#not how i expected it to go. how do you get like 20+ penalties (across teams) before you hit the halfway mark

[eskchester]

how many penalty minutes can fit into an u20 ice hockey match in an international friendly tournament? the answer is 185

selected messages with @rustybear ⬇️

the gamesheet in question: https://api.hockeydata.net/data/ih/GameDocument?apiKey=a0a1258810e90e77a2367f403c6635d1&referer=https://www.ijshockeynederland.nl/×tamp=1661761801761&gameId=6557942e-bfa7-4abf-ac77-a75d9aa5e18e&lang=en&docType=gameReport (the link's too long to hyperlink)

[danwhobrowses]

Since Critical Role's big endgame battle has begun (as of ep. 113) and looks to give us a fair handful of Lv. 20 combat across the board with VM and later the Nein - and also since the Omen Archive are yet to do a level up overview for Bell's Hells to Lv. 15 like I expected them to do after ep. 112 - I find myself optimistically and curiously wondering how Bells Hells would shape up should they reach Lv. 20.

Admittedly, I do remain worried about how underleveled they are; I know it's intended since the Hells are the 'underdogs not meant to be in this position' group but still, for comparison Essek debuted at Lv. 15 in C2 and Vox Machina ended their campaign at Lv. 18 when the stakes were slightly lower than what we have with Ludinus, the Vanguard, the Imperium, and Predathos. Still, with nothing we can do but pray they make it out alive - and I hope they do - I've decided to indulge that rare bout of optimism and deep dive into what would their Lv. 20 state look like? While also considering what they may add during this final arc should they level up in between like they did the last time they were on Ruidus.

We're gonna go through each character one by one for this, so I'll start with my favourite (aka the one I wanna talk/ramble the most about).

Ashton is perhaps the easiest endgame build to tell class-wise, it's likely Tal will have them go the full 20 since Grog has already done the Fighter dip and there's not many other multiclasses that can be of a greater benefit to them; the intrigue however with Ashton focuses on the ASI they get at levels 16 and 19, the first one particularly if there's still a level up mid-battle. The obvious route for the first ASI is to get back the CON they lost in the shard incident - which I still find an unfair penalty since they gained nothing from surviving the bold and deemed impossible action, 'your reward is you get to live' doesn't stick with me given that the 10 rolls (well, 9 plus the resurrection ring) are proof of survival anyway - and absorbing Dusk Hunger sadly didn't give back, adding to their DEX instead - which, also kinda stubborn of Matt, adding 1 AC isn't exactly worthy of absorbing a legendary item especially compared to what Orym got with Ishta, they were better off trying to dual wield it if Matt's not gonna give stats that'll suit Ashton's wheelhouse, STR and CON, and let the tank be a tank - so it will likely fall into Tal's hands to get Ashton's stats to where they want them to be. Either way, Ashton's STR and CON are going up if they hit Lv. 20 as pure Barbarian, Primal Champion adds 4 to both and increases their max to 24, so without ASI Ashton will have 22 STR and 20 CON by Lv. 20 anyway, with ASI however Ashton can go 24/22 in either direction - and we can't rule out more absorption in the future, since Legendary loot may be yielded from this endgame battle plus Otohan's Backpack, Zathuda's storage cloak and maybe any other armour from the two could be Legendary items just gathering dust among the group, but if Ashton were to take any of them they'd have to wait a day since the Harness only grants 1 permanent and 1 temporary buff per person, and each person who uses it on the same day risks it breaking by 20%. However, we also can't rule out Ashton taking a feat instead of ASI, it's a slim chance but there are some feats that can be of use for Ashton in general or specifically vs Ludinus; Mage Slayer, Strike of the Giants (Hill or Stone Strike, of the two I'd go for Hill because of it causing the prone condition, which will help Ashton and allies, like Orym with that 1d6 extra Force Damage, stack critical damage), and Great Weapon Master could be powerful if they don't focus on ASI. The Tough feat is always good for being tanky too, but such a feat would likely only be used at the Lv. 19 ASI/Feat domain to get the most out of it. The only other places Ashton can get major potential buffs - outside of any new enchanted items that aren't armour - are from Dunamancy and their Titan powers, but neither have provided a clear opening for improvement as of yet. Ashton hit their final Dunamancy path at Lv. 14, where they got Mark of the Messy End (which compared to Essek getting access to stuff like Reality Break doesn't seem to balance out but I guess Wizards are glass cannons so Dunamancy does more with them), but there is a quiet, lingering mystery over how Potions of Possibility and Luxon Beacons will behave if Ashton and their Dunamancy brain interacts with them, given how they have many potions on hand, in general and gifted to them by the Kryn Dynasty before they met with the Nein, and Ludinus using Luxon Beacons as power sources, there is potential for Ashton's Dunamancy to increase that way - or simply through Matt adding an extra Dunamancy path in place of an ASI/Feat, a Dunamancy-based feat, or swapping Primal Champion with something else. The Titan Form could also improve by level, and I kinda hope it does, it's powerful but given the time limit and Exhaustion it's still below the level of Grog's Titanstone Knuckles in terms of utility, if more power or less limitations are imposed the higher their level it could scale Ashton up further in a similar manner to having a Vestige or, in Orym's case, a Relic of the Red Solstice.

Speaking of Orym, you'd assume that he'll also go for the clean 20, but this is Liam O'Brien we're talking about - he gave Vax a Druid level for his love of Keyleth, so you can't put it past him to add a level in Bard for Dorian. Like Ashton, Orym has 2 ASI waiting for him at levels 16 and 19, due to maxing his DEX - and absorbing Ishta overclocking it (a DEX increase that actually makes sense as a Finesse blade Fighter, adding +1 to AC and attack rolls and a higher DC for enemies to save against superiority die attacks) - Orym has already dipped into feats a lot but could always find room for more. Great Weapon Master, Shield Master, Mage Slayer, and Tough again at level 19 are viable options for Orym and his build, but there's also a unique option of, instead of taking a level in Bard, Magic Initiate: Bard in lieu of Dorian; taking the feat lets him gain the 4th attack Lv. 20 Fighter yields while adding some handy Bard magic such as Friends, Thunderwave, Command, Bane or Cure Wounds - all of which are Level 1 Bard spells. While adding a level in Bard would be a nice gesture, the Magic Initiate feat would probably work better for Orym's build if he wanted to reference his connection to Dorian this way, since he doesn't need 4 extra 1st level spells and he already has a lot of proficiencies and bonuses to cover his rolls anyway, plus he still carries the sending stone if he doesn't want to do either. If he went for ASI, Orym could try to rival Ayden's passive perception by buffing his WIS, but I doubt anybody would hold it against him to be less perceptive than a god. Regardless of ASI and feats, a pure 20 in Fighter does up Orym's lethality immensely, getting a potential 12 attacks with two Action Surges - the second gained in Lv. 17 - in one round (16 attacks if hastened and 17 if hastened and a Time Rage Mark of the Messy End - which I believe allows you to attack with Bonus Actions - is used on an enemy), which would make him an extra efficient killer and protector for combat, which suits his character as well. While multiclassing is an uncommon trait to reference a partner, in Orym's case it's probably moreso cute but unnecessary flavouring.

Adding an element of their partner into their build is something Imogen has done already with decent effect, however. Imogen is another pure 20 likelihood; she has 2 ASI, a Metamagic choice, her final Origin Feature - Warping Implosion: essentially you teleport and anyone within 30 feet will be caught in a gravity fissure - and Sorcerous Restoration - 4 sorcery points restored per short rest - waiting for her at the full 20. As alluded, she already has Laudna influences in the Shadow Touched feat and a vial of her blood in her equipment so she needn't use a feat or a multiclass in further reference to her, which means it comes down to what options she chooses for her ASI/Feats and future skills. With her CHA maxed out already, the two ASI would need to go elsewhere or to feats; War Caster could be used to help her concentration spells, such as the reskinned Hunger of Hadar, Telekinesis, and Investiture of Lightning, unused spells such as her mother's Reverse Gravity, Hold Person, or Globe of Invulnerability, or future 8th-9th level spells such as Dominate Monster, Gate, and Mass Polymorph (turn them all into horses!). Otherwise using one of those ASI to add 1 to INT and WIS will add to saving throws of those stats (+1 for INT and +2 for WIS), she can also remove all her stat negatives by adding an ASI to her STR in place of a feat. Imogen also has options with choosing a final Metamagic from Sorcerer; she has Quickened, Distant, and Twinned Spell already, so the next one needs to also be helpful in combat; the potential of Extended and Transmuted Spell are decent, but Heightened Spell may be the best fit for her - spending 3 Sorcery points to impose disadvantage on a spell save can be very useful when using Imogen's spells such as Psychic Lance, especially against powerful magic users like Ludinus. Going a little extra meta with things, Imogen at Lv. 20 is only going to exist in one-shots or guest appearances - which means short rests aren't likely to faze her as much, also recovering 4 out of a total of 20 Sorcery Points per short rest isn't a lot when you get all of them back after a Long Rest. If Imogen were to pull a swerve and multiclass she could simply sacrifice an ASI for an 18/2 split or just take a 19/1 dip without it doing any negative effect to her current build. Of the multiclassing options, I find that the Tempest Cleric could gel pretty well with her build; connecting her lightning magic and her storm analogies (and her attempt to reach out to the Stormlord) from a narrative perspective, while combat-wise she'd get to use Wrath of the Storm to damage anyone that attacks her (as many times as her WIS, so 1-3 depending on her ASI usage) and, if she goes for the 18/2 split, she can use the class' Channel Divinity to max out a spell's lightning damage - which if used on a 9th Level Lightning Bolt is 76 damage without enhancements! - she also gets some minor healing to add to her repertoire, and with a group without a pure Cleric you can't really have a shortage of players who can heal even if it's a little bit. I can't see any other dip doing her as much benefit, so the full 20 is more likely, even if the maxed out Lightning Bolt would work wonders.

You know who also knows Lightning Bolt? Well, a fair amount of players and NPCs but also Dorian! Let's talk our Boy in Blue - no I did not say 'Blue in Boy' in my head when typing, shush! - he's our last PC likely to be a pure 20 of the group, also because the rest have already multiclassed, but like Imogen there is also the opening for a little bit of multiclassing. The ASI in levels 16 and 19 are probably best put into maxing his CHA stat that's currently at 16, DEX could also go up to 20 for additional Gambolcleft damage but the sword is pretty powerful as it is - it depends if Robbie wants Dorian to focus on Spell or Melee output for stats, but casting is probably the better way to go. Not many feats would help Dorian outside of maybe Tough and War Caster, perhaps Slasher but they do seem like minor additions he can go without, so ASI is likely the best route to take for him. Unlike with Orym where a dip in Bard wouldn't do much good mechanically, Dorian could easily take a dip in Fighter and have it be a solid investment; the Bard's Lv. 20 ability Superior Inspiration only helps if you've used up all of your Inspiration, and as said with Imogen that probably won't come up in a one-shot scenario where Lv. 20 Dorian would likely appear, but by Lv. 19 he will already have added spells from any magic class via his final dip into Magical Secrets - and honestly I have no clue what one he could take because like, all of the spells! Wish is probably the go-to one but Dorian doesn't want anything from the gods so maybe not? - and he'll already have a 9th level spell slot from earlier levels. A 1-level dip in Fighter can give Dorian Second Wind for some self-healing and another Fighting Style to choose from: either Superior Technique - like Orym has - or Duelist would suit best, and if Robbie sacrifices an ASI he can go up to a 2nd level for Action Surge, which is handy should he focus on melee. There aren't many other 1-level dips that would suit Dorian narratively, there was probably Warlock potential in EXU: Prime when the crown was in play but since, again, the group lacks a pure healer, Dorian is probably better off investing his stats and skills towards Bard spells - which in turn bolsters DPS as well as healing.

From one Bard/DPS healer to another, Braius debuted with some pretty high stats to begin with, with only WIS being a negative modifier. As a 12/3 multiclass he can go a few different directions - much like his character arc and selection of deity - but it leaves him at a crossroads - also like his character arc. The 12 levels in Oath of the Ancients Paladin means he's locked out of getting Bard's Magical Secrets, if he maxes out his remaining levels in Bard he gets 2 ASI, a College of Tragedy feature (make crits be at rolls 18, 19 and 20 after an ally is hit with a crit plus a '+10 on a roll but a -10 penalty on the next' skill), Countercharm, and his Bardic Inspiration dice will go up to 1d8, but all of those are kinda covered by Dorian's higher level Bard class and Ashton's Mark of the Messy End while in Luck Rage to a higher or better extent. The 3 levels in Bard however has locked Braius out of Paladin's Aura improvements and the big Elder Champion buff, which is a big loss, if maxed out in Paladin they'll get Cleansing Touch - end a spell on yourself or anyone you can touch as many times as your CHA, one ASI, a 5th level spell slot (handy for Banishing Smite, Circle of Power, Destructive Wave, and Summon Celestial), and Undying Sentinel - which is just a once-a-long-rest Relentless Rage with no CON save. Build-wise, it would be best for Braius to go one of three different paths; either go for a 15/5 split - so no 5th level spell but he gets 1 ASI, Undying Sentinel, and Font of Inspiration for the 1d8 inspiration - a 14/6 split - where we swap Undying Sentinel for the college feature, or go the unique path and add a third class - while the 5th level spell slot has powerful spells Braius' combat is much more melee-based so it is a less likely option. A 14/3/3 triple split sacrifices his ASI/feats but 3 levels in Fighter gives him another Fighting Style, Action Surge, Second Wind, and a Fighter subclass to add to his combat prowess. One unlikely Fighter subclass that could suit Braius is the Rune Knight; with 3 levels Braius will have access to 2 runes, which can be tied to his character's artistry, to add to his gear - the Fire and Cloud Runes being the most useful to him from what I see - they would also get Giant's Might as a skill for an extra 1d6 of damage once per turn. Fighter isn't the only class Braius can benefit from though; he would only need to dip 2 levels in Cleric or Druid to gain their subclass-based abilities; a Shepherd Druid would give the group a slight benefit with the Hawk Spirit skill, using a reaction to attack with advantage and having advantage on perception checks, but similar to Imogen he'd probably benefit a bit more from dipping into Cleric - particularly Grave, War, Ambition, and Peace Domain Clerics, who each have abilities that can further empower him. A dip in Barbarian would be handy for Danger Sense - not so much Rage because you can't use spells - maybe opting for the Zealot path subclass, which also suits narratively, for an extra 1d6 damage, or a dip in the Monster Hunter Ranger to aid in picking out weaknesses. A 12/4/4 split could also work, forgoing Cleansing Touch to grant Braius 2 ASI or feats if Sam wanted them; with that they can balance their WIS to 10 and then max out their CHA and another +1 elsewhere, or just do a feat like Fey Touched - since he was touched plenty by a Fey Hag all across her manor - to max the CHA and gain a spell like Hunter's Mark to aid in combat.

Speaking of Hunters, Chetney may not have been designed to survive the campaign but with Travis rolling the fatal 0 when playing as Grog that old man is still, somehow, kicking. If Travis doesn't pull a Bertrand and allows him to continue defying the odds and live to Lv. 20, Chetney would be in a similar position to Braius - having gone the Tealeaf route and locked himself out of the full 20 in Blood Hunter by having a dip in Rogue - in being in a crossroads of classes. If he invests his remaining levels in Blood Hunter to 19, he still gets a lot from the class; 2 Order Features (advantages on bloodlust saving throws and on any branded creature, then unlimited hybrid transformations on the next feature), 2 ASI, and an extra Blood Maledict. Chetney's 1-level dip in Rogue however means he could also invest into any Rogue subclass for a 17/3 split (or a 16/4 split if he sacrifices a Blood Maledict for 2 ASI over one) instead; Assassin would help his damage output especially since he likes going Invisible, but the Revived subclass would be funny implying that he died but miraculously came back and no longer needed to risk dying in his sleep because he doesn't need to sleep anymore. Chet could also triple class like we suggested with Braius; 3-5 levels in Artificer - since he's a toymaker his toys can be infused beyond the enchanted distractions, going for the Armorer subclass can also be handy for the Thunder Gauntlets ability too, 2 levels in Fighter - for Action Surge, 2-4 levels in Monk - which has decent potential if his chisel is made a dedicated weapon plus the possible boons from Kensei, Mercy, or Open Hand paths, or even 3 levels in Ranger - where Hunter, Gloom Stalker, and Monster Slayer subclasses each have skills that could help Chet in combat, can all be seen as options, but it can also run the risk of being overcomplicated. Despite a Feat sidestepping Chet losing control in his Hybrid Form, logic says that Chet would likely stick with the 19/1 route since the feat only imposes a disadvantage against losing control and he can still do collateral damage, character-wise he'd likely want to keep his Lycanthropy on lock as much as he can. Plus, going to 19 Blood Hunter levels yields unlimited transformations and the second ASI hits at Lv. 19; with the two ASI - which he cannot get from triple classing - he can max out his STR and buff up his CON, DEX, and/or CHA for any additional bonuses, he has no negative stats so any are fair game. I don't see any feats that'd be too helpful, but outside of AC or DC boosts from increasing CON or DEX, upping CHA could also help with persuasion and being persuasive and tricksy.

Persuasive and Tricksy are some of many words you can use to define Fearne, who is also a Rogue multiclass. Her current 10/5 with Wildfire Druid as the majority allows her some wiggle room for her to go a few different directions. The 5 levels in Rogue have locked her out of a second ASI in Druid, the timeless body (not really a big deal for a fey), additional Wild Shape perks, and the 9th Level Spell Slot though, but if she invests only into Druid levels for the full 15 she does still gain one ASI and her Wildfire Feature 'Blazing Revival' - where once per long rest Mister can sacrifice himself (I don't think it's a permadeath sacrifice just like an 'off the board until resummoned' sacrifice) to revive her to half HP if she's downed - alongside a 6th, 7th and 8th level spell slot. If she goes for an even spread of 10 levels each with Rogue's Arcane Trickster however, she gains 2 ASI, 2 more proficiencies, Evasion, Magical Ambush, and a few more lower level spells. Both have valid directions - and as much as Fearne is a 'collector' I think a third class probably won't suit her and will perplex Ashley further - for her character even with mixing the level splits; a 12/8 split will grant her 2 ASI and a 6th level spell slot, while a 14/6 split grants one ASI, a 6th and 7th level spell slot, the Blazing Revival, and 2 proficiencies. Since Fearne doesn't do many sneak attacks and uses her Rogue abilities more for pickpocketing, it would probably be sensible to lean more towards Druid; a 15/5 split if she wants that 8th level spell slot for Sunburst, Incendiary Cloud, or Feeblemind, but a 14/6 split if she can do without - Plane Shift could narratively be on her radar so she can travel to the Feywild as she pleases, but Fire Storm is still a mighty 7th level spell that can be additionally buffed by her titan form which as mentioned with Ashton could also potentially scale up with levels - would give her more stuff to work with, plus extra Druid Levels buffs up Mister's health so he could be looking at 75-80 total HP (5+(Druid Level x 5)) depending on whether Fearne goes level 14 or 15. Since Fearne took War Caster already from her last level and her WIS is already maxed out, ASI to CON could be looked into to add health, AC, and DC, while also improving her chances at holding concentration for her saving throws, alternatively she can up her DEX to improve her pickpocketing so she can finally claim one of those eggs, since she's tragically 0-2 on that. Feat-wise, there is still the Elemental Adept: Fire feat to bypass enemy resistances to Fire too, lots of enemies will have Fire Resistance after all, so if she doesn't want to use ASI there is still that to use it on. So level-wise there is some wiggle room but class-wise she is better off picking one to focus on.

