and concussion grenades. I still have to be cautious if I do go to the yard because I could get caught up in a gang battle; where we all look alike according to the gun towers.

      Since no one can visit during lock down I send out a letter informing my love ones or family that I am on lock down. Sometimes I don't send anything because I do not want to worry my family. It is at this that time I start separating my property. There is no telling what may be taken during the cell search. Usually things like pictures or cards - that remind me of my love ones or family. My favorite pair of shorts or work out shirt or a hat. Anything that gives me serenity. Stuff that seems insignificance like a particular pen ( I write that special person with) or a cup or a new pair of sneakers or an extra set of cleats (one to practice in one to play in). Things that seem small when complained about but hold strong sentimental value to a prisoner. My biggest concern is losing my mailing stamps. Stamps are the currency in prison and losing my cache of stamps is equal to a person in the free world losing their life savings. These are things that are worth great personal value. Things I use to make it thru everyday prison life. Things that don't make me feel like a convict.  Things that make me feel normal.

 (viii) Three things will happen on lock down: 1) I will get stripped searched; 2) my cell will be torn apart during the cell search; and 3) I am sure to lose something of value and someone of value I communicate with during this lockdown. The first day of lock-down is always the easiest. you catch up on all the sleep you have lost. Sleep lost by having to wake up as soon  as the doors open; so as to be "on-point" for any eventuality. Several inmates feel relief, as I do during the first day of lock down; which I usually spend sleeping all day.

        It is the second day of lock down that I begin checking my cellmates mental fortitude. making my threat assessment. Long periods of lock down are mentally and emotionally taxing. A prisoner can lose their mind in a matters of  hours on lock down. Being trapped in a small cell with another person having to get use to all their oddities and quirks. Having to get use to their body odor and the odor from them using the bathroom. The auras in the room are palpable. So I have to first make sure that my cellmate is not going thru any personal problems. So I spark up a small conversation that is prodding. What I want to accomplish is to make sure he is not a threat tome or himself. however, I have to do this in a way where he doesn't think that I think he is weak. you can't be viewed as weak in prison and if you imply someone is weak it could cause a violent reaction. My cell-mate is find but I begin to wonder if he is working the same assessment on me.

 (ix) The next thing I do is hone in on my inner strength. I do this to raise my tolerance. I will have to endure alot; the prison staff especially. On lock down the prison staff works harder. So some prison staff feel angered or annoyed by this fact. Which they take out on the prisoner. Other prison staff are happy. Why? because lock downs give them an opportunity to be more oppressive than usual. Then there is the staff that loath prisoners so much that during lock downs this indifference becomes almost like another entity. Their indifference causes them to speak to you and treat you like a stray animal. They also use this indifference to try to strip you of your inalienable right to being treated like another human being. I've learned to use anger to combat these behaviors. Anger is usually the only thing that helps you survive during a lock down, however, too much anger can take you to the darkest places imaginable. Anger will grip you and turn on you and most prisoners with lengthy sentences have felt this compelling emotion. It is one that shakes you to the core and causes you to fight for your mental sanity. A feeling so all consuming that you never want to feel it again. So I tow the line. I have learned to use just enough anger to get me thru the oppressiveness of prison without taking me into the brink of insanity. During lock down you may come face to face with this peril so you prepare for this.

      I am sure my cell mate has experienced this walk between sanity and insanity. However, no one speaks of it. Again no one can be perceived as being weak. So I make sure I and my cell mate have some outlet for this anger. We read or write or speak of better times in better places. Some prisoners totally reinvent themselves. They use fabrications to keep sane. Some exercise. Whatever is needed I will make sure we do to elevate any anger he or I hold close. The irony is that while I make sure we have an outlet I also come up with strategies and scenarios to physically disable him. I find that my cell mate must be doing the same with me because we both watch one another closely.

 (X) On or about the third day of lock down I am awakened to the unified screams of 30 correctional officers (C.O.) telling me to "get ready for a shake down". To "Strip down to just your boxers and shower shoes. My heart begins to race and I increase my anger slightly. I am mentally preparing to be taken out my cell-mate 1/2 naked, handcuffed behind my back and walked back wards out my cell to a shower stall.