Our final member of the Hells Laudna has already picked her focused class; on a 12/3 Sorlock with her patron bound to a soul anchor - get fucked Delilah - she has implied to go pure Sorcerer from herein. Marisha has previously stated that she saw no gain in any more Warlock levels even when Delilah was still active and while a 6th level in Warlock would grant her an ASI at Lv.4 and unlocks Grave Touched - change damage to Necrotic plus 1 extra damage die when in Form of Dread, which is pretty solid - it does indeed suit narratively for Laudna to avoid more Warlock levels. The 3 levels she has gained from Warlock though have (war)locked her out of her final Sorcery feature of Umbral Form - which would've made her resistant to everything but Force and Radiant Damage, so like Braius' Primal Champion it's quite the loss - but she still looks to get Shadow Walk which aids her mobility, providing that there's darkness or shadows in the vicinity, as well as one ASI and another Metamagic option by continuing the Sorcerer's path, not to mention a dangerous 9th level spell slot. Unlike Imogen, Laudna opted for Empowered Spell in her current Metamagics alongside Quickened and Twinned, doing Heightened or Transmuted probably wouldn't suit Laudna like it does her partner though. Instead, Careful Spell could be a good choice for Laudna since her CHA is maxed out, so she could pick 5 creatures to auto-succeed a saving throw to a spell she sends, but since she doesn't have many AoE spells Extended Spell may be the better fit to keep up concentration on spells like Animate Objects, Mirror Image, or any future powerful concentration spells she'll have access to like Eyebite, Globe of Invulnerability, Reverse Gravity, or Blade of Disaster - which Delilah used pretty effectively in Aeor - ongoing. Even so, the one ASI remains; the Amulet of Health puts her CON to a fixed 19 so if she added one CON it'd be 16 without attunement, which is still pretty good but worthless if she just keeps using the amulet, she could put +1 in her woeful STR so it's a -2 rather than -3, or opt for feats such as War Caster - for those powerful concentration spells - or another Eldritch Invocation with Eldritch Adept, such as Armor of Shadows or Eldritch Spear, which may be more fitting for her fun scary nature.

And that's all of them, for a TL/DR I expect Ashton, Orym, Dorian and Imogen to do the pure 20 for their classes, while Chetney will go 19/1, Braius and Fearne go 14/6, and Laudna goes 17/3. But if it were me, the only ones I'd adjust from those would be Dorian (19/1, adding Fighter), Imogen (18/2, adding Tempest Cleric), and Braius (14/3/3, adding Rune Knight Fighter) just from a meta/fun perspective. Either way I'll just be happy to see them make Level 20, so fingers and every other digit I have stay crossed for whichever route they choose.

[workpermitz]

Lack Of US Visa Interview Dates: How To Ensure You Get The Dates?

Getting the US visa interview date needs a lot of hassle! 

To begin with, there are very limited slots available for the interview and if by chance you get any slot available, it can get filled in a few seconds. Another issue is that there is limited slot availability. Well, this makes it a lot more difficult to get assured interview dates.

However, if you act right at the right time, booking the US visa interview date is no big deal. Therefore, to help you grab the appointment slot, we have come up with some tips and tricks for you. But before that, let’s understand the expected waiting time you may have to wait for the interview.

Estimated Waiting Time for US Visa Interview Date

According to the US Department of State, if you are applying from major cities, you may have to wait for the following time:

Mumbai: 459 days for the student visa and 596 for the visitor visa.

Kolkata: 465 days for a student visa and 592 for a visitor visa.

Hyderabad: 458 days for a student visa and 609 days for a visitor visa

New Delhi: 458 days for a student visa and 629 days for a visitor visa.

However, with increasing applicants, this waiting time is more likely to increase and in case of workload and staffing issues, the embassy may decide to change this waiting period. This is why before planning your trips, it is always a better idea to confirm from the embassy. 

Get US Visa Interview Dates With These Three Tips

Get an I-20 by applying to a university

Look for the universities which release the i-20 sooner than others. This is because by the time other people will wait for their I-20, you will be the one booking your visa date. This will increase your probability of securing the date. Moreover, when you secure the US visa interview date, you will still have a chance to modify the university a week prior to your interview.

All you need to do is to update the DS 160. However, if you are not sure which university will release the I-20 sooner and what your options are, you can consult experienced consultants at Work Permitz. The team will help you find the best option available for you.

Avoid Rescheduling Interviews

Rescheduling your US visa interview dates is a big NO! Though the fees you pay at the time of your US visa application are valid for a whole year, you can reschedule the date only twice. If you choose to reschedule your interview date more than twice, you will have to pay the penalty fee.

But there’s a catch!

In case you have rescheduled your date for the first time and it gets cancelled then you won’t be able to reschedule the date for the next 90 days. So, there is always the underlying risk of your appointment being cancelled. Therefore, it is advised to stick to the schedule and avoid rescheduling your visa interview date. But if there is no way you can make it to the interview on the scheduled date, taking the risk of rescheduling is all you can do.

Be Patient

Patience is the key to getting US visa interview dates! With limited attempts to book an interview, it is important to be patient. This is because if you book a date and fail to do so because of any reason, one attempt will be reduced.

To book your date, you will get 12 attempts in total and when you will be booking your dates for the 12th time, you may come across warnings. In case you choose to ignore those warnings, you will be blocked from logging in for the next 72 hours. Therefore, to avoid this situation, make sure that you do not exhaust your attempts and book your appointments patiently.

Documents Required For US Visa

You will have to carry certain documents when you apply for the US visa interview or while you are going for an interview. Make sure that you carry copies and originals of the following documents on the day of your interview.

Passport: Make sure that your passport is valid for 3 months minimum after coming back from the US and must have 2 blank pages.

DS-160 form: Carry the original completely filled application form.

Financial Documents: Make sure to carry the documents to support your financial status and ensure the officials that you have enough funds to manage your living expenses or studies. This includes your income tax returns, property documents, bank statements and pay slips.

Photograph: Carry 2 coloured recent passport photographs.

Retirement proof: In case you are retired from your job, make sure to carry your pension book to the US consulate.

Trip Itinerary: keep a detailed itinerary of the trip including the places you will visit, tourist attractions, scheduled hours, travel dates, meeting agendas and more.

Proof of Employment: Submit a leave application from your company as well as your pay slips.

Education Proof: carry your school, college ID or degree to provide proof of your education.

Business proof: Submit documents related to your business including partnership deed, business license and company bank statements.

Minor Traveler: In the case of a minor traveller, you will have to submit your birth certificate and NOC to the parents along with their ID proofs.

Invitation letter: In case you are invited by a friend or family member, you will have to submit the invitation letter along with the passport of the inviter.

Letter of Sponsorship: in case you are being sponsored, carry the financial documents and passport ID of the sponsor.

Take Expert Help

With lakhs of candidates fighting to book their interview dates, getting US visa interview dates has become a lot more difficult. However, consulting an experienced immigration consultant can make the process easier for you. So, take the right step right now and consult Work Permitz to get assured US visa interview dates. The team will help you find the best available options for you and will guide you through the complete interview process.

[theimprobabledreamersworld]

A Time of Magic

Merlin AU

I got really excited about writing this after getting so many great ideas from people! So I spent most of today on it :) I will make it clear now; some parts will follow how it went in canon, some parts will be similar to how it went in the show and other things I will be deviating from completely <3

Taglist: I’ll do my 'general writing taglist for now' but if you would like to be tagged (or not tagged if you have been) then please let me know via dm, asks or comments/tags! 😊💜

@psychedelicships @jwillowwolf @lost-in-thought-20 @red-imeanblue @writerwithtoomanyships

Summary:  “No one can know their destiny, no matter how grand that destiny might be. No one can truly comprehend how they wind up in the vast, complex tapestry of life. He cannot glimpse into the future of his great story. He will have to allow it to unwind for itself. Our young warlock must live to follow his destiny, and learn how to survive in a harsh world. His name… Virgil.”

Tags for this chapter: OC death, (not graphic in any way) description of execution, brief mention of a weapon, alternative universe (Merlin and human AU) 

Word count: 2,818

Read on Ao3!

Chapter 1: Into the Realm of Camelot.

“No one can know their destiny, no matter how grand that destiny might be. No one can truly comprehend how they wind up in the vast, complex tapestry of life. He cannot glimpse into the future of his great story. He will have to allow it to unwind for itself. Our young warlock must live to follow his destiny, and learn how to survive in a harsh world. His name… Virgil.”

The young man scrambled up the sandy hill and laughed when the grass brushed under his legs. He looked behind him at the vast expanse he had left behind. The blue and grey hues of the Brighsonee Mountain that would usually loom above him every day now seemed significantly smaller, for the first time in his life, he could actually see the dusting of snow that covered the sharp peaks.

This was the beginning of a new start.

He looked into the distance and saw the last wooden house of village he had called home for the last twenty years. The feeling of sadness threatened to overwhelm him, but he couldn’t go back now even if he wanted to. Home was no longer safe, and he couldn’t put his mother through any more heartache. If he hadn’t been so reckless, he wouldn’t have been forced to leave his mother behind to fix his mistakes. He felt his eyes fill with tears at the thought, but he shook his head and violently wiped away the one tear that made its way down his face. There was no point looking back, he had to move forward.

“You must go to Camelot and find Logan. He will help you and protect you.” He listened to his mother’s words that echoed in his mind. He could feel the daunting pressure of the rising sun push him forward, with one final look at his past. He adjusted the bag on his back full of his meagre possessions and walked down the other side of the hill.

As he continued to walk for another two hours, he found himself in a wild forest. The path would come and go continuously, and he found himself fighting through trees while getting his dark brown jacket tangled in branches. He finally found the path again and stopped to remove a sharp stone that had somehow got in his shoe before freezing in awe at the sight in front of him. As he looked through another set of trees, he could see the walls of Camelot. It was clear to Virgil now why Camelot had been deemed the most powerful kingdom in the entire realm. He picked up the shoe that he dropped in surprise and put it back on his foot before moving swiftly along the path with a new-found burst of energy.

Virgil was so eager, but also anxious, to reach the town that he almost collided with a knight on his horse. The knight nodded politely as Virgil moved out of the way, his bright red cloak with the golden insignia of the dragon billowing behind him. At least Virgil could be reassured that he was definitely go the correct way. The sun began to beam brighter as the trees lessened. He could hear the hustle and bustle of the town somewhere in front of him, so he ran towards the noise. Virgil stopped just before the cobbled path of the town and took in the new surroundings, he was intimidated by how busy everything was. He knew it would be more chaotic than his miniscule village, but this was something else entirely. The main part to dominate his attention completely was the castle that towered over the town, just like the Brighsonee Mountain at his village.

A multitude of lean, square towers dominate the skyline of the castle and were connected by extremely tall, thin walls made of dark brown stone. Virgil was unable to count sheer volume of flags that fluttered in the breeze all around the castle. Small windows decorated are scattered generously across the walls in an asymmetric pattern, some decorated in stained glass, some left as they were to let the light in. He could also see symmetric crenelations for archers and artillery, that was a reassurance that Camelot was protected. Statues of kings were lined up outside of the castle gates, serving as reminders of the past. This castle had stood the test of time and despite knowing some very rough wars and battles, the castle still stood. It looked like it will do so for many years to come.

As he was accidentally pushed to the side by a townsman carrying goods on his back, he knew it was time to take the first step into his new home. He brushed off his torn purple shirt, then adjusted his classic red neckerchief before taking a deep breath and walking into the town. He smiled as he saw small children giggling and chasing each other through the crowded street. He watched as men and women wandered around the market stalls, Virgil couldn’t help but be fascinated by the food and jewellery stalls he passed. His stomach rumbled and it reminded him that he really needed to eat the food his mother packed for him, but that could wait. Right now, he really needed to find Logan. He caught a glimpse of the familiar red cape of a passing knight and followed him in the right direction of the castle entrance.

There were plenty of people walking in and out of the castle at a rapid pace, smiling as they went about their business and Virgil smiled back politely. As he walked over the drawbridge and caught a glimpse of the water in the moat, he had to admit to himself that he was pleasantly surprised. Part of him was expecting for the castle to be closed off and daunting considering how it looks from a distance, but the fact that it was so welcoming made him feel much more assured that he would be okay here after all.

He saw a significantly large group of people standing in the middle of the castle grounds and he excitedly raced over to see what had everybody so excited. They were standing around a square that had been cordoned off by rope, everybody was desperately trying to make sure they could see the spectacle. Virgil could just about make out a small stage with a block in the middle surrounded by a variety of weapons. There were guards to keep everyone from moving any closer and he saw one more man wearing a black mask over his face standing in the middle of the stage. Virgil was confused, why was there so much protection for a magic show? Before he could think about it any further, he jumped as two guards with bugles began to play a mournful fanfare. A man wearing a golden crown with a burgundy cloak stepped out onto the balcony high up in the castle, Virgil made a note that this must be a member of the royal family, most likely the King. It would explain the gold jewellery around his neck anyway. The serious expression on his face made Virgil tense up. He nodded and another set of guards played large drums at a slow marching pace while a townsman was dragged out into the courtyard wearing heavy chains. ‘This is going to be one intense show.’ Virgil thought.

As the man finally reached the stage with an incredibly morbid expression on his face, the crowd began to mutter excitedly before turning towards the balcony. Virgil followed suit as a loud, authoritative voice boomed out across the courtyard.

“Let this be a lesson to all who reside in Camelot. This man, Peter Robert Sclator has been judged as guilty.” There was a substantial pause, and Virgil took the opportunity to glance at the man before furrowing his brow.

‘Guilty?’ He looked around and saw people bowing their heads and nodding slowly, it started to dawn on him. Maybe this wasn’t a magic show after all. His heart began to fill with dread as the voice began to fill the courtyard once more.

“He is guilty of conspiracy. Conspiracy of using enchantments… and magic.” Virgil’s eyes widened with fear at the sheer distain in the King’s voice as he practically spat out the word magic. The way he gritted his teeth made every word much more sinister. Gasps filled the silence after his words reverberated around the walls. The man was desperately trying to make eye contact with people he must have known in the crowd, but everyone avoided his gaze. Virgil felt his heart beat rapidly, he wished he wasn’t so curious. He shouldn’t be standing here watching this, but if he left now, would he look guilty? If someone could be punished for conspiracy… what would happen to someone like him? He gulped as he trembled waiting for the next declaration to be made.

“In accordance with the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that these types of practices are banned… on penalty of death. I ensure that I am a fair and just ruler. For the crime of sorcery. This is the only sentence that will be passed.” The crowd were ushered into silence and Virgil had to grip tightly onto the handles of his bag so he didn’t gasp or draw attention to himself. Now the man bowed his head, completely resigned to his fate. Virgil didn’t understand, why didn’t he call out? Swear that he was only using his magic for good? He looked around as subtly as he could, and couldn’t believe that no one was standing up for this man, he must have friends… a family. He glanced up and saw one of the castle windows open slowly, someone looked out to the courtyard. Virgil couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming sadness on the young man’s face, almost pitying the situation as much as Virgil did.

As the man was dragged to the stage and pushed down to the block. It finally dawned on Virgil that this was real. This was how life was going to be in Camelot, and the thought petrified him. The drumbeat began to speed up and Uther slowly raised his hand into the air. He couldn’t watch so he focused on the ground, and winced when he heard the axe swoosh into the air before the inevitable groan of everyone who decided to watch the man’s fate. Virgil forced himself to look up and he saw the man in the window; the disgust, pity and rage on his face was palpable and his eyes looked like daggers aimed squarely at Uther’s head. Everyone slowly began to gather their things and walk away from the display, but Uther stopped the people in their tracks. Virgil was desperate to run, but again, the fear of looking guilty plagued his mind. Despite how disgusted he felt, he knew that he was compelled to stay.

“When I first arrived in Camelot. The kingdom was consumed with chaos. It was only thanks to the bravery of the people, that we were able to rise up and be free from the evil of magic. So I wish to declare a festival. Tomorrow marks twenty years since we captured the Great Dragon. Let us celebrate this joyous occasion.”

Virgil’s head began to spin as he saw the smug look on Uther’s face as he raised his arms above his head in pride. How could he look so proud after what he had just done? Magic was a source of good. There had been bad events though, there was no doubting that. If it was harnessed by a corrupted person, that was the only way magic could be evil… He didn’t understand why Uther refused to accept that. Virgil finally realised just how careful he was going to have to be, even though he didn’t even know how to control his abilities. He looked up and saw the window slam shut making the glass crack from side to side. He couldn’t say that he blamed that guy for his reaction. Virgil just hoped that he was okay.

He finally took a step and broke away from the shock of the last hour. He made his way to the far end of the courtyard searching for The Court Physician’s quarters. He needed to calm down, and he hoped that Logan would be able to reassure him like his mother promised. Virgil was still shaking but he swallowed his pride and asked one of the patrolling guards for directions. Despite hearing words coming out of the guard’s mouth, it didn’t process in his mind at all. So he nodded and walked in a direction, hoping it was the correct way.

After about five minutes, and two laps of the bottom of the castle. It was clear that he was lost because he hadn’t seen anything that looked like a space for the Court Physician. He sat in one of the gaps of the castle walls and let everything sink in. He must have ended up being there for a lot longer than anticipated because an older man with grey speckles in his hair looked at him with sympathy and knelt down to his level.

“Boy? Is everything alright? Are you lost?” The caring voice was enough to snap Virgil out of his overthinking mind. He looked into the deep blue eyes and immediately felt a sense of calm wash over him. He looked down and saw the large book on herbs that the man was holding close to his chest. Could this be…

“Logan?” Virgil asked hopefully, he was desperate for this day to end. The man’s eyes glimmered with agreement and he nodded in a calculated way. Virgil sighed deeply in relief, finally, this day might come to an end and he could start from scratch tomorrow.

“That is me, yes... Who are you?” The hint of uncertainty shone through in his voice and Virgil remembered the letter his mother wrote for him to give to Logan. He frantically opened his bag and searched desperately for the letter, he knew it was somewhere near the front, because his mother knew that he would lose it otherwise. He felt paper brush against his fingertips, and he pulled it out to hand to Logan. He was met with an apologetic smile, and he couldn’t tell what he had done wrong.

“I’m so sorry my boy, I’ve misplaced my glasses.” Virgil looked up and saw they were actually sitting delicately on Logan’s head, but he didn’t want to embarrass the man who would hopefully become like a guardian to him. So he smiled softly and began to introduce himself.

“I’m Virgil...?” The silence between them became almost uncomfortable until Logan beamed brightly as he seemed to recognise the name.

“Hunith’s son!” Virgil smiled back just as brightly. “You’re not supposed to be coming until Wednesday!” Virgil’s smile faltered as he worked out again how to say this in a delicate manner.

“Er, today… is Wednesday.” Logan went to say something but he stopped himself. He raised his eyes to the ceiling and calculated something on his fingers before sighing in realisation. He stood up and held a hand out to Virgil while pulling him out of his seat in the wall. They started walking together towards a set of stairs which led to Logan’s quarters. He had only just realised that it was quite late in the day now as the corridors were illuminated with burning torches. Logan stopped Virgil from coming in, and he could see him scrambling around lighting candles. When the rooms were sufficiently lit, he welcomed him in with open arms.

“Head to the bedroom at the back and put your things in there. I’ll get us some dinner while you get settled in.” He left swiftly and Virgil staggered to bedroom. He looked around and as he put his bag down on the floor, he already felt at home. He opened the window and saw just how high up they were in the castle. The flickering lights of the houses and the still open market stalls made him smile, it looked eerily beautiful. He closed the window and sat on the bed waiting for Logan to return, but his exhaustion got the better of him and he immediately fell asleep.

When Logan came back and didn’t hear any response to his calls of Virgil’s name, he was slightly concerned. He briskly walked to the bedroom and smiled softly when he saw Virgil fast asleep, so he left a piece of pie and a glass of water delicately on the table next to Virgil’s bed and blew out the candle before heading back into the main room.

The night was quiet except for a deep, intimidating voice calling out into the darkness.