The following ins the continuation of the lock down blog ============================

`                                             LOCK DOWN III

             At the shower I am stripped searched. While naked The officer tells me open my mouth, he checks behind my ears, he tells me to lift my genitals, he tells me to turn around and bend over so he can look up my rectum, then he tells me to squat and cough. I am determined not to let him humiliate me during this process. In fact I have prepared my body thru rigorous exercise so it will humiliate him. I let him know with my eyes I am not intimidated. He smirks and goes to the next stall. Even though I am waiting in the shower stall I am unable to take a shower. I have no soap no towel no wash cloth. Just a pair of boxers I have had on for 3 days and shower shoes. I notice there is something green and fuzzy growing on the shower walls I will have to tell the guy who cleans them about this. MERSA can lead to a person missing a limb or worse.

        After about 45 minutes I am allowed to go back to my cell. Once again handcuffed behind my back and escorted. because my cell has been thoroughly searched it looks as if it has been vandalized. Me and my cellmate with out talking make a concerted effort to get things back in order. It takes us nearly an hour to clean up and inventory what is missing. My cell mate is cursing and seems frustrated. I have to quickly get a hold of the situation before he explodes. The Officer has taken pictures of his daughter. Who he has not seen in 4 years and has had to watch grow up via pictures. Once that situation is under control I find my personal items are missing as well. A picture as well of friends I no longer have.

    (xi) Once settled I go to air vent in my cell. I listen to the joys and sorrows of other prisoners. Some happy that their contraband was not found. Some irritated that personal effects were destroyed or taken. Some are just missing; taken to the Special Housing Unit where they will be on lockdown for 90-180 days. The over all mood is somber. No prisoner likes Shakedowns. The information I receive from the vent will be useful when we come off of lockdown. I go to my narrow bunk and lay down. I think abut taking a "bird-bath" in my sink but I end up falling asleep. Emotionally and mentally exhausted.

       The next morning I get an unsuspected surprise. They are allowing us to go take a shower. I go thru the same protocol. I am handcuffed behind my back and walked out my cell backwards and to the shower stall. This time I am allowed soap and a towel and a wash cloth. It has been more than 72 hours and the thought of a shower has lifted my spirits. I smile for the first time in four days.

   (x)  Things are always less tense on lockdown when prisoners take showers. My cellmate seems relieved, I feel relieved, the conversation between me and him is less tense. Even though we are still being served half frozen bologna sandwiches I feel hopeful. Hopeful that lockdown will end soon and that I won't lose as much as I fear once off of lock down. I pick up a book and I read and wait. Wait for the Warden to send a memo stating why we are on lockdown and when we will be coming off. I do not disturb my cellmate as this is the first night I will be able to go to sleep with out having to keep one eye opened.

      As expected on the 5th day of lock down the Warden sends in a memo. It is slid under my cell door. I see it when I get up to use the rest room. The memo states what the Warden will tolerate and won't tolerate. It promises of more lock downs if certain behavior is perpetrated or continued. I ask my cell mate if he wants to read it. He shakes his head no and lays back down. I rip the memo up and flush it down the toilet. The memo is typical and will make no difference. In high level prisons certain things are almost as certain as the principals of Universal Law. I lay back down and continue in my routine of waking up, reading or writing and exercising in my cell. Me and my cell mate make small talk to check one another's mental state...I wait. Wait for the end of lock down which seems to be sooner than later.

  (xi) On the 7th day of lock down we are served an "enhanced meal". Which means we have frozen carrots and celery with our 1/2 frozen bologna sandwiches. My caloric intake is around 1200 calories a day so I lose weight. me and my cell mate both mention  that it won't be long now. A couple more days at best. He sounds hopeful I feel hopeful. And it happens. The odd thing is that something in me is growing. A small fear and contentment. I know the longer we stay on lock down the more apt I am to want to stay on lock down. I only have to deal with one person I sleep when I want I can exercise and I do not  have to interact with the prison staff; who can be antagonizing and disrespectful. I feel "safer" in my cell with one person than in my Unite with 100 or in the prison with 1,000 people. I shake this feeling because if I let it grow I will become a recluse.  I will become "institutionalized" more so than I am now.

      On the 9th day I hear the cell doors being g unlocked. My heart races. In seconds I have to transform from one mental state to another. I have to be ready for every eventuality. Instead of one person to account for there will be my homies the prison staff and administration the corrections officers in my block who may have problems at home and come in to take them out on you. I am no longer relaxed. I am no longer tolerant. I grow angry I appear to be in control but menacing dripping with the threat of violence for anyone who may think I have grown weak. I know the assessment is done daily. So I prepare... mentally.