“Virgil.”

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 18th November 2021

F1

Having been the favourite all along, Zhou has been confirmed in the 2nd Alfa Romeo seat for 2022. He is an Alpine junior, who is currently 2nd in the F2 standings, with a few wins this year. Whilst there are more impressive CV’s out there, Guanyu is worthy of an F1 seat you have to say, and will be the 1st Chinese driver in F1. Money seems to be what allowed him to get the seat over Giovinazzi or Piastri, as Chinese backers are reported to have sourced $30 million for him.

After the stewards felt there was no need to investigate the incident on Lap 48 of the Grand Prix, Mercedes have lodged a right to review it, as the onboard of Verstappen’s car has been released now to the public. I imagine that the FIA will agree with their view, and allow them to appeal for a penalty, but given Lewis did get past before the race ended, the FIA may not feel it necessary to penalise him. I am sure it will be the subject of much debate!

Formula E

After the news of Zhou joining Alfa Romeo, Giovinazzi announced he will move across to Dragon Penske for next year. This was probably the best choice for him, as he is a very good driver, he just wasn’t quite cut out for F1. I am excited to see how he does. Alongside this, Sette Camara was confirmed to stay at the team with the Italian, creating a rather strong line up.

Vergne has also resigned with Decheetah, to continue the fiery partnership with Da Costa, which surely will lead to disaster soon! Until then, the team will have two great drivers, who have the potential to do great things for the team.

IndyCar

The US Air Force have pulled out of sponsoring the No. 20 Ed Carpenter car, presumably as the performance of that car is not what they were hoping for. Daly was unlucky on road courses this year, and Ed has been struggling to put it all together on ovals too. This has left a big vacuum at the team, and could be a major issue going forwards.

MotoGP

Unfortunately, work has kept me from writing another MotoGP review article, I can only apologise, there will be a review article of the season coming out soon, and things should be calmer for me when they return in March/April. As for the season finale, it was another weekend for Ducati, as Martin ended his rookie year on a high, before having the win snatched from him by Bagnaia, who offered it as a thank you to Rossi. The Italian squad look formidable for 2022, especially as Jorge was ill this weekend.

Quartararo was at sea all weekend, although he did get well inside the top 10 for the race, he can still be so proud of his year. Mir and Binder did their bit, for teams who are probably glad to leave 2021 behind them, and should expect much better next year. Bastiannini and Aleix Espargaro deserved to end their years in the top 10, after both having stellar campaigns. Morbidelli too showed promise for 2022.

However, that weekend was all really about one man, who was leaving behind one of the most incredible careers in racing, spanning 26 years. It was truly emotional to think that was it for the GOAT of motorcycle racing, and whilst it would have been crazy for him to win the final race, this year has shown he chose the right time to go, and has nothing to be ashamed of. We should all just be thankful we got to witness Rossi’s career unfold around us.

Other News

Glickenhaus will have 1 full time car in 2022 for the WEC season, with there being 2 entries for Le Mans. This is probably a smart move, as they are a small team, and don’t want to overstretch themselves. There is the potential for the 2nd car to race outside of Le Mans, but the logistics of that is still being sorted out.

Dodge is reportedly set to return to NASCAR, sources say it is 80% done, with them apparently joining up with Stewart Haas Racing to begin with. This would not happen in time for next year, but 2023 or 24 is highly likely. This would be a major coup for NASCAR, as Dodge would bring much more money and viewers to the sport, and complete the big 3 American Automotive giants.

-M

Thank you very much for reading this article! To keep up to date with when they go out, and to see my reactions to races and other news, follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MeaningofMotor1

Also, if you want to support me, I have a Patreon Page at: https://www.patreon.com/meaningofmotorsport

[actress4him]

Whumptober 2020 - Day 20

So, I basically set this fic in BBC’s Merlin, minus any of the actual characters. Any fellow fans out there? Anyway, I wasn’t sure what to do for today’s prompt for a while before this idea came to me, then I got to spend an afternoon researching. ;) Hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3

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Day 20 - Medieval

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Warnings: restraints, death mention, torture, dislocation, broken bones, mild blood, mild gore

The city of Prakkus was stuck in medieval times. At first, they thought it was just the architecture, which really did look like a citadel straight out of the Earth Middle Ages. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge had started in on the “dragons and knights in shining armor” comments right off the bat, which Keith had listened to with silent amusement. 

Then they actually got inside, and the natives - a pink-skinned, mostly humanoid race that called themselves Dornads - were all dressed in long gowns, tunics, and robes. It really did look like they had stepped into the pages of a history book. Even Keith caught himself looking around in awe at everything, and the Garrison trio’s commentary just became even more animated. 

It wasn’t until later, though, that they’d realize just how stuck in the medieval era these people were. Not until they were greeting King Uster and discussing an alliance, and Pidge brought up a holographic screen from her gauntlet, and the throne room exploded with shouts of treason.

Not until they were being accused of sorcery and dragged down deep below the castle, into a real-life dungeon lit only by torches along the walls and guarded by Dornads wearing polished armor.

Their own armor was taken, leaving them with no easy way out of the cell they were all thrown into. The only good news was that their flight suits still managed to keep out the chill, since in true medieval fashion there was no heating in the dungeon. 

Bright and early the next morning, they were woken by a guard banging on the bars of their cell door. 

“You.” He pointed a gloved finger straight at Keith. “You are the leader here, are you not?”

Hunk’s hand gripped his arm, but he shook it off and stood before anyone else could protest. “I am.”

“Come with me.” 

The others scrambled to their feet, firing off questions about where he was being taken and why, but Keith just followed the guard’s directions and stuck his hands out the gap in the door so that thick iron shackles could be clamped around his wrists. “It’s okay, guys. We’ll get all of this figured out.”

“Just tell them the truth, Keith,” Allura urges. “It may take some work, but surely they will understand if you explain it to them.” 

Right. Because he had always been so good with words, with explaining. That was her job, and Shiro’s job, not his. It was one of the many reasons he sucked at being the leader. 

But he could do this part. He could take responsibility for his team, take whatever they wanted to throw at him just to make sure the others stayed safe and unhurt. 

He was led all the way back to the throne room they had been in the day before, and shoved to his knees in front of King Uster. The man looked down at him in disdain from underneath his golden crown. 

“Black Paladin of Voltron. You kneel before this court today accused of the crime of sorcery. Do you recant?”

“Sir, with all due respect, I think there has been a misunderstanding. What you saw yesterday wasn’t magic, it was just an electronic -”

“Do you recant?”

Pressing his lips together, Keith tried his best not to be annoyed at the interruption. “There are other planets and races that are more technologically advanced th-”

“Do you recant?” The King was practically shouting now. “Your crime has already been pronounced.The penalty for practicing sorcery is death. However, if you recant on behalf of yourself and your associates, there will be no further punishment.”

Keith furrowed his brow. “So wait, you’re just gonna kill us without a trial? Without even listening to an explanation?”

“You really expect to need a trial after your crime was witnessed by so many, including myself? I suggest you recant now.”

“And if I don’t?” he shot back.

The King’s three eyes narrowed. “Then, Black Paladin, you will return to the dungeon to face the honed skills of my punisher until you do recant. Then you and your associates shall all be executed.”

So, torture. Right. Not something he was looking forward to, but what he was hearing was that the other choice was to admit to something he didn’t do and immediately get him and his team killed. If he refused, then he got tortured, but they all got to live in the meantime. That was more time for someone to come up with an escape plan, or for Coran to realize something was amiss and figure out how to get them out.

He lifted his chin. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

King Uster leaned back in his throne and flicked a dismissive hand. “Take him away.”

The trip back down was rougher than the trip up. The guard pulled him so quickly that his feet could barely keep up, almost dragging him down the stone steps. He had hoped that the torture would be happening in a separate area from the cells so that his teammates would be none the wiser, but unfortunately it was in an open space just down the hall. Down the hall past the cells.

“Keith!”

“Keith, what’s going on?”

He threw the best smile he could muster their way as he was yanked past. “It’s okay. Just...keep thinking.”

He hoped they’d know what he meant. It was all he had time to say, and he didn’t want any extra suspicion on them. But he really needed them to figure out a way to escape.

The torture room looked exactly how he imagined it would. There were chains dangling from the ceiling, clamps and knives and various devices of unknown use hanging on every wall. Keith was led straight to something that he was pretty sure he recognized before they even began strapping him down to it.  

It was a table of sorts, sitting at an incline. The shackles were taken from his wrists, only to be replaced with the metal cuffs attached to ropes on the higher end of the table. Identical cuffs at the low end were put around his ankles - after his boots were removed - so that he was lying on his back with his arms stretched up over his head. Though he knew stretched wasn’t really the word to describe it, not compared to how they were about to be.

Sure enough, the guard stepped to the crank on one end of the table, and a newcomer, the “punisher”, he assumed, took the place by his feet. 

“All you must do is recant to make this end.”

The cranks began to turn. The rope tightened. It went just past pulling taut to the point of putting pressure on his limbs before they stopped.

“Do you recant?”

“We didn’t do anything wrong.”

The ropes went tighter. A mild ache started up in his joints.

“Do you recant?”

“It’s called science.”

Another turn, and his knees and elbows began to creak.

“Do you recant?”

“No.”

His knees and elbows were dangerously close to pulling out of their sockets, and his hips and shoulders were popping.

“Do you recant?”

Keith swallowed a groan. You can’t scream. You can’t scream. They don’t need to hear this, you can’t scream.

The crank turned. His knees and elbows dislocated with a loud crack. 

He screamed.

“Keith!” he could barely hear from down the hall. Other shouts accompanied, but they all blurred together.

“Do you recant?”

Another turn brought the ropes tight again, and his dislocated joints cried out. His back arched, as if it could somehow relieve the pressure.

The punisher walked away for a moment, only to return holding a small piece of wood with round holes cut through it. He fit the holes over the toes of Keith’s right foot, then produced a wooden chisel and a hammer. 

Keith didn’t know what was coming for sure, but he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

“Do you recant?”

“Just do it,” he growled.

The chisel was wedged into the hole housing his smallest toe, then the hammer slammed into the end of it. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose as the bone broke, but managed not to make anymore noise.

He didn’t, in fact, through all the other toes, until it was the big toe snapping. Then he let out a moan through his teeth that he hoped was too quiet for the others to hear. 

“Do you recant?” 

“No!”

Back to the cranks again. His shoulders weren’t going to last much longer. It took another two turns, and agonizing pain in his already destroyed joints, for them to simultaneously pop out of place. 

He screamed again, and his team echoed their own cries right back.

How hard would it be, his traitorous mind started to think, to confess to using magic? That’s all it would take to make him stop.

But the sound of his friends’ voices kept him from giving in. He had to stay strong. He had to. Otherwise they’d be dead by tomorrow.

“Do you recant?”

His hips were next, and hopefully last, to go. If they went any further, it would be his spine, and he was pretty sure they didn’t want to kill him. Yet. Though the pain was making his brain so fuzzy, he wasn’t even completely sure about that anymore.

The punisher leaned over him. “Do you recant?”

Keith couldn’t have answered even if he wanted to.

The cuffs were removed from his wrists and ankles, and he was jerked up from the rack with more force than necessary. A strangled cry ripped from his throat. The guard marched him across the room, though it was less a march than a series of stumbles on Keith’s part. His legs and toes were in more pain than he realized was possible, but if he fell then they’d just drag him by his also ruined arms. 

A coffin-shaped structure loomed before him. Two doors swung open from the front, revealing an interior filled with short spikes.

“Perhaps a night spent with the Iron Maiden will change your mind.”

The guard shoved him forward and adjusted him until he stood in the tiny space in the center. All his weight settled onto his dislocated hips and knees. Tears sprang into his eyes unbidden, but he gritted his teeth and refused to look away as the heavy, spiked doors came swinging in toward him.

Then it was dark. Completely, pitch black dark, and the only sound he could hear was his own labored breathing.

But he didn’t have to see the metal spikes to know they were still there. He could feel them, pricking at his skin every time he swayed the slightest bit in any direction. His legs hurt, so badly. He wasn’t even sure how he was standing on them at all, and had a feeling that it wouldn’t last for much longer. If he could raise his arms, he could brace himself against the walls somehow, but even if he had been able to get them past the spikes without shredding them he couldn’t will his shoulders to move.

Slowly, over the next...he didn’t even know, because time was impossible to mark in the darkness and silence...Keith found himself sinking backwards and to one side. He couldn’t help it. Yes, the spikes were embedding themselves into his flesh. Yes, it hurt. But at least it took his mind off the rest of his pain, just a bit. 

And as gruesome as it was, the spikes were helping to hold him up, by his ribs if nothing else, taking some of the pressure off his hips and knees.

It felt like hours and hours later when the doors opened again, leaving a barely conscious Keith to groan and squint his eyes shut against the torchlight that filtered in. There was a flurry of voices and movement, multiple pairs of hands grasped his arms, legs, and torso, and he was gently eased off of the spikes and out of the metal box. He whimpered as blood began to flow from the newly opened holes.

“I know, Keith, I know,” a voice whispered. “It’s alright. It’s alright.”

A gentle hand was stroking his hair. His eyelids fluttered open, and he could just make out the blurry face that hovered over him.

“‘llura…you...got out.”

She smiled tightly. “Yes. I just wish it had been sooner.”

“Why’d you do it, man?” He knew Lance’s voice, though he couldn’t will his head to turn to see him. “Why’d you let them do this to you? You could have just told them what they wanted to hear!”

“They were gonn’...” Keith clenched his teeth as a wave of pain washed over him, “ex’cute everybody. Had t’...stall. So you could get out.” The corner of his mouth turned up as he returned Allura’s worried gaze. “I’m the leader. ‘s my job t’ protect you.”

“Well, now I’ve officially made it our job to protect you.”

“No arguments here.” Lance stood. “I see Hunk and Pidge coming back with our armor. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Allura stood, too, picking Keith up in her arms. He bit back a groan. “Popsicle stand? What is a popsicle, and why are we blowing its stand?”

Keith let his eyes slip shut. “I could eat a po’sicle right now. Soun’s good.”

Lance chuckled and ruffled his hair softly. “Soon as we get back to the Castle, I’ll make sure Hunk makes you as many popsicles as you want.”

[quakerjoe]

"Why are people so hostile towards President Donald Trump?"

Chris O'Leary:

Before you pass my answer off as “Another Liberal Snowflake” consider that 1.) I'm an independent centrist who has voted Republican way more often in my life than Democrat, and 2.) If you want to call someone who spent the entire decade of his 20’s serving in the Marine Corps a snowflake, I’d be ready to answer the question what did you do with your 20’s?

Why Liberals (And not-so liberals) are against President Trump.

A.) He lies. A LOT. Politifact rates 69% of the words he speaks as “Mostly False or worse” Only 17% of the things he says get a “Mostly True” or better rating. That is an absolutely unbelievable number. How he doesn’t speak more truth by mistake is beyond me. To put it in context, Obama’s rating was 26% mostly false or worse, and I had a problem with that. Many of Trump’s former business associates report that he has always been a compulsive liar, but now he’s the President of the United States, and that’s a problem. And this is a man who expects you to believe him when he points at other people and says “They’re lying”

B.) He’s an authoritarian populist, not a conservative. He advances regressive social policy while proposing to expand federal spending and federalist authority over states, both of which conservatives are supposed to hate.

C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. They also are simply bad ideas.

F.) He couldn’t pass a 3rd-grade civics exam. He doesn't’ know what he’s doing. He doesn't understand how international relations work, he doesn’t understand how federal state or local governments work, and every time someone tries to “Run it like a business” it’s a spectacular failure. See Colorado Springs’ recent history as an example. The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise And that was a businessman with a MUCH better business track record than Trump. We are talking about a man who lost money owning a freaking gambling casino.

G.) He behaves unethicaly and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

H.) He is damaging our relationships with our best international friends while kissing up to nations that do not have our best interests in mind. To his question “Wouldn't’ it be great to have better relations with Russia?” The answer is Yes. But it is RUSSIA who needs to earn that, who must stop doing the things that are damaging to that relationship, or we are simply weaker for it.

I.) He has never seen a shortcut he didn't like, and you can’t take shortcuts in government. “Nuclear Option, Remove the Filibuster, I’ll change the Constitution by Executive Order…Don…what happens when you remove the filibuster and the other side retakes the majority in the Senate? Suddenly want that filibuster back? What happens if you manage to change the Constitution by Executive Order and an Anti-2A President wins the next election?

J.) He behaves and has always behaved as an unabashed racist. Yes, I’ve seen your favorite meme that claims he was never accused of racism before the Democrats…Absolutely false. Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2019 See the Central Park 5, the lawsuits and fines resulting from his refusal to lease to black tenants, the 1992 lost appeal trying to overturn penalties for removing black dealers from tables, his remarks to the house native American affairs subcommittee in 1993. The man sees and treats racial groups of people as monoliths.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

L.) He speaks and acts like a demagogue. He sees the Legislative and Judicial branches of government as inconveniences, blows up at criticism no matter how deserved and actively tries to countermand constitutional processes, not to mention attempts to blackmail and coerce people who are saying negative things about him

M.) His choices for top positions, with the exception of Gen. Mattis, who is a gem, have been horrendous. A secretary of Education without a resume that would get her hired as a small town grammar school principal, A secretary of Energy who didn't know the Department of Energy was responsible for nuclear reserves, an EPA head whose biggest accomplishments to date had been suing the EPA on multiple occasions, an FCC head who while working for Verizon actively lobbied to kill net neutrality, and an Attorney General who thinks pot is “nearly as bad as heroin” and asked Congress for permission to go after legal pot businesses in states where it is legal. (There goes that great Republican States rights rally cry again, right? *Crickets*) An Interim AG after Firing his First AG who’s appointment is probably unconstitutional.

N.) He denies scientific fact. Ever notice that the only people you hear denying climate change are politicians and lobbyists? 99% of actual scientists studying the issue agree that it’s real, man-made and caused by greenhouse gasses. Ever notice that every big disaster movie starts with a bunch of politicians in a room ignoring a scientist's warning?

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is Thin Skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

P.) He still does not understand that the words he speaks, or tweets, are the official position of 1/3 of the US government, and so does not govern his words. He still thinks when he speaks it’s good ol’ Donald Trump. It’s not. It’s the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. You have probably spread a meme or two around talking about how no president’s every word has ever been dissected before…YES, THEY ALWAYS HAVE. It’s just that every other president in our lifetime has understood the importance of his words and took great care to govern his speech. Trump blurts out whatever comes to his mind then complains when people talk about what a dumb thing that was to say.

Q.) He’s unqualified. If you owned a small business and were looking for someone to manage it, and an unnamed resume came across your desk and you saw 6 bankruptcies, showing a man who had failed to make money running CASINOS, would you hire him? He is a very poor businessman. This is a man it has been estimated would have been worth $10 BILLION more if he’d just taken what his father had given him, invested it in Index Funds and left it alone.

R.) He is President. But he refuses to take a leadership position and understand that he is everyone’s President. Conservatives complain about liberals chanting “Not my President” while Trump himself behaves as if no one but his supporters matter.

S.) He’s a blatant hypocrite. He spent 8 years bitching Obama out for his family trips, or golfing, or any time he took for himself, and what does he do? He was already on his 20th golf outing in APRIL of his 1st year in office. He constantly rants about respect for the military, yet can’t be bothered to attend the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day because of a little rain. (And that excuse about Marine One not being able to fly in the rain is HILARIOUS.)

T.) He’s a misogynist. It's not really ok in this day and age to be a misogynist, but it’s not a huge deal if you’re a private citizen. It’s a pretty big deal if you hate half the people you’re elected to lead. The disdain for women seeps out of his …whatever…. and he just can’t hide it.

U.) Face it. In any other election “Grab Em’ By the Pussy” would have been the end of that candidate’s chances. Back in the 90’s I used to marvel about how Teflon Bill Clinton was. I no longer do. The fact that he managed to slip by on that is as much a statement about how much people hate Hillary Clinton as it is about what is wrong with politics in this country right now.

V.) He has one response to a differing opinion. Attack. A good leader listens to criticism, to different points of view, is capable of self-reflection, tries to guide people to his point of view, and when necessary stands his ground and defends his convictions. Any of that sound like Trump? His default is not to Lead, its’ to attack. Scorched Earth. The Jim Acosta reaction is a good example. There was no defense of his convictions when Acosta was asking him repeated questions about his rhetoric on the caravan. His response was to attack Acosta.

W.) He takes credit for everything positive while deflecting blame for everything negative. Look at him with the Stock Market. He’s been bragging about it since day one, and to give credit where credit is due, speculation on coming deregulation early in his presidency did fuel some rapid growth, but to pretend that it’s all him, that we’re not in the 9th year of the longest bull market in history and THEN, when the standard market volatility that deregulation inevitably brings about starts to show up? Yeah. Look at yesterday. Hey! Stock Markets losing because the Democrats won! Do I need to bring out the Stock market chart for the last 10 Years again?

X.) He emboldens the worst among us. Counter-protesters are slammed into by a car while countering actual Nazi rally, and the response is there’s fault on “Both Sides” The media is at fault for a nut job sending them and Donald’s favorite targets pipe bombs. The truth is not all Republicans, not all Trump Supporters are racist, fascist lunatics. Many are just taken in by the bombastic personality and are living in an information bubble made worse by the fact that they unfollow anyone and ignore any source of information that makes them feel uncomfortable. People on the left do that too. The Biggest problem the right has right now is that the worst of the Right is the loudest and the most in your face, and the actual right, especially the Freaking PRESIDENT needs to be standing up and saying No. Those are not our values.

Y.) He seems to think the Constitution of The United States, the document that IS who we are, the document he took an oath to support and defend is some sort of inconvenience. He demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of Constitution, from believing he can alter the 14th through executive order, to thinking The free exercise clause in the first amendment somehow supersedes the establishment clause (not that he really understands either) or that the free exercise clause only applies to Christians. Or his attacks on freedom of expression and the press. He repeatedly makes it clear that if he’s read them, he does not understand Articles 1–3, and that’s something he really should have before he took the job, because they’re not going away.

Z.) I’ll use Z for something I do blame him for, but the rest of us have to carry the blame too. Polarization. This country is more politically polarized than I can remember in my lifetime. Some of you who are a few years older than I may remember how it was in the late 60’s when construction workers in New York were being applauded for beating up hippies, I think it’s pretty close to that right now, but that was before my time. And he is the cause of much of the current level polarization, but also the result. It didn't’ start with Trump. We’ve been going down this road I think since the eruption of the Tea Party in the early years of the Obama Administration. I do hope the tide turns before it gets much worse because the thing that scares me more than anything is what if that keeps going the way it has been? "

[fridlyckans0]

Training Your Dog Humanely: Part One

Welcome the Dog to the Human World

Have you ever watched The Dog Whisperer and thought, 'Wow, that guy is amazing! What a great way to train a dog!" I know I have many times. Cesar Milan teaches one basic principle about dogs - a dog is a pack animal by instinct. According to Cesar, your job is to become the pack leader, a dominant Alpha male/female with 'balance'. I guess by 'balance' he means you should treat the animal fairly, as they would expect to be treated in a wild pack. He gets very good and fast results with this method. I won't say it's a bad method, but it's not the way I choose to train my dogs and here's why.

There's one thing very wrong with the 'you're the pack leader' concept - it assumes the dog inhabits a dog's world, and for you to control it, you must behave as a dog would, the Alpha male or female of the pack. For the majority of dogs who are family pets this means the owner will treat the animal as though it had only instinctual processes going on in its head, no rational thought processes. To refute that thinking go and watch these two short videos of Lucy's behavior: Lucy Remembers Her Ball and Lucy and The Vacuum Cleaner (links appear at bottom). A dog does not inhabit a dog's world unless it's in a pack of dogs, roaming the wilderness like a wolf, bringing down prey and sharing its kill. This is not your dog. Your dog wouldn't chase its supper if it went hungry for a week! It would no more kill a raccoon and rip its flesh apart than would your six year old child! If you do have such an animal it's a sure bet that it's a dangerous dog, one that causes people in your neighborhood to cross the street to avoid.

If you become the pack leader, you've descended into the dog's world. Having done so, the dog will integrate well with other dogs, live in a pack happily, know its place in the human pack, and generally behave well, but it won't reach its full potential. When you adopted the dog into your family, you didn't decide to become a primeval growler, (which can work if you have the cahones to back up the threats), you decided to introduce an animal into the human world. As the two videos show, Lucy is an animal with human-like tendencies developed to the full potential of her smaller dog brain. She, like 99 percent of dogs today, belongs to a family, has been introduced to human concepts, and lives in a human world. It's better that you train your dog to live well in your world, rather than you in its, for the sake of the dog and yourself. You will have a much better companion, and so will the dog. The dog will learn to love humans above dogs.

Lucy is a thinking dog. Lucy will position herself at the ready depending on where a person places their foot behind a ball. She correctly anticipates which way the ball will be propelled by the positioning of the foot. She also cheats quite badly, arriving at the destination of a tossed toy before it gets there. Her brain has computed where you're likely to throw or kick an object. Lucy knows which way you will kick a ball simply by shifting your weight from one hip to the other, without even moving your feet! Better than a goalie in football (soccer).

Lucy knows several hundred concepts and commands, from Jump In The Boat, to Don't Go In The Street. She rarely plays now but when she was younger I would throw her ball into the street (a rural highway) and when she realized the ball had gone out of reach, rolling into forbidden territory, she would put on the brakes and stop before crossing an imaginary line. That line used to be a piece of yellow rope lying across the driveway about 20 feet from the street. After she learned the concept the rope was taken away, she was allowed to go out to pee on her own; I could trust her not to go past the imaginary line. That concept, Don't Go In The Street, is central to a dog being able to live happily in the human world. It's the difference between a deer or a raccoon crossing the road and your pet's thinking. It has learned that highways (a human construct not appearing in the dog pack vocabulary) are very bad.

Dogs have rational thought processes. Dogs have emotions. Dogs also have a conscience. Dogs learn to love. Dogs have language skills and can understand about five hundred human concepts with words. None of these things are in a puppy when you get them, they are learned behaviors.

A dog cannot do differential calculus, that's obvious, but it can reason out how to manipulate an owner into giving it food. Lucy was given a treat every time she asked me to go pee outside. If she gets slightly hungry, she has learned to ask to go outside, wait for thirty seconds and then come back in the house to get her reward. She will do this every hour or so until I've clued in and watch her. If she doesn't pee, the rewards stop, and so does the manipulative behavior since it's now a waste of time. But that shows you a dog can manipulate people. It isn't surprising really; a dog manipulates its owner many times during the day. If you rattle its leash, it will waken from a dead sleep and circle, pant and bark at the thought of going for a walk. That is doggy manipulation. The dog is saying how happy they would be if they went for a walk, and you're feeling guilty already if that wasn't your plan.

So higher reasoning aside, what can a dog do? It can learn. A dog can learn so many things you'd be surprised. If you simply teach it what it needs to know to function well in a human world, it would knock your socks off. Every day that Lucy and I wake up, we tell each other with hugs and kisses how happy we are that we have each other. Lucy loves humans, so much so that she almost ignores dogs. Can they make her food for her? Can they throw her ball? Her stick? Her little teddy bears?

There's a Border Collie in Germany that can remember any one of two hundred and fifty toys. Alan Alda of Mash fame visited this dog for Nova on PBS. The dog has all her toys in a big pile in one room. In another room she is shown a miniature sample of the desired toy (about one fifth scale). The dog leaves, enters the room with the massive pile of assorted frogs, teddy bears, squirrels, puppets, dolls, devils, Muppets, rummaging around and returning quickly, and surprisingly, with the correct toy. She does this flawlessly, even when it's a new toy that she's never seen before.

But once you've taught that dog human concepts, it's no longer a canine - it's a Canine Sapiens, a hybrid between dog and Homo Sapiens (which is Latin for Thinking Man). It cannot happily go back to the pack. Without wishing to conduct such an experiment, I went to England for two weeks and Lucy went to the kennel. The kennel belongs to a reputable breeder and Lucy had her own 'penalty box' (cage) placed inside a three by six foot kennel. There were other dogs there so you'd think she'd be fine, but these were 'Pack Dogs', dogs that the breeder keeps solely for breeding. One barks, they all bark. One runs around the yard, they all run around the yard. Lucy was having none of it, and their primitive antics had her stressed out. When I returned to pick her up she went wild with joy! She ran around the truck about ten times barking, crying, tail wagging, face licking, and all manner of expressions of love. I began to speak with the breeder about England but Lucy jumped into the truck through an open door and barked her head off so loud that she could not be ignored. "I guess I'm being summoned," I told the breeder. Man, was she happy to get out of there!

This is why several universities in the U.S. have stopped teaching gorillas and other primates American Sign Language in doctoral theses. Once the studies are over the animals are returned to cages in the zoo. No more riding around in cars for you! No more ice cream cones for you! The animals, now capable of reasoning to a degree, are back in cages languishing for the good old days with their human friends, unable to relate to the other primates around them. The universities have decided that it's unethical behavior to abandon them once they've formed attachments to their trainers. You need a PHD in behavioral psychology to figure that out?

It can be frustrating to try teaching a dog an advanced concept. If you find yourself yelling or getting frustrated with the dog simply back off. Stop. The problem is too complex for her present state of understanding and she doesn't know what you want. The solution is to break the problem into smaller steps. You didn't learn algebra before you learned to count, add, subtract, divide and multiply. You didn't learn to multiply until you learned to add the same number three times to itself. Dogs have similar minds to humans, except that they're somewhat limited in potential. But if you give the dog credit for being able to think with the ability of a three year old child, you'll be surprised at what they will learn.

Your dog has a conscience. How do I know this? Your dog dreams, which is a sure indication of a bifurcated mind with a conscious and a subconscious. The dog dreams after having a good day, or a bad day. When they've had a good day, they fall asleep and within five minutes enter the REM phase of their sleep pattern. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and it happens almost right away in dogs. In humans it takes about an hour and thirty minutes. During REM sleep the dog can be whining, barking, chasing, wagging its tail, eating, chewing, swimming. You'll recognize a dog who is dreaming when you see it, trust me, but what that dream indicates is that it has a subconscious mind that's free to relive the experiences of the day. If it has a subconscious mind then it must have a conscious mind, because you can't have one without the other, unless it's in a coma.

if you need more information fridlyckans kindly cheakout our site.

[lovesunflowerdreamthings]

Random musings: Could Kirisaki Shidou be an "Angel of Mercy"?

Fair warning I wrote this in a sleep-deprived state. And I am really grasping at straws here.

This theory is founded on three main arguments:

1.) Appearance (gloves, prisoner uniform resembles a lab coat)

2.) Personality (calm and serene prisoner, good with children, it's almost impossible to see him perturbed.)

3.) Teaser quotes ("Throw down. / The invitation that I can't take back/ Lying / replacing with hope.")

What is an Angel of Mercy?

"An angel of death or angel of mercy is a type of criminal offender (often a type of serial killer) who is usually employed as a caregiver and intentionally harms or kills people under their care. The angel of mercy is often in a position of power and may decide the victim would be better off if they no longer suffered from whatever severe illness is plaguing them. This person then uses their knowledge to kill the victim. In some cases, as time goes on, this behavior escalates to encompass the healthy and the easily treated."

- Wikipedia

1.) Appearance:

I find it interesting that Shido is the only prisoner whose prisoner uniform resembles a white lab coat, which is usually worn by professionals in the medical field. It is also interesting to note that he is wearing gloves, which again, is also part of a physicians to-go attire.

I think we can safely assume that Shido works in the medical field based on that description, but wait there's more to it.

It should be mentioned that gloves serve a symbolic meaning as well. In school, we were taught that gloves can be a symbol for dishonesty. Naturally I wanted to check this and came across this definition:

"Often, gloves merely symbolize the Hand itself; usually, however, they signify high status, clean hands, white gloves as cleanliness and purity. They also conceal; they highlight the gestures of the Hand. Gloves embody power and protection, as well as nobility. However, gloves can also be mysterious, often worn by thieves, witches and night-riders. Honor is represented when the right glove is removed."

"signify high status" Okay, if Shido worked in the medical sector, and he was a highly respected member of the society and also well-paid, then he was probably either 1. ) a doctor, 2. ) a surgeon or 3. ) a scientist/researcher. I think we could discard the last one, cause researchers have only limited contact to patients, certainly no contact with children. "Gloves embody power and protection" I think this goes hand in hand with "high status". Thanks to his high status as a famous (?) doctor Shido likely avoided any suspicion and it prevented him from getting caught.

(Random question: Did Shido turn himself in? Or did he get discovered because the bodies were piling up?)

"often worn by thieves, witches and night-riders." AKA criminals.

"Honor is represented when the right glove is removed." There is a picture where Shido puts on his left glove. Is this a subversion? Meaning Dishonor instead of Honor because he put his left glove on instead of removing his right glove (basically doing the opposite?). Who knows. I searched for "left glove symbolism" and got no results. I'm probably grasping at straws with this one.  

"white gloves as cleanliness and purity" THIS. Shidou's gloves are not white, although you would expect that from someone working in the medical field. On the contrary, his gloves are black. I know this might just be an artistic choice but since Milgram is known for being obsessed with putting clues into details, I can't help but find this relevant.

Now, what do black gloves mean? They are often worn at funerals = association with death.

"Black gloves suggest bad intentions while handling a situation, evil methods of carefulness to avoid being caught doing something dishonest, criminal-minded self-protection."

I think this fits perfectly.

Shido used to be a doctor who killed his patients. His mild-mannered personality paired with his carefulness and on top of that his highly respected rank, gave him the opportunity to kill multiple people while avoid getting caught.

He's wearing dark gloves to symbolize his corruptness. His hands are quite literally tainted by his sins.

So, yes he's very likely a serial killer.

There's also a quote from Mai & Sunny's blog which further cements this fact:

“I stole someone’s life… Not to mention, so many times to the point where I’ve already stopped counting”  - Shido

Hypothetically, in which part of the hospital can one murder patients without arousing suspicion? Answer: Where terminally ill people seek out treatment. Nobody is going to be surprised that they die since sooner or later, they were meant to die anyway.

Alternatively: he did (illegal?) abortions. But that explanation is boring, so I ain't gonna do that.

2.) What do we know about Shido's personality?

We know that he is a calm and serene prisoner. it's almost impossible to see him perturbed. Being able to stay calm and emotionally detached are traits that are required in the medical field. If you want to work in a hospital you need to be stress-resistant and emotionally closed off. Because people you get friendly with can die, and they will die. The fact that Shido manages to keep a cool head after he woke up as a prisoner in the MILGRAM program, proves that he must be quite desensitized to hopeless situations.

If he knows how to comfort the prisoners who lost or killed a loved one, then I'm guessing he must have worked somewhere where people usually die and he has to comfort those who are left behind. So this was likely routine for him.

What else do we know? We know that Shido is good at working with children, but he is also treating those younger than him as children and comforts them when they are distressed. ( Shido is almost 30. In other words he treats Mikoto (23), Yuno (18) ,Futa (20), (basically adults)) like kids. Either he used to work with kids a little too much or he reeeaally likes to play the role of the caretaker.

(I kind of like the thought that Shido worked with terminally ill children (cancer patients?) and losing them slowly took a toll on him, to the point where he experimented on them to find a new cure or he straight up killed them, thinking it was for their own sake.)

3.) Teaser quotes

I think Shido genuinely wanted to help the patients and thought he was doing the right thing. His lyrics "Lying, replacing with hope" indicate that he was concerned about his victims psychological well-being. Perhaps he was telling them white lies: that they would get healthy if they did this or that, or he told them that dying now would be a better option than wasting slowly and painfully away.

Speculation: Could he have come to enjoy the savior role so much that he developed Munchausen syndrome by proxy  and declared patients as hopeless cases, even though he could have saved them if he wanted? The Worst case scenario: he became delusional and manipulated his patients results.

Best case scenario: "The invitation that I can't take back" though, makes it sound like the murder might have been Consensual homicide. Maybe Shido went up to the patients and made them an offer they couldn't refuse? And they agreed?

This could certainly tip the scale in his favor. I think Shido has a good chance at being voted innocent. He is the only prisoner begging for the death penalty. I think people who'd hate him for his crime might vote him innocent, because they wouldn't want to give him what he was asking for.

That is to say if my theory is correct.

[exploringalterra]

How do I do skill checks?

One of the most common questions I get from D&D veterans is, “How do I do skill checks?”  The TLDR is: you don’t.

Age of Exploration is designed to be more collaborative storytelling than many other systems. The AD&D I cut my teeth on was at its best when the DM acted as an impartial arbitor of the rules, neither working against the players, nor going easy on them when they struggle.

The storyteller in AoE doesn’t have to remain impartial. The players and storyteller are making up a story together and everyone wants it to succeed. You might be already playing other RPGs like this without realizing it. Consider the following example: Several humans, a couple hobbits, an elf and a dwarf are leaping across a river of lava. If one of them were to fail their athletics check, would the DM say they fell in the lava and died? More likely a DM would say, “Well, you don’t quite make the jump, and the party has to grab you by the beard and pull you up. You take d4 beard damage, and suffer -3  penalty to all rolls for ‘beardlyness’ until your next full rest”

In Age of Exploration, we don’t need to fake the possibility that they might fall in the lava and persish. If the gap is too wide, simply tell the players that they cannot make the jump, they don’t get to roll for it.  (They’ll have to be tossed.)  If it’s just barely close enough say instead, “You can make the jump, but everything might not go as planned.” (This lets the players know that they can do the action, but there might be consequesnces)  Anytime you decide to have players roll for something like this it should always be because failure would be more interesting than a simple success. If failures are boring,strongly consider skipping the roll. (This should eliminate 50-90% of skill checks) Have the player Roll a d20. (If they have advantage for some reason roll 2d20 and use the better result) The following table describes the results of the roll: 20: Better outcome than expected 10-19: Success.  1-9:  They achive what they tried to do, but there is a consequence. Returning to the river of lava example, we can see that the simple AoE system makes sense and provides an interesting situation for the players. If a player rolled a 7, I might say, “As you stumble on the ledge, your allys pull you up, but the goblins catch up a bit, and 2 of them make bow attacks against you. Roll to dodge them”

Should I do Opposed Rolls: You don’t need to do them unless it’s Player Vs Player. That’s becasue AoE is actually based mathematically on the idea that EVERYTHING is essentially an opposed roll. (Including attack rolls and dodge rolls) Let’s look at a very simple example from D&D again, where A player wants to sneak past a guard: In D&D: Player’s Dex bonus(+3) and Proficiency bonus (+2) to their roll. The enemy sentry is trained in perception so it gets +2 and is actually pretty good at their job so they get +2 for their wisdom bonus. If the enemy rolls an average roll of 10.5 on a d20, and adds +4 for a total of 14.5 what number will a player need to roll to beat them?  They need to get a modified 15, so with the +5 bonus they have to stealth checks they’ll need to roll a 10 or higher. Exactly like AoE. This saves us a ton of math, but with the downside that players don’t have specializations due to ability scores. It’s still possible that a player can gain advantage to stealth checks, for example, if they had an invisibility cloak. This design is inspired by the Powered by the Apocalypse system, and  Dungeon World in particular. In my experience I have found it to be more satisfying to simply be able to tell players Yes or no, than to set impossibly high DC or to fake the result when they roll too low.  I’ll give some more examples of rolling for consequences instead of doing skill checks in another post. I hope this answers some questions, and if it just brings up more, I’d be happy to answer them

[reading-writing-revolution]

A person asked the question, "Why are people so hostile towards President Donald Trump?"