      Then it comes. That "CLICK". That echo from that insidiously ominous "CLICK". The "click" that tells you we are coming off of lockdown. The "click" that says prepare for the next lock down. Prepare to deal with the reality of perpetual violence. Prepare for the volatility of everyday prison life. Prepare to explain to your family and love ones why you left abruptly for the last 9 days. Prepare, prepare and stay ever vigilant.

    (xii) For me the "click" that lets me off and on lock down is the worse feeling  there is. It haunts my dreams in the day and at night. It reminds me of my plight. It lets me know how fragile my life can be and how much control  I have over my life. It mocks me and laughs at me.  It is constant. It is there waiting for me every time I lock in my cell. Every time I am placed on lock down, every time I am allowed out my cell. It is permanent and makes me wonder if this will  be my permanent place of rest. I can only imagine how many other prisoners feel this way. We don't speak about things like this. But I see it in all of their eyes. They fear the "CLICK" like I do. I will keep this information to myself...it may save my life one day.

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

Position-by-Position breakdown: Seahawks vs. Packers

Football that counts is finally here and what a game the Seahawks drew Week 1. Playing the Packers in Green Bay is never easy, but fortunately, Seattle gets to avoid the horrible climate late in the year and get this one out of the way early. Currently, Green Bay is favored by 3 points. Typically, in the first week of the season 3-point favorites are often given to home teams solely off home field, as odds makers don’t know enough to make an official line. The odds makers, along with most, view this match up as extremely close. Let’s take a moment to breakdown who has the edge, position by position. Almost like a “Tale of the Tape,” we can look at how these two powerhouse NFC teams stack up on paper.

Quarterback

Two of the NFC’s best go at in Aaron Rodgers and our own Russell Wilson. Rodgers is widely considered the best quarterback in the league right now. However, many large media outlets anticipate a healthy Wilson to have a MVP caliber season. Rodgers was typical Rodgers last season, tossing a league best 40 touchdowns. It was no secret that Wilson was hurt last season. Wilson tossed only 21 touchdowns, nowhere near his prior season mark and career high of 34. The biggest hurt to Wilson’s game last year was his inability to effectively to run. Wilson ran for a career low 259 yards last season. Not often mentioned when talking about Rodgers is his mobility, running for 369 yards last year. For a guy who is known for aerial assaults, 369 yards is a very good number. The edge goes to Rodgers in this scenario as he has the better resume, but don’t sleep on Wilson as he isn’t far behind. Expect these two to continue what has been a very good rivalry so far Sunday.

Edge: Packers

Running Back

This is one of the more interesting positions to break down for this matchup. The projected starters are Thomas Rawls and Ty Montgomery. The reason it is intriguing is because Montgomery came into the league as a wide receiver, but was transitioned to running back last season. Running back is not a very easy position to just pick up. While Montgomery showed some promise last season, carrying the ball 77 times for 457 yards, it’s not a big enough sample size to have to worry about stacking the box, etc. against him. Montgomery fits the bill as a Packer running back, as he gives Rodgers one more passing threat to look at in the offense. The Hawks have more depth at running back though. Rawls, Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and rookie phenom Chris Carson. All of them could make claims to the starting role, and all of them have something to prove. The edge goes to Seattle on this one. A thing that could bother the minds of Packers fans, would be seeing Lacy do a Lambeau leap in his first game back in Green Bay.

Edge: Seahawks

Wide Receivers

Green Bay’s weaponry is super deep at the wide receiver position.  Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have both eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a season. Cobb really wasn’t too much of a factor last year, which kicked the door open for Davante Adams to make a huge impact for their team. Adams was just 3 yards shy of 1,000 yards, while finding pay dirt a whopping 12 times last year. Let’s not forget about the Seahawks receivers though. Doug Baldwin has gone from being an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, to being a top 10 wide receiver in the league. Baldwin put up yet another strong campaign last season, racking up 1,128 yards and 7 touchdowns. Who could forget some fans favorite play from last season against Philadelphia. Baldwin fooled the Eagle defense for what seemed to be a simple bubble screen, for a 20-yard touchdown pass to Russell Wilson. Seattle has some question marks outside of Baldwin though. They are very high on Paul Richardson, but he has yet to remain healthy for a full season. Seahawk fans are also familiar with Tyler Lockett, whom is playing in his first game of 2017.  Advantage Green Bay as they are just too deep. Don’t take the Seahawks receivers for granted though, as they can certainly make you pay in the big play department.