Chris O'Leary:

Before you pass my answer off as “Another Liberal Snowflake” consider that 1.) I'm an independent centrist who has voted Republican way more often in my life than Democrat, and 2.) If you want to call someone who spent the entire decade of his 20’s serving in the Marine Corps a snowflake, I’d be ready to answer the question what did you do with your 20’s?

Why Liberals (And not-so liberals) are against President Trump.

A.) He lies. A LOT. Politifact rates 69% of the words he speaks as “Mostly False or worse” Only 17% of the things he says get a “Mostly True” or better rating. That is an absolutely unbelievable number. How he doesn’t speak more truth by mistake is beyond me. To put it in context, Obama’s rating was 26% mostly false or worse, and I had a problem with that. Many of Trump’s former business associates report that he has always been a compulsive liar, but now he’s the President of the United States, and that’s a problem. And this is a man who expects you to believe him when he points at other people and says “They’re lying”

B.) He’s an authoritarian populist, not a conservative. He advances regressive social policy while proposing to expand federal spending and federalist authority over states, both of which conservatives are supposed to hate.

C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. They also are simply bad ideas.

F.) He couldn’t pass a 3rd-grade civics exam. He doesn't’ know what he’s doing. He doesn't understand how international relations work, he doesn’t understand how federal state or local governments work, and every time someone tries to “Run it like a business” it’s a spectacular failure. See Colorado Springs’ recent history as an example. The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise And that was a businessman with a MUCH better business track record than Trump. We are talking about a man who lost money owning a freaking gambling casino.

G.) He behaves unethicaly and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

H.) He is damaging our relationships with our best international friends while kissing up to nations that do not have our best interests in mind. To his question “Wouldn't’ it be great to have better relations with Russia?” The answer is Yes. But it is RUSSIA who needs to earn that, who must stop doing the things that are damaging to that relationship, or we are simply weaker for it.

I.) He has never seen a shortcut he didn't like, and you can’t take shortcuts in government. “Nuclear Option, Remove the Filibuster, I’ll change the Constitution by Executive Order…Don…what happens when you remove the filibuster and the other side retakes the majority in the Senate? Suddenly want that filibuster back? What happens if you manage to change the Constitution by Executive Order and an Anti-2A President wins the next election?

J.) He behaves and has always behaved as an unabashed racist. Yes, I’ve seen your favorite meme that claims he was never accused of racism before the Democrats…Absolutely false. Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2019 See the Central Park 5, the lawsuits and fines resulting from his refusal to lease to black tenants, the 1992 lost appeal trying to overturn penalties for removing black dealers from tables, his remarks to the house native American affairs subcommittee in 1993. The man sees and treats racial groups of people as monoliths.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

L.) He speaks and acts like a demagogue. He sees the Legislative and Judicial branches of government as inconveniences, blows up at criticism no matter how deserved and actively tries to countermand constitutional processes, not to mention attempts to blackmail and coerce people who are saying negative things about him

M.) His choices for top positions, with the exception of Gen. Mattis, who is a gem, have been horrendous. A secretary of Education without a resume that would get her hired as a small town grammar school principal, A secretary of Energy who didn't know the Department of Energy was responsible for nuclear reserves, an EPA head whose biggest accomplishments to date had been suing the EPA on multiple occasions, an FCC head who while working for Verizon actively lobbied to kill net neutrality, and an Attorney General who thinks pot is “nearly as bad as heroin” and asked Congress for permission to go after legal pot businesses in states where it is legal. (There goes that great Republican States rights rally cry again, right? *Crickets*) An Interim AG after Firing his First AG who’s appointment is probably unconstitutional.

N.) He denies scientific fact. Ever notice that the only people you hear denying climate change are politicians and lobbyists? 99% of actual scientists studying the issue agree that it’s real, man-made and caused by greenhouse gasses. Ever notice that every big disaster movie starts with a bunch of politicians in a room ignoring a scientist's warning?

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is Thin Skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

P.) He still does not understand that the words he speaks, or tweets, are the official position of 1/3 of the US government, and so does not govern his words. He still thinks when he speaks it’s good ol’ Donald Trump. It’s not. It’s the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. You have probably spread a meme or two around talking about how no president’s every word has ever been dissected before…YES, THEY ALWAYS HAVE. It’s just that every other president in our lifetime has understood the importance of his words and took great care to govern his speech. Trump blurts out whatever comes to his mind then complains when people talk about what a dumb thing that was to say.

Q.) He’s unqualified. If you owned a small business and were looking for someone to manage it, and an unnamed resume came across your desk and you saw 6 bankruptcies, showing a man who had failed to make money running CASINOS, would you hire him? He is a very poor businessman. This is a man it has been estimated would have been worth $10 BILLION more if he’d just taken what his father had given him, invested it in Index Funds and left it alone.

R.) He is President. But he refuses to take a leadership position and understand that he is everyone’s President. Conservatives complain about liberals chanting “Not my President” while Trump himself behaves as if no one but his supporters matter.

S.) He’s a blatant hypocrite. He spent 8 years bitching Obama out for his family trips, or golfing, or any time he took for himself, and what does he do? He was already on his 20th golf outing in APRIL of his 1st year in office. He constantly rants about respect for the military, yet can’t be bothered to attend the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day because of a little rain. (And that excuse about Marine One not being able to fly in the rain is HILARIOUS.)

T.) He’s a misogynist. It's not really ok in this day and age to be a misogynist, but it’s not a huge deal if you’re a private citizen. It’s a pretty big deal if you hate half the people you’re elected to lead. The disdain for women seeps out of his …whatever…. and he just can’t hide it.

U.) Face it. In any other election “Grab Em’ By the Pussy” would have been the end of that candidate’s chances. Back in the 90’s I used to marvel about how Teflon Bill Clinton was. I no longer do. The fact that he managed to slip by on that is as much a statement about how much people hate Hillary Clinton as it is about what is wrong with politics in this country right now.

V.) He has one response to a differing opinion. Attack. A good leader listens to criticism, to different points of view, is capable of self-reflection, tries to guide people to his point of view, and when necessary stands his ground and defends his convictions. Any of that sound like Trump? His default is not to Lead, its’ to attack. Scorched Earth. The Jim Acosta reaction is a good example. There was no defense of his convictions when Acosta was asking him repeated questions about his rhetoric on the caravan. His response was to attack Acosta.

W.) He takes credit for everything positive while deflecting blame for everything negative. Look at him with the Stock Market. He’s been bragging about it since day one, and to give credit where credit is due, speculation on coming deregulation early in his presidency did fuel some rapid growth, but to pretend that it’s all him, that we’re not in the 9th year of the longest bull market in history and THEN, when the standard market volatility that deregulation inevitably brings about starts to show up? Yeah. Look at yesterday. Hey! Stock Markets losing because the Democrats won! Do I need to bring out the Stock market chart for the last 10 Years again?

X.) He emboldens the worst among us. Counter-protesters are slammed into by a car while countering actual Nazi rally, and the response is there’s fault on “Both Sides” The media is at fault for a nut job sending them and Donald’s favorite targets pipe bombs. The truth is not all Republicans, not all Trump Supporters are racist, fascist lunatics. Many are just taken in by the bombastic personality and are living in an information bubble made worse by the fact that they unfollow anyone and ignore any source of information that makes them feel uncomfortable. People on the left do that too. The Biggest problem the right has right now is that the worst of the Right is the loudest and the most in your face, and the actual right, especially the Freaking PRESIDENT needs to be standing up and saying No. Those are not our values.

Y.) He seems to think the Constitution of The United States, the document that IS who we are, the document he took an oath to support and defend is some sort of inconvenience. He demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of Constitution, from believing he can alter the 14th through executive order, to thinking The free exercise clause in the first amendment somehow supersedes the establishment clause (not that he really understands either) or that the free exercise clause only applies to Christians. Or his attacks on freedom of expression and the press. He repeatedly makes it clear that if he’s read them, he does not understand Articles 1–3, and that’s something he really should have before he took the job, because they’re not going away.

Z.) I’ll use Z for something I do blame him for, but the rest of us have to carry the blame too. Polarization. This country is more politically polarized than I can remember in my lifetime. Some of you who are a few years older than I may remember how it was in the late 60’s when construction workers in New York were being applauded for beating up hippies, I think it’s pretty close to that right now, but that was before my time. And he is the cause of much of the current level polarization, but also the result. It didn't’ start with Trump. We’ve been going down this road I think since the eruption of the Tea Party in the early years of the Obama Administration. I do hope the tide turns before it gets much worse because the thing that scares me more than anything is what if that keeps going the way it has been? "

//Meanwhile, I’m not a Liberal either, and I’m a veteran of 20 years with 13 deployments to combat zones.//

[raziakhatunblr]

Studded leather armor 5e | What makes it special?

Studded Leather armor 5e

Studded leather armor is like leather armor, but one AC goal enhanced, providing three instead of two. Additionally, it provides MC1. Regardless of the studs, studded leather armor doesn't rust, but it will, however, rot. Studded leather does not inhibit spellcasting. Therefore it's a frequent body armor alternative for early wizards.   More Information

 History

Studded leather appeared at the very first version of AD&D. It is leather armor with metal analyzing as additional protection, usually including protection of rather close-set studs.

 Studded leather was among those stock armor types from the first Rogue, where it provided two variables of AC reduction[2], rather than three, as in NetHack; this has been the same as in D&

 Studded leather didn't exist in Hack121.

 Generation

Studded leather armor is just one of the protective items spawned by creatures that are exceptionally qualified. --including all the Yendorian military, in addition to guards and observe captains.

 Studded leather armor did not exist ever. But, there are plenty of extant garments that have inspired the thought.

 That is a carry-over from D&D.

The inspiration behind several puzzle games, as NetHack, and is observed in many games.

That has exceptionally visible rivets on the outside layer of velvet--but is just another sort of armor completely not typically comprising leather.

 It's Made out of durable but flexible leather and studded leather use close-set rivets or spikes to strengthen it.

 Lighting armor (armor)

AC: 12

Category: Matters

Item Rarity: Standard

Weight: 13

 Is studded leather armor real and real?

There's absolutely no true evidence of studded leather armor. It was purely for cosmetic purposes (not as why we often stud things today). Brigandine).

Druids may utilize Metallic armor. They decide not to use them. This choice is part of the identity as a mysterious purchase. A druid typically wears leather, studded leather, or hide armor. When a druid comes across a scale email made from a material aside from metal, the druid can wear it.

 Even though a Coif isn't studded, it takes 20 Ranged to wear, and members may make it.

Leather armor is very effective against slashing weapons like curved knives and swords. The majority of tough leather armor can stop or mitigate a slash from a direct sword (ie. Firstly, most spells need elaborate gestures and strange posturings by the caster and armor restrict the wearer's capacity to do these properly.

 How to Figure your Armor Class (AC)

First, you calculate what armor class you receive from the armor. Then put in your defense and eventually add any other bonuses or penalties you might have.

 A) Figure out your Base Armor Class. It depends on which sort of armor you're wearing.

 No Armor

Insert your Dexterity Modifier. Be aware that this is a negative quantity.

If you're a Barbarian, in addition, you add your Constitution Modifier.

If you're a Monk you add your Wisdom Modifier.

 Start with your Dexterity Modifier. Be aware this could be a negative quantity.

If you've Padded or queen armor include 11.

If you've Studded leather armor include 12.

This total is going to be your foundation 5e armor course.

 If your Dexterity Modifier is two or higher, Start utilizing two.

In case your Dexterity Modifier is lower or one, Start with your Dexterity Modifier. Note that this really is a negative number.

If you've to Hide armor add 12.

You've Chain shirt armor include 13.

If you have Scale mail or Breastplate armor include 14.

In case you have a Half plate add 15.

This total will be your base armor class.

 B) Insert your defense if you are using one.

• If you've got a Shield add two to some base armor class.

C) Add any magic adjustments.

 If you're utilizing magic armor add it as a magical bonus. In the event, you're using a magic shield add it's a magic bonus. You've got some other magical items or magic adjustments to your personal armor course add those.

 D) Insert any mixed alterations.

When there are really no rules that add or subtract from your armor course add those.

 The majority of sorcerers averts heavy armor because sporting it takes a spell failure penalty. The very last thing that a sorcerer wants is his or her spells fizzing-out in the middle of a battle!

 Can 5e studded leather armor stop arrows?

Regularly pointed arrows hugely harm targets in cloth armor through leather--we're talking embedded arrowhead poking through your torso. If you had great armor, like the knights who wore full plate failed, arrows would rarely do anything but shock effect and denting absorbed by gambeson.

 Can you upgrade' leather armor to studded leather armor without purchasing the newest gadget directly?

The breastplate and shoulder protectors of the armor made from leather. Boiling in oil fortifies them. The remainder of the armor is of softer and more flexible materials. Weight: 10 pounds 

Comparing the price per weight to things such as ball bearings, or 5 pounds of iron spikes, the rivets/spikes utilized from the armor must come out to approximately one gp.

 Suppose you had a party member who had been skillful in leatherworking and contributes their time. Could you transform a ten GP Leather Armor into a 45 GP Studded Leather Armor to get a mere one gp?

 Just how much can studded leather armor price?

Summary of Armor 5e

They have three methods for calculating their base AC, but could only select one. However, they could gain from as many distinct bonuses to AC as they like.

 The rest of the modifiers stack not split into several kinds of a modifier such as in 3E. (The one exception is that you can't profit from precisely the exact same effect twice; in the event, two clerics throw Shield of Faith on you, you only receive a +2 AC. Multiple copies of the exact same spell do not pile!)

 So, why can not you apply modifier after modifier and get an excellent Armour Class that demands a natural 20 to hit? Well, you can maintain limited circumstances. However, there are three major limitations to increasing your AC.

The first is that there aren't all that many ways of modifying AC. Although several magical things from the Dungeon Master's Guide do this, it is something that the designers retained. +1 magical armor is sort of hard to locate, but +3 armor is rare and precious, and +5 armor? It doesn't exist!

 Attunement

The next is the attunement. Magic items that offer strong effects (and many permanent things that affect significant quantities in your personality fit within that category) have the limitation of"needs attunement". The rules state that a character might have a max of 3 objects affixed to them, so you are limited in that sense also.

 The following is concentration. Ongoing spells offering bonuses normally require the caster to concentrate on them. That normally means that the caster can not have any other charms requiring immersion at precisely the same moment. One character could find the advantage from many spellcasters, all offering them armor class bonuses from various charms. But that is going to be the exception rather than the rule, and the remainder of the party wouldn't be benefitting. There are very few spells that offer a bonus to AC whatever the instance.

 The best means of increasing your Armor Class in 5e?

Get behind an arrow! They provide three-quarters cover.

 The reverse side of this is to consider the range of bonuses. Just taking a quick flip through the fundamental DM Rules, '' I see assault bonuses at the assortment of +0 into +14 (crab into a mature monster ), with most being at the diversity of +3 to +7. A player character can probably expect at elevated levels to acquire a regular strike bonus of +12, assuming a 20 in the appropriate skill score, the whole +6 proficiency bonus, and a +1 weapon. Spells, items, and skills might push it a few points higher.

 So, that is a short tour of how Armour Class works from the new variant. If you'd like to compare the way AC worked in previous versions, I have posted on Armour Class in Original D&D and AD&D, AD&D 2E, and D&D 3E. That's unlikely to be my final word on the subject, as my searches are everywhere but complete! More Information

[monstersdownthepath]

Spiritual Spotlight: Ghlaunder, the Gossamer King

Chaotic Evil God of Infection, Parasites, and Stagnation

Domains: Air, Animal, Chaos, Destruction, Evil Subdomains: Catastrophe, Cloud, Demon, Fur, Insect, Plague, Rage, Wind

Inner Sea Faiths, pg. 40~45

Obedience: Craft a small poppet in the shape of a flea, tick, stirge, or other such plague-carrying creature, using natural materials such as straw, and mixing your blood with foul-smelling mud or dung to bind the poppet together. As it dries over the course of an hour, recite verses invoking virulence, filth, and affliction on the living while applying leeches to your flesh. At the end of the hour, burn the poppet and the leeches, inhaling the foul vapors while meditating on the purging effects of disease on the living while your leech-drawn blood burns in sacrifice to Ghlaunder. Benefit: If you are affected by a disease, any ability score damage or drain you would take from that disease today is halved; if you would take 1 point of ability score damage, you instead take none. You can still contract diseases and spread them to others as normal.

christ in heaven alright

Look at that! Nearly two paragraphs of details you need to follow to the letter, with basically NONE of the wiggle room we can usually expect! Every day, you must make and burn a poppet made of grass, sticks, or straw, which is glued together with stinky mud or poop. Then, while your foul effigy hardens, you have to apply leeches to yourself while praising Ghlaunder, and at the end of it all? Burn everything! Nope, you don’t get to reuse any of that stuff! Not even the leeches! I think, out of all of this, getting an endless supply of leeches is going to be the most difficult part to do and the most obnoxious to maintain.

Just living near a swamp or slow-moving river is your best bet, really, collecting as many of the buggers as you can before moving on. Dipping your feet in the water to allow them to come to you and just baking whoever takes a nibble also works. At the very least, “leeches” means you can’t get away with using just one, but you CAN get away with using just two, stretching your supply a bit further. Really, though, Ghlaunder is somehow just as difficult for an adventurer to serve as Apollyon, but for the opposite reason; Apollyon thrives on the sickened traveler spreading his works from place to place, while Ghlaunder encourages his faithful to find a good spot to rest and stay there. Fitting for a God of Stagnation, but it also means an adventurer serving him is probably better off avoiding Deific Obedience... Unless you operate out of a convenient hub location.

Or the DM just handwaves your access to an endless supply of leeches.

Anyway, the rest of his Obedience is no less frustrating, but I tend to fixate on any ritual portion that consumes its resources, especially if those resources are living creatures. Gluing your foul idol together specifically requires “foul-smelling mud” or dung, two things difficult to hide from prying eyes.... and prying noses. You’ll need to find yourself a nice, secluded spot to keep people from wondering why you’re playing with poop, especially when you start burning it and inhaling the fumes. Eugh... AND you have to chant about disease and grunge all spooky-like! There’s some frustrating irony in a god that prides himself on being subtle with his undermining of resident faiths turns around and makes his Obedience so goddang hard to keep under wraps or excuse if someone walks in on it.

Anyway, the benefit. The benefit is probably one of the most unique across many books, providing no numerical bonuses to any stats but instead affecting any diseases you may be suffering from. Normally, “unique” doesn’t directly translate to “good,” and indeed the first sentence is a bit discouraging: You must already be suffering from a disease(s) to reap the rewards. If something you catch has an onset time of “immediate,” this benefit does not protect you from its initial damage, but it does offer some protection from whatever lingering effects it may have later. In addition, without magic or someone making Heal checks on you (including yourself), you won’t naturally recover any damage you take from your collection of woes (scroll a bit to “Effect,” it’s in the last sentence!), which can make collecting all your cool diseases pretty hazardous... But note how this ability is written. “Damage you would take is halved today; if you would take 1 damage, you take none instead.”

The reduction happens after the halving! This, quite generously, means that a disease will have to do at least 4 damage to have any actual effect on your scores. Many lesser diseases such as Filth Fever will fail to affect you at all, while more powerful diseases with secondary effects (Cackle Fever, Slimy Doom, Bubonic Plague) often have their effects canceled out entirely. Nice! You’ll probably still want to cure anything that has a chance of damaging your Con, though...

Boons are acquired slowly: the first once you reach 12 hit dice, the second at 16, and the third at 20. However, the Evangelist, Exalted, and Sentinel Prestige Classes can be entered as early as level 5; doing so grants you the Boons at levels 8, 11, and 14 instead. As Ghlaunder is a true deity and does not require Fiendish Obedience, you earn the right to enter the classes earlier than those who serve fiends!

------ EVANGELIST ------

Boon 1: Cult of Contagion. Gain Ray of Sickening 3/day, Pox Pustules 2/day, or Contagion 1/day

I’m just going to outright ignore Ray of Sickening; the penalty it inflicts loses serious punch at around the time you get it, and it’s entirely negated by a save. Pox Pustules is also on the weak side, inflicting sickness and imparting a -4 Dex penalty to its victim from Close range. The intimidation factor is alright, though, and you can time it to make it seem like it’s some form of divine judgment when an enemy of yours is boasting and blaspheming, but again, the sickened condition starts falling off by the time you gain access to this spell. That leaves the final one!

Contagion is the most fitting for a cultist of Ghlaunder, especially since a single casting of the spell can easily spell doom for a low-level peasant town. Slimy Doom is especially useful in this regard, spreading via simple contact from one infected to another. Bubonic Plague also spreads through proximity with the infected and, of course, through the bites of infested wildlife. If forced to use it in combat, Blinding Sickness has a 50% chance of striking the infected victim permanently blind and Bubonic Plague can instantly fatigue its victim. However, given that it’s a touch attack and is negated by a Fortitude save, I’d prefer using it out of combat to blight enemy (or civilian) fortifications. Infecting a single flea-infested rat with the Bubonic Plague, shoving it into a Sack Of Rats for a while, and then releasing the whole mess of infected vermin is perfectly viable.

What? It is! You’re Evil! And yes, Contagion’s mystically conjured illnesses are indeed as infectious as their natural counterparts; the duration is ‘instantaneous’ and the diseases progress as normal once they’re formed inside your victim. “but only Mythic Contagion and Epidemic say the disease is contagious--” No!!! Those two say that the disease becomes so supernaturally virulent that casual contact will spread it! They can still spread through their normal methods!

Also, yes, infecting yourself with Contagion and allowing the disease to spread outwards from you is perfectly doable, but remember that Ghlaunder’s blessing doesn’t protect you from the initial damage.

Boon 2: Nauseating Strike. 3/day before you roll an attack, you can declare that it will be a Nauseating Strike. If you miss, the ability is wasted. If you hit, the victim must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD) or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds, in addition to the weapon’s normal effects and damage.

Off to a mediocre start, I think. The Evangelist can be born from any class from martial to caster, so whether or not this ability will actually work for you is a bit up in the air. However, it can be passed on through both melee and ranged weapons, and the nauseated condition is one of the most punishing things you could inflict on anything, even if it IS just for a round. The fact you can use it three times per day means you can chain the ability into itself to keep a single powerful enemy nauseated for the entire battle!

The major disappointment here is the scaling. Unlike almost every other Boon with a saving throw attached, this ability doesn’t scale off any ability modifier and assures that its DC is capped out at 20 (or, rather, around 17 or so for most sessions). That’s just plain awful! It dramatically lessens its chance to affect anything worth affecting once you reach levels 13+ and may have already begun struggling to keep up with the mounting Fortitude saves most enemies possess past level 10, though at the very least it’ll be reliable against humanoid casters for a while still. Still, the lack of scaling puts a serious damper on what would otherwise be a great combat ability!

Boon 3: Debilitating Blight. 1/day, you can cast Greater Contagion as a spell-like ability. The save DC is increased by 4, and in addition to the normal effects of the disease, the target is instantly wracked with terrible coughs and painful sores that inflict a -2 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability modifiers for a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice.

The DC to resist this spell is 19+Cha mod thanks to this ability. Because of how it’s worded in the book, the save DC to avoid secondary infection from the disease if it’s passed to another is also increased by 4. Fun!

So every good thing I had to say about Contagion above? Tack that onto this, but add on that you can cast it from a range, the disease’s cure DC is 5 higher than normal, and the disease can’t be cured without magic. It doesn’t matter how many saving throws you make, bud; if you don’t have someone with Remove Disease or similar, you’re stuck with that illness for the rest of your miserable life. If you thought the Black Death was a nightmare before, imagine knowing it’s never going to get better. While it’s not in typical player character style, Contagion’s utility as a civilization-swatting spell with a bit of creative application is extremely powerful if you’re in a proper situation to use or need it, and Greater Contagion is endlessly stronger in every regard. Common priests won’t be able to deal with what you’ve caused, allowing you to slide in and preach to the ill masses about how to deal with their new sickness: Pledge their lives to the Gossamer King!

In combat, its utility is much the same as its base version. While the number of monsters immune to disease is frankly insulting at higher levels, you can still make the lives of Humanoids and most Monstrous Humanoids miserable. Blinding Sickness and Bubonic Plague are your go-tos if you want someone dead quickly. It has the added benefit of striking your victim with boils, though, inflicting a -4 penalty onto every single roll they make for 14+ rounds! “Wait, it only says -2!” I hear you say, as I hover a magnifying glass over this portion:

“... saving throws, skill checks, and ability modifiers.” Those must be some NASTY boils if they affect the targets ability scores directly, applying a -2 penalty directly to every one of their modifiers! That means this ability actually inflicts -4; -2 at base, and -2 from reducing the ability modifiers directly. Also, the wording on this ability implies that the disease itself, not the spell, transmits these nasty boils and cough, so everyone it passes on to is struck with the debilitating infection for a minute or so. If that is indeed how your DM interprets this ability, you can get a HUGE amount of use out of this power by infecting yourself and going out of your way to smear your blood (etc) on your weapons and slashing your victims, or hauling off and biting them, coughing on them, or spitting on them. Exposure prompts an instant saving throw versus infection (which is heightened by +4), meaning you can get a quick and dirty -4 to your foes rolls with a bit of preparation and luck!

I like plague tactics, alright? They don’t get used nearly enough in Pathfinder, but they’re fun if pulled off right!

------ EXALTED ------

Boon 1: Infectious Blighter. Gain Inflict Light Wounds 3/day, Accelerate Poison 2/day, or Nauseating Trail 1/day.

Accelerate Poison is an interesting little one. It either makes a delayed poison happen instantly, or doubles the rate at which a poison tears its victim apart. In a dedicated poison build, it’s absolutely a spell you’d never prepare but would love to have. Unfortunately, you are the caster-aligned Exalted and aren’t likely to want to get close enough to use the spell’s touch range. Its standard action casting time is also agonizing as you’re forced to keep up with your target if they flee or--more importantly--forced to waste your action slapping them with a save-negated spell. It had better be a damn good poison to justify taking this spell.

Hell, even Inflict Light Wounds can be better if you have Undead on your side. If you don’t, don’t even bother. Nauseating Trail is the way to go here, affecting a single willing target with body odor so vile that it nauseates anyone who fails their save against it for 1d4+1 rounds, and your ally (or yourself) can scamper around like a mud-spattered dog, trailing this mist of noxious fumes behind you to form walls of the stuff. Anyone who enters these misty walls must save against the nausea, letting you form a punishing cage around your enemies and contain foes with Scent behind a stinky screen that lingers for a full round/level.

I’ll hammer on this point until it gets dull: Nausea is a powerful status effect, and anything that can cause it--especially to a whole crowd of enemies--is not to be overlooked! It’s a bit harder to use than Stinking Cloud, yeah, but if you can apply it to a creature that can’t be targeted with Attacks of Opportunity, you can get the stink vapors directly into an enemy’s space without the risk of blasting your allies with the stench. That’s worth something!

Boon 2: Blighting Channel. 3/day when channeling negative energy, you may have it damage plants and Plant creatures instead of healing Undead. Plant creatures within range take 1d6 damage, plus 1d6 damage for every 2 Cleric levels you possess (max 10d6 at 20th level). Normal plants within range wither and die immediately, with no save.

Eeeeeeeewwwwww

You can tell Ghlaunder is one of deities from when Paizo was first toying with Obediences, because like a fool they tied this ability to the base class they expected everyone to go with when becoming an Exalted. They didn’t even give an ounce of consideration to the poor Oracle, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, or Inquisitor! This ability is useless to anyone but a Cleric, even if you somehow gain the ability to channel energy outside of your class, because its damage scales with your Cleric level. This also means entering the Exalted Prestige Class puts a cap on what this ability can do, not that it can really do much.

Channel Energy coming from an Evil source, you may or may not be aware, harms all living creatures within its radius anyway. If you very specifically want to hurt Plants, good job, I guess? Ghlaunder is the right guy for you, for some reason??? Why DOES he want to blight plants, anyway? You’d think his Exalted would gain the power to, I dunno, fly like a mosquito, or summon a swarm of pests, or commune with peoples diseases for information. This ability belongs more to Treerazer than the King of Parasites! I’d even say it’s kind of goofy for him to have!

Blasting a 30ft circle of vegetation to death has its uses, I suppose, but I don’t feel like that’s nearly Boon-worthy, especially since it’s so harshly restricted to you being a Cleric.

Boon 3: Polluted Servant. 1/day as a standard action, you can summon a Hezrou Demon to your side. It dutifully obeys your orders for 1 minute per Hit Dice you have before vanishing back to the Abyss, but will not perform any actions that would make it behave in an overly Good way, and if an order is especially egregious in that regard, it may attack you.

And your reward for either having no second Boon or a disappointing one is to summon one big stinky boy to your aid! Lazy but powerful, a Hezrou makes a decent tank for your party but also an excellent long-ranged offensive caster if you’re against Lawful and/or Good opponents thanks to its at-will Chaos Hammer and Unholy Blight spells. If you’ve found yourself surrounded by the forces of Heaven (or Nirvana or Elysium or--), your toady boy can also let loose a blasphemous croak to send them all flying back to their gods.

At CR 11, you’ll likely be around level 14 when you first get this power, meaning your Hezrou is likely still tough enough to stand against the enemies you’ll be facing, with the biggest downside being that its Stench will affect your allies whenever you call it to your side. A secondary downside is that it always appears by your side; no summoning it right next to a fragile enemy!

You’ll be able to enjoy its wretched presence for quite a while before it stops being viable to call against endbosses, but it’ll still likely be beefy enough to go toe-to-toe with minions and the like. A decent enough final Boon! Not quite worth dealing with the second Boon, though, so I believe we can say the Exalted is currently in last place.

------ SENTINEL ------

Boon 1: Poisonous Penitent. Gain Nauseating Dart 3/day, Pernicious Poison 2/day, or Poison 1/day.

None of these are really that great! I’ve harped on Poison before, noting that its casting and immediate effect means that using it as a tool for a stealthy assassination isn’t truly viable, and that using it in combat is also a poor use of one’s action when you could instead knife someone. It has niche use against creatures with Regeneration or even just Fast Healing that outpaces your damage potential, but once again I’ll reiterate that it’s unlikely to really deal with the threat for one reason (immunity to poison) or another (a Con score that exceeds 12, which is Poison’s average damage).

Pernicious Poison weakens a victim against poisons, inflicting a -4 penalty to them for 10 min/level and increasing the number of ticks of poison the victim feels by 2. This makes it much more attractive for stealthy assassinations and much more fitting for a cultist of Ghlaunder, as a simple touch has no visible effect on the victim. It’s only when they’re eventually exposed to poison that the magic reveals itself, and even then, the magic’s effects are subtle enough that onlookers won’t even realize you’ve done anything, which is the best outcome you can hope for. It also inflicts a -4 penalty to anyone trying to cure the poison with magic or skill, helping assure the victim will suffer its full effects.

To reiterate, not great, but it’s incredibly flexible depending on the poisons you have access to and is damned reliable, as it offers no saving throw against its effects. It does mean you have to use poisons, though, which struggle to remain viable at higher levels, which is why Nauseating Dart is also on the Meh pile. It’s a poison effect, deals a whopping 1d2 damage on a hit, and nauseates the victim for one round. While nausea is an amazing status effect, this spell requires both a successful attack roll from you AND a failed Fortitude save from your enemy, when you--the Sentinel--are likely much better off simply attacking 2~4 times with your weapon. It’s also, again, listed as a poison effect, so it may not even work against the enemies you need it to work on.

It’s an odd world we live in when Pernicious Poison is the most attractive option on a spell list. If you plan ahead and play with fellow Evil folk, you can tag-team with your party’s Eldritch Poisoner Alchemist to make one fool’s life very miserable and very short.

Boon 2: Bloodletter. You gain a +1 profane bonus on all attack and damage rolls with a spear. In addition, when you confirm a critical hit, your target takes 1 point of bleed damage for every 2 character levels you have. The bleeding can be stopped with a successful DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleed damage from this ability or any other effect does not stack with itself.

Oho? A Sentinel Boon that actually rewards attacking with a weapon? What a concept! But Ghlaunder here gets it, and pulls it off better than most. Poison is niche use, but any creature with blood/ichor/sap/etc is typically vulnerable to bleed damage! While this ability does, disappointingly, rely on being able to deliver and confirm critical hits, your victim receives no secondary save against the bleed and begins spraying the battlefield for 5+ damage a round. It’s not much, but it will rack up quickly, and it’s automatic damage they need some form of healing to overcome.

Plus, even if they do heal it, you’ll probably trigger it again at some point during the fight. And it they run off, you now have a convenient trail of blood to track them with! Also, if you want to get pedantic, you could say that “the application of any effect that heals hit point damage” doesn’t count Regeneration and Fast Healing, as those effects are often not being applied, but are already present. You can definitely make a case for it with Fast Healing, but not really with Regeneration; wounds closing on their own tend to stem the tide of precious life fluid a little bit.  

Of all the “trigger on crit” abilities we’ve seen so far this isn’t nearly the strongest, but I place it on a pedestal specifically because unlike, say, Yhidothrus, it works on a much wider variety of foes (beware Constructs and Undead), has no daily limit to its uses, consumes no extra actions from you, and can’t be avoided with a saving throw. AND! And, it comes with a free +1 to attack and damage rolls! Nice!

Boon 3: Horrible Blow. 1/day, before you roll an attack, you can declare that it will be a Horrible Blow. If you miss, the ability is wasted. If you hit, the victim is affected as if struck with Horrid Wilting in addition to the normal weapon effect.

The wording on this ability is ambiguous about whether it allows a saving throw, given that the book says “ affected as if the subject of Horrid Wilting;” that makes it sound like they’re not being targeted by the spell itself but are just struck with the effect instantly. I certainly hope so! Because otherwise, this falls a bit behind other final Boons.

Horrid Wilting is a nasty spell, but its primary power is the ability to strike an entire crowd of creatures at once. When it’s only able to hit one victim it loses a lot of its appeal. On the plus side, it deals 1d6 untyped damage per level (so 14d6 if you get it ASAP) to any living creature it hits, but on the down side, it specifies living creatures. As always, Constructs and Undead are, as always, able to laugh in the face of this effect without issue. Plant creatures, though, take extra damage! Yeah, take THAT, stupid trees!

Unfortunately, this ability is just sort of boring to talk about. In the end, it’s just a huge burst of untyped damage against a single target 1/day, and missing with the attack costs you the ability for the day. Nothing really special, beyond the fact Horrid Wilting gruesomely mummifies creatures it affects, meaning killing blows with this ability are especially hard for onlookers to watch. It’s not a super strong or fancy Boon, so I’d give it a solid 4/10, with a +1 to it if indeed it offers no saving throw.

You can read more about Ghlaunder here.

[crimemind]

Pervis Tyrone Payne

You can listen to the United States of Crime episode (#2) about this case here.

TW: MURDER, MURDER OF CHILDREN, DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT/RAPE

The Death Penalty has been utilized as a form of punishment since man had a moral code. But today, only 53 countries offer the death penalty as a sentencing option for those convicted of a crime. The majority of countries in the world have either abolished the death penalty entirely or have made it available only in extreme cases. Belarus is the only holdout in Europe and most of the counties making up northeast Africa and the middle east retain the death penalty as a method of punishment. Guatemala, Guyana, and Cuba still practice capital punishment in Central and South America. Many Asian nations, such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand keep the death penalty as an option but only enforce it in rare cases or for specific crimes. America is one of only five first world nations, alongside Japan, China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan, to still actively sentence people to death. The United States stands alone as the only western country to still execute people. Japan only allows the execution of people convicted of murder and especially brutal crimes and the only method of execution is by hanging. India and South Korea also only executed prisoners by hanging. Mainland China offers two methods of execution, death by firing squad or lethal injection. Taiwan executes prisoners using a single handgun aimed at the prisoner’s heart or their brain stem under the ear if they consent to organ donation. Currently, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Peru only exercise the death penalty in extreme cases. The current methods of execution used worldwide include beheading, electrocution, hanging, shooting, and lethal injection. 

In 2019, 22 people, all male, were executed in the United States. An additional 34 people were sentenced to death last year and the total number of people on death row across the country is estimated at 2,656. In America, 30 states still have the death penalty and 20 have either abolished it or put a moratorium on capital punishment. On March 23rd, 2020 as I was writing this episode Colorado, which had put a moratorium on capital punishment, voted to abolish the death penalty. 

The morality of the death penalty has been a polarizing issue for Americans for decades. The 1972 Supreme Court decision in Furman v. George ruled the death penalty as it was practiced at that time unconstitutional. This decision was based on the inconsistencies in sentencing at the time because defendants who were convicted very different crimes ranging in severity were given death sentences. However, the Supreme Court left it open for States to impose their own death penalties as long as clear standards were provided. In the four years following the Furman ruling, 35 states enacted their own capital punishment laws. Two main types of death penalty laws were written, the first stated clearly which crimes could be punishable by death and how variables in a case should be weighed. These variables include mitigating circumstances and aggravating circumstances. Mitigating factors explain and/or offer an explanation for the crime while aggravating factors reveal the aspects of the crime that are extraordinary and call for a harsher sentence. The second kind of death penalty law that was enacted made capital punishment mandatory for certain so-called capital crimes. 

In 1976 the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Gregg v. Georgia and upheld the first type of death penalty laws which take into account mitigating and aggravating factors. The ruling struck down the mandatory death penalty laws on the grounds that they were “unduly harsh and rigid”. Executions, which had completely ceased in 1972, resumed in 1977. 50 executions took place between 1977 and 1985 as the Supreme Court heard the case of McCleskey v. Kemp, which dealt with how capital punishment had been utilized in the state of Georgia. The case was based on a study conducted by University of Iowa professor David Baldus who found that African American defendants who were charged with killing white people were given a death sentence seven times as often as white people who had been tried for killing African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that while there was statistical evidence of racial discrimination, this was not enough to repeal the law. This ruling was based on the finding that the state itself had not encouraged racial discrimination in its courts. 

In 2002 the Supreme court ruled on the case of Atkins v. Virginia and found that the execution of people with intellectual disabilities violated the 8th amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments. In 2005 the case of Roper v. Simmons was decided by the Supreme Court. This landmark case made it illegal to execute people who were under the age of 18 when they committed their crimes. Crimes that do not result in death are now not death penalty eligible crimes. 

This topic is one that I’m deeply interested in and fascinated by and in posts to follow I will discuss other aspects of the Death Penalty in America, such as execution methods and their flaws, the elderly on death row, the appeals process, and the cost of upholding the death penalty. But today’s case relates to the Atkins v. Virginia ruling and the execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities or limitations. 

The case we’ll be talking about today is that of Pervis Tyrone Payne. In 1987, Payne, an African American man, was 20-years-old and living in Shelby County, Tennessee. Payne was dating a woman named Bobbie Thomas of Millington, TN and on the morning of Saturday, June 27th, Payne went to Thomas’ apartment at the Hiwasse Apartment complex to wait for her. She had been out of town on a trip and was expected to arrive home that night and the two had plans to spend the weekend together. He brought an overnight bag with three cans of Colt 45 malt liquor with him and left this bag at the door of the apartment. According to the version of events presented later at trial, Payne stayed around the apartment complex for most of the day and spent his time injecting Cocaine and drinking beer. He left the apartment sometime during the day to ride in his friend’s car with him. The two men took turns driving so that while the one in the passenger seat could read a pornographic magazine.