Edge: Packers

Tight End

The Packers went shopping this offseason and bought the services of Martellus Bennett. Bennett is coming off a bounce back campaign with the Super Bowl champion Patriots. 701 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl later, Bennett winds up on his third team in as many years. Jimmy Graham enjoyed a Pro Bowl season in Seattle, hauling in 65 passes for 923 yards and 6 touchdowns. Graham is simply a better Tight End, and his career resume will back that up. Bennett is a great talent, but I expect him to take a step back this year with Green Bay. While it is appetizing to have Rodgers throwing at him, he could very well be victim of the old saying ” too many cooks in the kitchen”.

Edge: Seahawks

Offensive Line

Seahawks fans cringe to look at this position, but it will be short, sweet, and unfortunately obvious. Green Bay has elite pass protectors on the outside in Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari. Green Bay did lose guard T.J. Lang this offseason to the division rival Detroit Lions. That could be something to watch out for. Seattle’s line is getting better Hawks fans. It’s just not Green Bay good yet. Obvious edge to the Packers on this. Can’t argue having All-Pro honors on the line.

Edge: Packers

Defensive Line

Normally, you have to look at scheme’s when judging the defensive line, as Seattle runs a base 4-3 and Green Bay is a base 3-4. Key word, normally. But with this past week’s acquisition of Sheldon Richardson, it is without question that the Seahawks have the most talented defensive line in the NFL. Richardson, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Jarran Reed, and Frank Clark is something to be feared. They might just live up to the nickname they have given themselves of “Death Row”. Quarterbacks will be hit, and running backs will be stuffed by this gang. No question who has the edge on this one.

Edge: Seahawks

Linebackers

Clay Matthews is the big name for the Packers, but he really hasn’t been Clay Matthews these past few years. Matthews had a run of seasons in which he was a pass rushing nightmare. Eclipsing double digit sacks 4 of his first 7 years in the league, but he hasn’t done this in the past few years. Last year, Matthews only had 5 sacks in an injury plagued 2016 season. Matthews claims to be much healthier going into this season and that is something to watch out for Sunday. As for Seattle, Bobby Wagner has earned multiple All-Pro honors, and is arguably the best linebacker in the league. The player that gives Seattle the obvious edge in this department is K.J. Wright. Wright is often the forgotten man in the Seahawk defense. He might just be the league’s most underrated player. Wright finally received Pro Bowl honors this past season. Wright had a career high in sacks last season, knocking down the quarterback 4 times. Wright is one of the games’ most sound tackler in the league, as it is a rarity that Wright misses a tackle. Expect Wright to grow even more this year as a player.

Edge: Seahawks

Defensive Backs

Another Portion that will be short and sweet for everyone. The Legion of Boom is going to be the obvious edge here. A healthy Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Richard Sherman isn’t anything to mess with. While the Packers have a young, solid secondary, it just isn’t up to par with Seattle’s. One thing most Seahawk fans will have a hard time swallowing is seeing former Washington Husky, and high draft pick Kevin King defending passes for the green and gold. Back in April, it was a common opinion amongst the fan base for the Hawks to use their first-round pick on King. King is a physical specimen and it will be interesting to see how the young man does in his first NFL game. Outside of this match up, surely most fans will be cheering for him.

Edge: Seahawks

Special Teams

This is another interesting phase in this game as Seattle will continue to break in new kicker Blair Walsh, while Green Bay stays with Mason Crosby. These units change year in and year out as fringe players who were fighting for roster spots in the preseason are the ones who make up these units. With it only being Week 1, last year is what we must go off, as Green Bay ranked 29th in Special Team Efficiency. Seattle rounded out the top 10 in efficiency after a career worst year from now new Bills kicker Steven Hauschka. Special Teams play could prove to be a deciding factor in this upcoming contest, as far as starting field position or overall big plays. Green Bay gave up a league worst 26.3 yards per return, while also finishing near the bottom in return yards. The average return for the Packers was only 19.7 yards. The reason this is all brought up is with Seahawks Pro Bowl returner Tyler Lockett expected to return punts and kicks, he could very well have a field day and be a huge factor. Lockett has proven to the league time and time again he is one of the best returners in the league. Green Bay might be better off staying away from him in this one.