At 3:00 in the afternoon, Payne returned to Thomas’ apartment complex but Thomas was still not home. Across the hall from Thomas lived Charisse Christopher and her two children, 3-year-old Nicholas and 2-year-old Lacie. It is unclear how well Payne knew Christopher from spending time at Thomas’ apartment, it is believed that they had possibly seen one another in passing. Regardless Payne entered the apartment of Charisse Christopher without permission. When Christopher saw Payne in her home she began screaming at him to get out. The apartment complex’s resident manager lived in the unit directly below Christopher’s and heard her screams. She reported hearing a “blood-curdling scream” come from the apartment and called the police. In between making the call and when the police arrived, the manager reported that the screaming had stopped and she had heard someone using the sink in the bathroom of the upstairs unit. Mere minutes after the police were called, the first officer arrived at the scene. 

Payne was observed exiting Christopher’s apartment while carrying his shoes, he then picked up his overnight bag, and descended the stairs. The officer approached him at the bottom of the steps and noticed that he was covered in blood the officer later stated: “It looked like he was sweating blood”. The officer stopped Payne and asked him who he was, Payne responded “I’m the complainant”, which doesn’t make any sense. Payne was then asked what was going on upstairs and proceeded to hit the officer with the overnight bag. Payne dropped his shoes and began running away from the apartment building to another one. The officer attempted to catch up with Payne but could not before he disappeared. 

Additional officers had arrived on the scene at this point. They entered Christopher’s apartment and found Charisse Christopher Laci, and Nicholas on the kitchen floor. 3-year-old Nicholas had been stabbed multiple times completely through his abdomen but was still breathing. Laci and Charisse were deceased. Charisse had been stabbed an excessive number of times with a butcher’s knife in her abdomen, back, and head. There does not seem to be a consensus on how many times she was stabbed, I found sourced that stated it was 9 times, 42 times, and 84 times. Regardless, it appeared that the fatal injury was a cut through her aorta. She was found lying on her back with her shorts pushed up on her body and a used tampon had been placed next to her. The butcher knife was lying at her feet and her hand and forearm had been stuck through the adjustment strap at the back of Payne’s baseball cap. 2-year-old Laci was found deceased next to her mother, having bled out before help arrived.

Inside of the apartment Police recovered the three cans of Colt 45 malt liquor, which had Payne’s fingerprints on them. Another empty beer can was found outside of the apartment. Additionally, Payne’s fingerprints were found on the telephone and the kitchen counter of Christopher’s apartment. Investigators had the officer’s description of Payne and the search for him began immediately. He was found later the same day in the attic of an ex-girlfriend’s house. As he was escorted out of the house, Payne told the police “Man, I ain’t killed no woman”. Officers noted that Payme had a “wild look about him. His pupils were contracted. He was foaming at the mouth, saliva. He appeared to be very nervous. He was breathing real rapid.” When Payne was taken into custody, he was still wearing blood-soaked clothing and had multiple scratch marks across his chest. His watch also had blood stains on it and in his pockets police found a packet with Cocaine residue, the wrapper from a hypodermic syringe, and the cap of a hypodermic syringe. He had ditched his overnight bag in a nearby dumpster and it was later found with a bloody white shirt inside. 

Pervis Payne was charged for the murders of 28-year-old Charisse and 2-year-old Laci Jo. 3-year-old Nicholas survived the attack. Payne was prosecuted for two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The trial began in 1988 and several neighbors testified as to what they experienced on July 27th, 1987. Multiple people heard Chairsse’s screams and heard someone frantically trying to close the back door to the yard shared by residents. One woman testified that she had seen the hand of someone whom she perceived to be an African American man reach over the yard fence. Below the hand at the wrist was a gold watch, similar in description to the one Payne was wearing when he was apprehended. 

The medical examiner testified as to the state of Charisse and Laci’s bodies. He told the court that Charisse was menstruating at the time of her death, hence the used tampon found near her body. He swabbed her vagina and there was acid phosphatase present, which indicated the presence of sperm, but ultimately no sperm was recovered. Acid Phosphatase is found where high concentrations of seminal fluid recently were. Because there was no sperm found in the body, this enzyme could have been left by pre-ejaculate. 

Payne took the stand at his own trial, which is extremely rare in murder cases. There are many reasons why Defendants do not testify in murder trials. Most are advised not to by their counsel to avoid self-incrimination, protect from the brutality of cross-examination, and to deprive the prosecution of the opportunity to make the defendant look bad. Payne told the court that he did not hurt any member of the Christopher family. He claimed that another man had pushed by him when he was walking up the stairs and that man had burst into Charisse Christopher’s apartment. He said that he had heard a baby crying and Charisse calling for help. According to Payne, he found the door open and called to Charisse before entering. He described the scene as follows:

“I saw the worst thing I ever saw in my life and like my breath just had--had tooken--just took out of me. . . . she was looking at me. She had the knife in her throat with her hand on the knife like she had been trying to get it out and her mouth was just moving but words had faded away. And I didn’t know what to do”

Payne explained that his clothing had been stained when he tried to remove the butcher knife from Charisse’s neck. He claimed that Charisse was still alive and reached out to him and grabbed his shirt. This unnerved Payne and he fled the apartment when he heard police sirens approaching. 

Payne was them cross-examined by the prosecution. He was questioned as to why the left leg of his pants had bloodstains on it. During the exchange, Payne said that Charisse’s blood got on his pants when she “hit the wall”. He asserted that she had grabbed his arms and he recoiled, at which point she fell backward onto the wall and the floor. Payne was asked four times if the blood got on his leg when Charisse fell back into the pool of blood as he had claimed. On the fourth reiteration of the question, Payne changed his answer. He was asked by the prosecuting attorney “Is that what you said, sir, that she got blood on your when she hit the wall?”. Payne then, for the first time, did not affirm that this is what he said. He responded, “I didn’t say she got blood on me when she hit the wall”. The attorney asked if he had not just said the opposite and he responses that he had not said that blood had gotten on him when Charisse “hit the wall”. 

This piece of the cross-examination stands out to me. The fact that Payne said the same thing more than four times and then suddenly denied that he had said it is not normal, even if a defendant is lying. It shows that there is some confusion or lack of understanding on Payne’s part.

Payne was ultimately found guilty of all charges. He was eligible for the death penalty. Before sentencing, mitigating and aggravating factors were presented to the court. Payne’s girlfriend, Bobby Thomas, testified that Payne went to church wither her often, which in itself doesn’t really speak to someone’s character, just their belief system. She also told the court that her three children loved Payne and that he was a great father figure to them. She knew him as a caring person that did not use drugs or drink and would never hurt someone.

Payne’s parents also testified. They explained that he had no criminal record whatsoever and had never been arrested. Like Thomas, they testified that Payne did not use drugs or alcohol. He had been a hard worker and assisted his father, who was a painter. They described him as a good son and an exemplary father figure for Thomas’ children. 

A clinical psychologist also testified during the sentencing phase. The psychologist had administered an IQ test to Payne. The results showed that Payne’s verbal IQ was 78 and his performance IQ was 82. Generally, the IQ threshold for a diagnosis of intellectual disability commonly referred to as mental retardation is a score of 75. Because of this, Payne was considered by the psychologist to be “mentally handicapped”. He noted that Payne was the most polite prisoner he had ever interviewed. 

Along with the aggravating factors of the case, Charisse Christopher’s mother testified to the distress and hardship her daughter and granddaughter’s murders had imposed on her. She told the court that Nicholas, Charisse’s surviving son, still cried for his mother and sister even a year later. Nicholas experienced severe physical and mental trauma from the attack. Payne was sentenced to death for both murder counts and an additional 30 years for the attempted murder of Nicholas. 

Payne appealed his sentence to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Payne’s legal team filed the appeal on several grounds. They asserted that the victim impact statement given by Charisse’s mother emotionally influenced the jury against him, thus violating his 8th amendment right of protection against cruel and unusual punishment. The court ruled against Payne and affirmed both of the death sentences. In 1991, Payne appealed his case to the Supreme Court. The question at hand was whether the 8th amendment prohibits the jury in a capital case from considering the impact of the crime of the surviving family members.  In a 6 to 3 decision, the court ruled against Payne. This decision effectively overruled the decision in the 1987 case of Booth v Maryland, which had established that such emotional testimony did infringe on a defendant’s 8th amendment rights. 

Pervis Tyrone Payne never admitted to the murders and maintains his innocence. He has been living on Death Row in Tennessee ever since, having exhausted all of his appeals. He twice had execution dates set, both in 2007 and before each date arrived he received a stay of execution. In September of 2019, the state of Tennessee filed a motion to set the execution date for Payne for December 3rd, 2020. His legal team filed a 120-page response to the state’s motion to set an execution date in December of 2019. Supervisory Assistant for the Federal Public Defender Kelley J. Henry and Assistance Chief of the Capital Habeas Unit Amy D. Harwell allege that Pervis Payne is “indisputably intellectually disabled” and in adherence to Atkins v. Virginia, his execution would be illegal. In 2019, Payne’s IQ was retested by Dr. Daniel Martell and it was found to be only 72. Dr. Martell identified neurocognitive impairments and adaptive behavior deficits in Payne that had been documented at the age onset. 

Dr. Martell explained that a factor at play in this case in something known as the Flynn Effect. The Flynn Effect states, in layman’s terms, that a person’s IQ score increased over time. This effect has been noted in the United States and similar countries and it is believed that the average rate of 0.3 IQ points per year. Not only is the Flynn Effect fascinating, but it also exemplifies the failings of using IQ tests when deciding who is eligible for the death penalty. Because of the Flynn Effect, a person could be considered mentally unfit for execution and then years later become fit for execution. Also, to be able to accurately measure current IQ scores against past scores, a reduction of 0.3 points per year between tests is required. The Atkins decision gives states discretion in how they define intellectual disability as a matter of law. Most states use IQ-based definitions, but do not adjust for the Flynn Effect. The inconsistent definitions and thresholds to determine intellectual disability are cause for concern when talking about the decision to execute someone or to sentence them to life in prison.  

According to Dr. Martell, Payne’s functional IQ, taking the Flynn Effect into account, is 68.4, well under the standard of 75 points as a determination of mental fitness. Dr. Reschly, an expert in Intellectual Disability, also evaluated Payne and reported a full-scale IQ of 74, before adjustment for the Flynn Effect. This score puts Payne into the intellectually disabled category according to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. According to documents and testimony from his family members, Payne had a long history of developmental delays. In school, he was known to teachers and fellow classmates as “slow” and he was unable to graduate high school and failed the Tennessee Proficiency Exam five times before dropping out. For reference, an average 9th-grade student would pass this exam on the first try, Payne took the exam every year starting in 9th grade for five years. When Payne was in the 9th grade, he was unable to complete writing assignments and his teachers had stopped grading him based on his ability to reach the required level of comprehension based on his grade and instead graded him for his effort in class. According to one teacher, Martha Faye, “Pervis was slow and had low comprehension...He didn’t read well enough to understand the material on his own, and even when the material was explained to him, he had to be told over and over what to do. He couldn’t retain instructions or information from one day to the next”.

Family members also noticed Payne’s deficits. Rolanda, Payne’s younger sister by 7 years, claims that Payne couldn’t help her with her homework as a kid. His family was aware of his inability to comprehend anything more complicated than simple, short instructions and his mother did not allow him to iron or wash clothing because he could never complete a task without destroying something. Despite this, his parents never demanded that he do better in school and accepted his limitations. In his teen years, Payne worked at Pizza Hut and his supervisor described him as “mentally challenged”. He always had to refer to instruction sheets that were posted at all work stations long after he had finished training and had been working there for a while. 

When Payne went to work for his father, Carl Payne, the patriarch understood that instructions had to be repeated several times to make sure that Payne understood them. He was unable to follow instructions with too many steps. Carl Payne reports that as a child Payne was delayed in learning to walk and talk. He could not feed himself until he was 5 years old and he was also plagued by a stutter until early adulthood. His mother believed that Payne’s difficulties were because he was born prematurely. After dropping out of high school, Payne still could not count money, add up the cost of items, use a tape measure, read aloud, or identify street names and follow maps. 

Payne’s attorneys also allege that there is a strong chance that Payne did not commit the crimes. The document by Henry and Harwell includes Payne’s version of events. He claims that he was going up to his girlfriend’s apartment and heard a noise come from Charisse’s unit. He went inside to help whoever was crying out and was so overwhelmed by the gruesome scene that he panicked and fled the apartment. These actions would be more aligned with Payne’s history of mental deficiency, his reported lack of violence and drug use, and his reputation as a kind and gentle person. The motive for the crime as put forth by the prosecution was Payne’s desire to sexually assault Christopher, a woman whom he did not know. 

The story about Payne using cocaine and drinking beer before the murders is also unsubstantiated. Payne was not drug tested when he was apprehended, despite his mother’s request that he be tested. The defense also alleges that the tampon was recovered two days after the murders and does not appear in any of the crime scene photographs. Payne’s injuries, mainly the scratches, were not consistent with a violent struggle and the blood on his clothing matched his description of events. 

The acid phosphatase also could not be linked definitively to Payne. According to the defense, the original prosecution did not present testimony from Darryl Shanks, Charisse’s boyfriends at the time. Shanks told investigators that he and Charisse had consensual sex just hours before her murder. After the trial during a post-conviction hearing, Shanks recanted his affidavit. Payne’s counsel claims that they were never made aware of Shanks’ interview or this potentially critical evidence. As a side note, this seems like a Brady violation to me. For those who may not know a Brady Violation occurs when a piece of evidence that could be exculpatory is willfully or negligently hidden from the defense by the prosecution. This affidavit from Shanks would have cast substantial doubt on the prosecution theory of motive, which could have swayed the jury’s decision. 

One of the more egregious pieces of possible prosecutorial misconduct is the alleged suppression of blood and semen evidence. Henry and Harwell discovered residue evidence that had not been introduced at Payne’s first trial. They attempted to obtain this evidence but the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s staff refused to give it to them without a court order. According to Henry and Harwell, they had never been outright denied evidence while working on a case before. An Emergency Motion to be Permitted to View Evidence was granted on December 20th, 2019 and that day Payne’s counsel examined the evidence in Memphis, TN. Among the pieces of evidence was a comforter with bloodstains, bloody sheets, and one bloody pillow. These pieces of evidence are in contrast to the prosecution’s assertion that the kitchen of Christopher’s apartment was the only area considered a crime scene. The victim’s tampon was also kept as evidence and may have traces of sperm that could be tested for DNA. According to Tennessee Code 40-30-304(2), If evidence is still in existence and in good enough condition to be tested, the court shall order DNA analysis. In 2006, Payne had filed a Petition for Post-Conviction DNA analysis, which was denied. 

Now that we’ve gone over the contrasting evidence and the mitigating factors laid out by the defense, let’s talk about alternative suspects. At the time of her death, Charisse Christopher was divorced from her husband, Kenneth Christopher. It is well documented that Mr. Christopher was physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive toward Charisse during their marriage. Charisse eventually fled the couple’s home and moved to her hometown of Millington where she filed for divorce. In the divorce complaint, Charisse cited cruel and inhumane treatment, abandonment, and neglect as grounds for the divorce. Mr. Christopher had a long and violent criminal history predating the marriage and continuing on after it had ended. Mr. Christopher had no less than 9 DUI charges and he had been escorted by police from his mother’s home due to his drunkenness after she called for help. 

At first, investigators ruled Mr. Christopher out because he was serving the last year of the five year prison sentence for aggravated assault. He was housed at the Fort Pillow State Penitentiary, which was renamed the Cold Creek Correctional Facility in Lauderdale County, TN. However, Mr. Christopher was allowed to leave the premises on weekends if they were considered minimum security. Mr. Christopher could have left the prison on the morning of the murder, which was a Saturday, committed the crime, and return to the prison without repercussion or much notice. According to the filing, Mr. Christopher was aware that Charisse was in a new relationship and knew where she lived. 

Pervis Payne also maintains that a man was already inside of Charisse Christopher’s apartment before he entered. He described the man as a black guy with a long white or beige tropical shirt that was covered in blood. He said that he observed the man jump from the landing on the second floor to the steps before running past Payne. Payne claims that the unknown man dropped coins and items while fleeing and that he picked them up and put them in his pocket, hence the drug paraphernalia later found on him. He told officers about this man in the tropical shirt while being transported to police headquarters. A neighbor, John Edward Williams, came forward in 1992 and said that he had seen Payne walking to the apartment building as another African American man rushed out of the building, got in a car, and drove away. Minutes later, Williams saw Payne running from the upstairs unit. According to Williams, the same black man he had seen run past Payne had been to Christopher’s apartment several times before and had observed Christopher and the man arguing. 

Williams and a man named Leroy Jones gave affidavits which included their knowledge of Charisse Christopher’s use of illegal drugs. Now, this information is absolutely not to diminish the extreme tragedy of Charisse and Laci’s deaths or to paint Charisse in a negative light. It is being mentioned to create a clearer picture of the situation and one of the possible theories presented by the defense. Jones was involved in drug trafficking in the area and knew that his brother, Charles Jones, had enlisted Christopher to sell drugs for him. According to Leroy Jones, Charles Jones had told an associate name William Hall to “take care of the Christopher woman”. This conversation took place one week before the murders. Williams, Jones, and Kenneth Christopher all admitted to having used drugs with Charisse Christopher in the past, specifically amphetamines. Methamphetamine and amphetamine were present in Christopher’s blood at the time of her death according to the toxicology report. The theory alluded to in Payne’s defense filing is that Charisse Christopher was murdered by William Hall on the orders of Charles Jones to silence her or enact some form of revenge. 

Henry and Harwell site five similar cases in which defendants were wrongfully convicted of murder after stumbling upon the crime scene. Those defendants, Chad Heins and Clemente Aguirre of Florida, John Nolley and Darryl Adams of Texas, and David Ayers of Ohio, have been exonerated. We don’t have time to discuss this extremely heavy topic on this episode but I want to note that the response by Henry and Harwell also includes a section entitled, The Death Penalty is Racist which details how capital punishment had been used to systematically oppress African Americans in Tennessee for centuries. The section begins on page 64 and I have included the link to the entire response in case anyone wants to read it. 

Despite this, in my opinion, extremely well-crafted response in opposition to the motion to set an execution date, the state of Tennessee’s motion to set the date was granted on February 24th, 2020. Currently, there are no attempts to save Pervis Tyrone Payne’s life in motion. This case has evolved so much since Payne’s initial trial in 1988 and the work of Kelley Henry and Amy Harwell has completely changed my view of this situation. I’m sure many of you, like me, heard the initial version of events and thought “well it sounds pretty obvious that he did it”. When I was researching this case I thought that this episode was going to be about the issue of executing a likely intellectually disabled, but 100% guilty person because of a flawed measurement of mental functioning. But this case is about those measurements AND about the impending execution of a man who I, personally, could not in good conscience say is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The accounts from Payne’s teachers, classmates, and family members support the conclusion that his intellectual functioning is impaired, which would render his sentence of death unconstitutional under the Atkins ruling. Payne was always a nonviolent, caring, and person as his girlfriend and family members testified to. People with intellectual disabilities do not randomly attack a mother and two small children in this manner. The crime was extremely brutal and I have a hard time believing that Payne simply decided to sexually assault and then murder a woman he did not know while waiting for his girlfriend to come home.

Murderers most often have a criminal history of violence before they commit a homicide. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, around 70% of people convicted of murder have previous arrests and/or convictions. Payne did not have any criminal history whatsoever, nor did he have a history of violence. Furthermore, people with intellectual disabilities, like Payne, are much more likely to be victims of violence than to be perpetrators. According to a study conducted by Lovell and Skellern, people with mental disabilities in a clinical setting tend to react violently when they are confronted with communication difficulties, frustration, and emotional distress. 