Edge: Seahawks

The on-paper match up looks good for the Seahawks. Ultimately, they have the advantage 6-3 in the positions listed above. Any given Sunday is indeed a real thing in the NFL though. Teams still have to perform up to their reputations and of course injuries happen over the course of games to make matters worse. Overall, these two are the cream of the crop in the NFC, and most likely both teams will be playing meaningful football again in January. Rejoice though, as the moment us fans have been waiting for since the beginning of the year is finally upon us! Have a cook out and invite some friends over this weekend. Football is back!

AROUND COVER32

Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em’ Week One

Buffalo Bills: Things we know this week

Throwback Thursday: Jason Taylor

Could Powell lead Jets in rushing and receiving?

Patriots versus Chiefs recap

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Fantasy RB Sleepers 2017: Derrick Henry primed for sophomore surge

Hard Derrick Henry end-zone charges could become the norm this season in Nashville. (AP)

“Sleeper” is a seducing fantasy term with multiple definitions. For the purposes of this column and clarity’s sake, we’re featuring undervalued players largely available outside the overall top-60. To ensure full accountability, we also included our biggest hits/misses from 2016. Thursday’s topic: Running Backs.

[Now’s the time to sign up for Fantasy Football! Join for free]

1. Danny Woodhead, Bal (73.3 ADP, RB27)

Last year Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Dennis Pitta, and Kyle Juszczyk combined for 306 targets. With all four of those payers missing from the 2017 receiving corps, Woodhead will continue to receive opportunities even after Kenneth Dixon – whose suspended for the first four games of the season – returns. Here’s why. Last year, Joe Flacco targeted his trio of RBs (Dixon, West, and Juszczyk) 122 times in the passing game (second only to the New Orleans Saints). If he can stay healthy, Woodhead is a lock for 60-65 catches. And he’s still available in the sixth round of PPR formats. That’s crazy value. (Liz Loza)

Liz’s big sleeper RB hit in ’16: Jay Ajayi; Big whiff: Jeremy Langford

2. Kareem Hunt, KC (97.8 ADP, RB37)

Kansas City traded up to select Hunt in the third round this year, and the team seems to have high expectations for him in the near term. Hunt was a hugely productive back at Toledo, gaining 1878 scrimmage yards in his senior season while hauling in 41 passes. He has every-down ability, and should already be viewed as a key rotational player in KC’s backfield. Spencer Ware wasn’t anything special in the second-half last season (3.7 YPC); Hunt will clearly have a chance to claim a significant role. (Andy Behrens)

Andy’s big sleeper RB hit in ’16: LeGarrette Blount; Big whiff: Jonathan Stewart

3. Derrick Henry, Ten (77.4 ADP, RB30)

Henry is still stuck behind DeMarco Murray, who’s coming off an extremely successful campaign. But Murray had 346 touches last season, is approaching 30 years old and has had injury issues in the past. Henry will almost certainly get more work this year regardless, but he’d be a true difference maker if Murray were to go down. Henry got 4.5 YPC as a rookie, and remember, his “speed score” at the combine was in the 97th percentile. He got 0.40 fantasy points per snap as a rookie, which ranked No. 16 among all running backs, and the Titans have arguably the best offensive line in football (with an emerging passing attack that will command the respect of defenses). Currently the No. 30 back off the board, Henry is the type of high upside pick who won’t come at a high cost but could end up winning your league for you. (Dalton Del Don)

Dalton’s big sleeper RB hit in ’16: Spencer Ware; Big whiff: Derrick Henry

4. Samaje Perine, Was (87.3 ADP, RB34)

If there’s a Jordan Howard in this year’s draft class, it’s Perine. The Oklahoma product, overshadowed last season by Joe Mixon, is a freezer chest with feet. At 5-foot-11, 233 pounds, he breaks numerous tackles (3.3 YAC/attempt in ’16), is an effective pass blocker and owns suitable receiving skills. Kelley enters training camp atop the depth chart, but bank on the rookie pressing him hard from the start. Unless the sophomore suddenly morphs into Stephen Davis circa 2000, Perine wrests away the starting gig no later than Week 3. Simply put, he’s more talented. If that does occur, he’ll easily achieve RB2 level status in 12-team leagues operating as the early-down/goal-line steamroller. Keep in mind, Washington ranked top-five in run-blocking last year and its explosive vertical game should lighten fronts. Pee freely in the middle rounds. (Brad Evans)

Brad’s big sleeper RB hit in ’16: Melvin Gordon; Big whiff: Chris Ivory

5. James White, NE (118.2 ADP, RB42)

Remember when Gordon Gekko started acquiring chunks of Anacot Steele? That’s what I’m doing with the Patriots running game thus far. I’ve banked a bunch of Mike Gillislee, generally jumping around the sixth round, and later on you can snag White, who easily could have been the Super Bowl MVP (14 catches, 139 total yards, three touchdowns, one conversion). New England’s backfield only looks like a crowded, untenable mess if you consider Dion Lewis a major threat (I don’t, and New England’s actions suggest they don’t, either). If you grade White from the time Tom Brady returned, he was the No. 22 running back in PPR formats last year (h/t, Evan Silva).  Once again, we’ve located a pick that includes both floor and upside; the best of both worlds. (Scott Pianowski)

Scott’s big sleeper RB hit in ’16: Frank Gore; Big whiff: Thomas Rawls

Related:

Follow the Yahoo fantasy gang on Twitter: Brad (@YahooNoise), Andy (@andybehrens), Scott (@scott_pianowski), Dalton (@DaltonDelDon) and Liz (@LizLoza_FF)

[writestufflj20]

Looking For Tomorrow

Part 1: The invisible man

As the sun goes down, the weather drops below 65 degrees. Although it doesn’t seem as bad if you live more up North, but in Southern California, this is what the locals would consider “freezing cold”. Outside Raising Cane’s, a fast food restaurant specializing in fried chicken, the invisible man puts on his 3 layers of clothes and an L.A. Kings printed beanie which already has been worn by someone else. Raising Cane’s is stuffed with students who came from nearby colleges, considering it is one of the most popular go to place for a study break. He observes everyone coming in and out, as he lives off based on other people’s generosity.

“I never asked anyone for money,” said the invisible man, “I ask them for food to get through the day, unlike some other guys who ask for money to spend on drugs. I don’t do drug, and you shouldn’t either but it’s okay since you’re in college and I know how it’s like. Nowaday, people would fake a story to beg, steal, and do anything for drug money. I just wanna get through the day, ya feel?”

There are more than 30 homeless shelters within the city and the surrounding areas.  Each year, the homeless community in Costa Mesa continues to rise, which recently has gotten the city’s attention to consider it to be a serious issue. “As the community begins to rise, which I don’t think is a good thing, crime rates also rises and night crawlers start to come out more at night,” the invisible man continues, “but almost as if stealing is an essential thing for us to get through the day. I don’t steal, but I know people do, friends of mine do. We also form groups, which normal people would consider us as gangs, but it’s for the sake of our safety. We also don’t use our real name. Friends on the street call me Rocco. I have no idea why, but they say I look like a Rocco and the name eventually grew on me”.

Rocco spends about ten minutes to take off his outerwears as he claims a seat in Raising Cane’s. “See? No belt, just a string to hold my pants together because some ass stole my belt last night when I was sleeping.” Rocco takes off his glasses and beanie once he’s settled and waits for the server to call his order. As the beanie goes off Rocco’s head, a mid-sixty looking man with a figure of a grandpa appears, although he seems well-shaved and more clean compares to a lot more people in his community. He waddles to the soda machine to grab a cup and fills it up with water, then came back and throw himself into his seat.

“Look at all these workers staring at me,” said Rocco, “I came here this morning to shave and do my routine but some of them weren’t so happy. I’m homeless but I like to be clean. Hygiene is important, ya feel?”

To be fair, Rocco wouldn’t be at Raising Cane’s today if his bike wasn’t stolen last night. When Rocco arrived at his usual spot behind a restaurant bar to spend the night, he woke up to find that his bike wasn’t there anymore. The man quickly gathered his belongings and ran around the corner to ask anyone he could find, although none was able to give him the answer he needed. In the distance, as Rocco spotted two police vehicles, he hurried to the officers only to find more disappointment.

“They told me to fill out some lost and found paperwork. That’s how the police are, they’re here to stop crimes and protect the neighborhood, not to go around and look for some dude’s stolen bike,” explained Rocco, “but don’t you worry, I might know who took it and I will get it back” he finished his chicken finger covered by the infamous Cane sauce as he reassured the situation with hope. 

Part 2: The Beginning

Years before Pearl Harbor was raided by the Empire of Japan, the Finocchio family migrated from Italy to a small city called Salem, Oregon. As they settled into their new home, Rocco was born not long after, under the name of Peter Finocchio. When the second World War hit, it was unavoidable for Rocco’s father to get drafted. Rocco turned eight, and his father was felled in battle.

“I have little to no memory about my dad, but my mom would always tell me he was a good man, and I don’t doubt it,” Rocco, still in the restaurant, stares into the distance outside the window for a second. “Then it was a matter of time before I became an orphan”.

Rocco turned 16, the peak of a teenager, an age where you begin to see the world with different perspective and an age where you begin to conquer all the endless life adventures. However, for Rocco, it was an age where he lost his mother, who had been battled with cancer for years, then beat it, diagnosed again and finally lost her battle. His mother’s death crushed and caused him to stay back for another year in high school and move in with his relatives. Nonetheless, he was able to finished high school and attended Oregon State University.

Rocco knew how it’s like to be in college. He knew all about the secret parties and the hangover the next day. He considered himself as an alcoholic while in college. However, he didn’t blame himself but rather put it on the unfairness that he was raised without parents and nobody was guiding him to the right direction. “It was nobody’s fault,” Rocco said. Nonetheless, he never tried out any sort of drug. When Rocco turns legal in 1956, two years into his college career, he dropped out and wouldn’t take another shot of vodka again.

Part 3: A New Day, a New Life

After figuring out that college wasn’t for him, in the summer of 1957, he decided to move to Costa Mesa and became a stand up comedian at the local bars throughout the city. Rocco was 22.

“I think I’m pretty funny,” smiled Rocco as he stuffed the last bite of chicken in his mouth, “if you come to one of those bars down Harbor Boulevard and ask some of the owners, they might’ve remembered me if they are still there. It’s been a really long while. I only stop working because nobody needs me anymore since the economy went down back in ‘08”.

Rocco considered Costa Mesa is his home, where he spent most of his life living. Here, he also met his ex-wife and not long after, she gave birth to his only son. It wasn’t long before things went downhill between him and his ex-wife. She moved to Ohio after their divorce, and won the custody of the son in court.

“I haven’t seen my son for almost three years,” Rocco took a sip of his soda and sinked in his chair, “heck, I’m not even sure if he knows where I am nowaday. I am everywhere, I go where I can, I live through the day only to see the next day.”

After losing his job and his family, Rocco wasn’t able to pay the bills so he moved out and live in his pick-up truck for years. Without a job, he devoted his life helping the homeless while he was one himself. He helped them look for food to get through the day and a place to stay for the night. He lived off of people’s generosity. He didn’t ask for cash, although whatever he gets, he called them coffee money, no drug.

“See I have two jackets,” Rocco said as he grabbed them and waved with the eager smile of a kid bragging about his report card: ”A green one, given by some guy just about your age a couple weeks ago, and this black windbreaker is by some dude who bought me food two days ago. It was raining, so he offered me something to keep warm. Still better than nothing.”

About a week ago, on the same day that Rocco received his windbreaker, an unfortunate event happened. His truck got impounded. Coming back to his usual spot from a good meal offered by a stranger, only to find out his home wasn’t there anymore. Rocco grabbed his bike, panicking to the police station and found out that his truck was impounded for illegally parking. “At least it wasn’t stolen,” he said.

Two days later, Rocco woke up to find out that his bike was also gone.

The night casts its shadow as Rocco exits Raising Cane’s, holding a plastic bag full of clothes. There’s a park down Harbor Boulevard where most of his friends take cover for the night. When Rocco arrived at the park, there was a man in his 30s, who covers his long, wavy hair with a hat. Next to him was a woman about the same age. She was staring at Rocco as he approached, flicking her cigarette then put it back in her mouth. Rocco talked to them, who he claimed were his friends. Rocco waves goodbye, then they all vanished, becoming invisible into the night.

- Tri (Wes) Hoang