Many patients who acted out had a history of impulsive and unpredictable behavior. Generally, violent reactions were more strongly associated with disorders including ADHD, Dementia, and Bipolar disorder. People with mild intellectual disability were found to be more deliberate in their verbal and physical assaults, whereas people with moderate or severe intellectual disability were likely to lash out indiscriminately due to circumstantial stressors. Because of Payne’s specific intellectual disability and his lack of a criminal record, the likelihood of him being the murderer is statistically slim, but not impossible. It would be extremely unusual for the type of crime perpetrated against the Christopher family to be the offender’s first crime. 

The extent of violence inflicted on Charisse Christopher in particular is characteristic of an offender acting out of anger, retaliation, or passion. Payne had no discernible connection to Christopher that would elicit these feelings. The prosecution alleged that Payne made sexual advances toward Christopher and became violent when he was rebuked. But Payne had no history of sexual aggression or assault and he was waiting for his girlfriend to get home. It wouldn’t make sense that he would attack a random woman and her children instead of stifling his sexual desires until he was with his girlfriend.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up a fairly touchy aspect of this case. Charisse Christopher and her children were white. Pervis Payne is black. As we discussed earlier in this episode, there is a documented history of African Americans being disproportionately sentenced to death for killing white people. It is also likely that the investigators for this case were majority white. In 2019, Nicholas Christopher, now 35-year-old, gave an interview to the british tabloid, the Sun. Nicholas recounts the events of his mother and sister’s murders with surprising detail. He claims that he did not see the face of his mother’s attacker, but his aunt Angie later said that Nicholas saw a picture of Payne on the news after he had recovered and he told her “That’s the man who killed my mom”.

While this seems like compelling evidence, and this analysis is not intended to diminish Nicholas Christopher’s experience or loss, there are well researched reasons why Nicholas could have easily misidentified Payne. Cross-Race bias, something that will come into play in future episodes, is a huge issue with Witness Identification. Cross-Racial bias is the reduced ability to differentiate people of races other than one’s own. In criminal cases, this can lead to misidentification if the defendant is a different race than the witness. Studies have shown that babies as young as 6 months old demonstrate a level of cross-racial bias. Nicholas may have seen Pervis Payne and identified him simply because he was black and wasn’t drastically different to the real killer. It should also be noted that Nicholas was only 3 years old. There is a good reason why children that young do not usually testify in criminal trials. Children that young are extremely open to outside influence, they lie, they can be re-traumatized by the experience, and they don’t have reliable memories. On top of all of that, Nicholas was an extremely traumatized child, who wouldn’t be after experiencing what he did? Trauma can cloud a person’s perception and their ability to code memories accurately. So while Nicholas’ interview is interesting, I would be hard pressed to weigh it against other more forensically solid aspects of this case.

 I think that the assertions made at trial by the prosecution that Payne had been doing drugs and drinking all day should not have been admitted without proof that drugs were in his body when he was arrested. Without proof, a claim like this is mere speculation. The failure to test the items from Christopher’s bedroom is another failing that I have trouble looking past. With modern forensic science at our disposal, I think there’s no excuse for not testing potentially critical evidence. The worst thing that can happen, from the prosecution’s standpoint, is that the DNA does not match Payne. Even in that scenario, wouldn’t you rather admit that your theory was wrong than be a party to the execution of an innocent man? It is in the interest of truth and justice for Charisse, Laci, and Nicholas Christopher to investigate every shred of evidence. If DNA proves that someone else was in Charisse Christopher’s apartment in the moments before her death, then Pervis Payne deserves another trial. 

A 2014 study conducted by Samuel Gross, Barbara O’Brien, Chen Hu, and Edward H. Kennedy concluded that at least 4.1% of people on death row at any given time are likely innocent and/or would be exonerated. According to th Death Penalty Information Database, there are 18 likely innocent people who have been executed since 1976, that we know of. The most recent addition to that list was made after the execution of Larry Swearingen on August 21st, 2019. As of now, Pervis Payne will join the ranks of executed but possibly innocent people on December 3rd, 2020. Despite the solid information pertaining to Payne’s intellectual disability, baseless assertions by prosecutors, the lack of forensic evidence against him, his enduring proclamation of innocence, alternative suspects, and the sheer lack of violent tendency or motive, the state of Tennessee does not seem to care that they may be executing an innocent, intellectually disabled man. But this isn’t a rare occurrence. It’s merely a story line that has played out in America for centuries, and even with all of our new technology and investigative strategies, it keeps replaying. Why? Because we let it. 

If you feel that Pervis Payne’s execution should be stopped, please call the office of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee at (615) 741-2001, you could tweet to him, his twitter username is @GovBillLee, or you can email him through the Tennessee Government website https://www.tn.gov/governor/contact-us.html.

[x-useobwa-x]

༄ are you mad? | 너 화났어?

Jungkook x Reader

➺ Word count: + 1k

╰Due to his PC being broken, Jungkook finds himself visiting the internet cafe daily for hours to play Overwatch. He's an outstanding player, by far better than many of his teammates and he carries his games, but there's one player he always encounters over and over again.

a/n: yooo! I've been itching to write this short thing for a while already! It's nothing special or anything, but I really enjoyed it! It was a nice change from my usual stuff! 🤧👌🏼

Start reading!

⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣

Jesus fucking christ.

„Fuck!“ he curses under his breath.

This is the seventh time he got sniped down out of the blue and everytime he peeks at the kill-feed, he's burning with rage.

It's the same name. All over again, he's getting killed by the same goddamn player. This has been going on since the day his PC broke.

How it broke in the first place? Well, in his opinion it was because of said player. Even while he was playing at home, he already got hunted down by that one person behind the screen somewhere in the world, making him question all the talent he actually has. At some point he got so angry that he lost his control and kept kicking his computer, loaded with rage.

This is now two weeks ago, and he can't get over the fact that this guy is better than him. Usually he would look up to these better than him, but with this goddamn little shit he just can't get any clear thoughts.

He's so fixated on finding the enemies' Widowmaker that he got too careless and- shoot.

„What the FUCK,“ he yells into his headset, having the majority of the internet cafe turning around and giving him looks.

This damn guy.

Venom. Once again, it was Venom that shot him down.

‚I'm so sick and tired of this dude. Jesus fucking christ.‘

Jungkook is far beyond reaching his limit. This has to be settled, once and for good. He's furiously typing something down in the game-chat.

[Seagull: yo venom, after this game, let's go 1vs1 and lets put an end to this. Its been weeks and you can't seem to fucking stop.]

[Venom: lol what you so triggered for. its just a game bro.]

‚It's just a game? Jesus christ. This... this dude really is something.‘

[Seagull: are you scared?]

[Venom: nope. just not serious about this game. but if you insist, lol sure.]

Jungkook is evily grinning to himself.

This will be the last time he'll get his ass whooped by Venom. That dude might be good with 5 other players on his team that distract Jungkook, but on a 1vs1 battle he definitely will have the upper hand.

„Kook are you sure you want to do that?“ Seokjin calls out to him through the voice chat.

„Yeah I am. I am so sick of getting my ass beaten by that kid, I have to.“

„Well, good luck, because the game's ending now.“

Jungkook doesn't fucking care. He just wants to settle this. He has to show off that he's better, he has to-

‚What the actual fuck?‘

Now he's really pissed. As soon as the game finishes and the ‚Play of the game‘ comes up, he has to fight the urge to throw away the keyboard.

The recap shows one of the many times Venom has shot him down, and it wasn't even a good one in Jungkooks opinion.

[Seagull: wow kinda sad that you got the POTG with that.]

[Venom: you butthurt or smth?]

„B-butthurt??“ he scoffs. „This little...“

„Well. See you, Kook. Good luck with Venom.“ Seokjin says and leaves the group.

He's waiting. He's waiting for Venom to invite him into a private game so he can restore his pride. He is butthurt, but that doesn't mean that he has to admit that to everyone.

[GROUP INVITATION FROM VENOM]

,Finally. Took him long enough.‘ is all he thinks as he clicks ,accept‘.

[Venom: widowmaker 1vs1?]

[Seagull: yes ofc]

[Venom: lol aight]

As both of them enter the game, Jungkooks fingers are itching to turn this around.

‚5...4...3...2...1...go!‘ the game counts down and both of them rush out of their bases to hide.

Jungkook is concentrating with all he has while he zooms into his scope as he tries to track down Venom.

„There you are,“ he whispers as he finds the hated enemy and slowly moves his cursor to steady his aim on Venoms head.

‚Gotcha!‘

Jungkook immediately takes the lead. He's feeling so content right now- they're roughly 20 seconds in and he already shot him down. Using the time until Venom respawns, he repositions himself and hides, scope fixated in the direction of the enemy's base.

‚Come out, come on, show yourself.‘

Just as he finished his thought, he gets shot, and Jungkook can‘t help but stare in disbelief. Where the fuck did he hide? Why didn't he see him? He hates to admit it, but that was a very good play.

[Seagull: yo wtf. that was actually sick,,,]

[Venom: thx broski]

[Seagull: nah we aint bros man. but still, that was dope as fuck.]

The game keeps going like this; both are pretty much equally good, and Jungkook hates that he realizes that. Well, at least he isn't worse. But what actually is worse, is that he starts enjoying playing with Venom. It has been ages that Jungkook met someone that could keep up with his skill.

It stands 29-29 right now, the game limit being 30 kills. This is now going to decide things.

[Venom: this is actually pretty fun. i mean, i have my cursor on your head for the past 2 minutes but i don't want to shoot, i'on want this to be over yet]

[Seagull: ikr, tbh i even feel bad for all the hate and the tons of reports i sent in because of you lmao]

[Venom: EXCUSE ME WHAT CNXND YOU REPORTED ME??? YOU ASSHAT I GOT EXP PENALTY BECAUSE OF YOU I—]

[Seagull: ,,,sOrry??? idk man you really pissed me off ajfksk i hated that you were better its not even that you were better its just that you were always so cOckY OOF i hated it but ur actually?? pretty fun??]

[Venom: lol i'm sorry but your reactions always were gold kfkdls]

[Seagull: yea i,,, i can see that LOL i got pretty worked up. I even crushed my computer in anger oops]

[Venom: you did wHat]

[Seagull: HFKDKDL LET ME BE]

Jungkook is smiling to himself. This guy isn't all too bad after all. Not even half as cocky as he thought. Maybe he'd even end up teaming up with him some time. That thought is immediately cancelled again, though.

Suddenly, his character falls, shot down by the person he just praised for not being as bad as he initially thought. Fuck that.

[Seagull: WHAT THE FUCK BRUH??]

[Venom: lol i thought i'm not your bro]

[Seagull: yEah NOT ANYMORE NOW,,,]

[Venom: are you mad?]

[Seagull: uhh y e s ?? I thought we didn't want to finish this fkdkls]

[Venom: IM SORRY BUT YOUR REACTIONS REALLY JUST ARE SO GOOD I CANT HELP IT-]

Jungkook sighs. He wants to be pissed, but he can't really. He knows it was just meant as a joke, but still, that means the game is over now, and he's kind of feeling sad.

[Seagull: yo... you maybe wanna stay in the group and keep talking a bit? y'know, just being on the title screen and ,,, t a l k]

[Venom: u mean voice chat?]

[Seagull: yea i mean if you want to,,,]

[Venom: uhh sure why not]

Jungkook enables the voice chat and waits for Venom to do the same.

As soon as he gets the notification that his new mate joined the voice chat, there's some sort of awkward silence; it seems like neither of them wants to go first, but then they happen to start talking at the same time.

„Uhh hello?“

„Uhm, hi?“

Silence. Jungkooks eyes widen an unreal amount and his mouth slightly falls open.

There are two things that he would like to point out. First, the voice belongs to a girl, which he didn't expect at all. But the second thing is, that the voice came from nowhere else than the booth right next to him.

He jumps out of his chair and watches as you do the exact same- and there you both are, looking at each other like two idiots.

„You- you're Venom??“

„You are Seagull? Dude we've been both coming here everyday sitting in the same damn places??“

„As if I didn't figure that yet. What the- so you are the person that keeps hunting me down?“ he says as if he's just figured out all the mysteries of the world.

„What do you mean ‚hunting you down‘? YOU are hunting me down!“

The both of you stare at each other, pouts on your faces before you burst into laughter.

What the actual fuck is happening right now? An hour ago he wished to rip the gamer that goes by the name Venom into pieces, and now he's standing infront of you and your smile and the melody of your laughter is sending his stomach tingling. Is this what people call ‚love at the first sight‘? Because if so, that's definitely what's happening right now. A girl? Not to mention a very beautiful one? Playing his favorite game almost better than he himself does? And on top of that she's funny and seems nice so far? He'd be damned if he'd let this opportunity slide. He could be living the dream of many, many men and he's not one to pass a chance he'd like to take.

„You know, what do you think about us just logging out for now and grab a coffee together? Getting to know each other and continuing our talk offline?“ he smirks, eyes big and full of hope.

„Hmm, I guess that does sound fair, I mean, I owe you one for all the teasing and for your broken computer, huh?“

„You totally do,“ he says as a wide smile starts spreading across his lips.

[bountyofbeads]

Analysis: Trump Cease-Fire Deal Cements Turkey’s Gains in Syria https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/17/world/middleeast/trump-pence-syria-turkey-ceasefire.html

In ‘Cave-In,’ Trump Cease-Fire Cements Turkey’s Gains in Syria

The agreement, announced by Vice President Mike Pence, may stop the killing in the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. But the cost to American influence is expected to be high.

By David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt | Published October 17, 2019 | New York Times | Posted October 19, 2019 |

WASHINGTON — The cease-fire agreement reached with Turkey by Vice President Mike Pence amounts to a near-total victory for Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gains territory, pays little in penalties and appears to have outmaneuvered President Trump.

The best that can be said for the agreement is that it may stop the killing in the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. But the cost for Kurds, longtime American allies in the fight against the Islamic State, is severe: Even Pentagon officials were mystified about where tens of thousands of displaced Kurds would go, as they moved south from the Turkey-Syria border as required by the deal — if they agree to go at all.

And the cost to American influence, while hard to quantify, could be frightfully high.

In the 11 days between Mr. Trump’s fateful phone call with Mr. Erdogan and the trip to Ankara by Mr. Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday, the United States has ceded ground in Syria — including American bases — to the Russian-backed Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad. And it has shaken the faith of American allies that, in a time of stress, Washington will have their back.

“This just looks like a complete cave-in by the United States to everything the Turks demanded,” said Eric S. Edelman, a former ambassador to Turkey and a senior Defense Department official in the George W. Bush administration. “I don’t see what the Turks gave up.”

In fact, if the sanctions imposed against Turkey by the Trump administration are lifted, as Mr. Pence said they now would be, the Turkish leader would pay a far lower price than Russia did for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The sanctions imposed on Moscow then are still in place.

But there are other winners in addition to Mr. Erdogan, who has routed the Kurdish groups he views as terrorists who were living in an American protectorate.

Chief among them is President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who gains vast influence in a strategic corner of the Middle East where, until 2015, he had almost none. Now, he is a player, and already is filling the territorial and political vacuum that Mr. Trump left after he agreed to get out of the way of the Turkish invasion of Syria, which a small contingent of American Special Operations forces were there to prevent by their very presence.

Iran was also a winner. It has long used Syria as a route to send missiles to Hezbollah and flex its muscles across the region. That, in many ways, is the most perplexing part of the president’s decision to withdraw, because it runs so counter to his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran’s clerical leaders and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

And Mr. Assad, who was barely clinging to power after the Arab Spring in 2011, and whose military facilities Mr. Trump bombed in the opening months of his presidency in 2017, has a new lease on life. The Americans are gone from the one corner of his country they once occupied.

Mr. Trump has a different view — no surprise, given the bipartisan critique of his failure to stop Mr. Erdogan during their phone conversation, or threaten sanctions before the invasion, rather than after the facts had changed on the ground.

“I’m happy to report tremendous success with respect to Turkey,” Mr. Trump told reporters after his vice president and secretary of state announced the deal. “This is an amazing outcome. This is an outcome, regardless of how the press would like to damp it down, this was something they were trying to get for 10 years.”

Mr. Trump’s joy may reflect a very different worldview than that of his military, his diplomats or the Republican leaders who say he has damaged America’s reputation and influence. While his party, and Democrats, accused him of betraying allies and aiding Russia, Mr. Trump insisted he was simply making good on a campaign promise to bring troops home from “endless wars.”

On Wednesday, as Mr. Pence and Mr. Pompeo were flying to Ankara, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was challenging the president on whether there was any strategic logic to his withdrawal from Syria — especially if it resulted in freeing detained ISIS fighters who might now attack in the region or on the United States.

On Thursday, recounting her heated discussion with the president at the White House the previous day, she said she asked him how his strategy fit with his announcement last Friday that nearly 3,000 more troops were being deployed to Saudi Arabia. The president responded that the Saudis were paying the cost of that deployment — suggesting that Mr. Trump was happy to commit troops to the highest bidder among American allies, rather than make an independent judgment about their strategic importance.

Republicans also challenged the agreement reached in Ankara.

“The announcement today is being portrayed as a victory. It is far from a victory,” Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “Given the initial details of the cease-fire agreement, the administration must also explain what America’s future role will be in the region, what happens now to the Kurds and why Turkey will face no apparent consequences.”

And Mr. Romney noted, “The cease-fire does not change the fact that America has abandoned an ally.”

At the Pentagon on Thursday afternoon, senior officials scrambled to understand how they were supposed to carry out the agreement Mr. Pence and Mr. Erdogan had negotiated.

Several civilian and military officials complained that the broadly worded deal left large policy and logistical gaps to fill, with many questions about how to carry out commitments by the two sides that appeared to contradict the fast-moving situation on the ground.

With the withdrawal of about 1,000 Americans already underway, the officials asked, how would those departing forces conduct counterterrorism operations with the Turkish military, as Mr. Pence insisted they would? Would the Syrian Kurds fully comply with a pullback agreement they had little say in drafting, and in which they were the clear losers?

Their questions did not stop there. How large and how deep is the buffer area inside Syria that was supposed to give Turkey a safe zone between its border and the Kurdish fighters? The original safe zone that the United States and Turkey envisioned was 75 miles long and roughly 20 miles deep. But it was upended by Mr. Trump’s acquiescence to the invasion, and now Turkish forces have pushed beyond that.

And what about Mr. Assad’s forces and their Russian allies — to whom the abandoned Syrian Kurds reached out to after the American abandoned them?

It also remains unknown whether Turkey will be required to withdraw all or some of its forces sent across a sovereign border into Syria. (One official said a reason Turkey agreed to the deal on Thursday is because the Kurds have put up more resistance, and Turkish forces could not advance south any farther as a result.)

Several Pentagon and State Department officials and military officers who have worked on Syria policy or deployed to the country’s northwest expressed shock, outrage and disbelief at the administration’s second major capitulation to Mr. Erdogan in less than two weeks.

These officials said Mr. Erdogan was the big winner, and appeared to have gotten everything he wanted.

Military officials said they were stunned that the agreement essentially allowed Turkey to annex a portion of Syria, displace tens of thousands of Kurdish residents and wipe away years of counterterrorism gains against the Islamic State.

********

Shelling Continues in Syria, Hours After Cease-Fire Deal

A day after Vice President Mike Pence announced a pause in the battle between Turkish and Kurdish forces, gunfire could also be heard in the region, raising questions about the deal’s feasibility.

By Patrick Kingsley | Published October 18, 2019 Updated 8:23 AM ET | New York Times | Posted October 18, 2019 |

ISTANBUL —The leadership of the Syrian Kurdish fighters accused the Turkish military and its proxies on Friday of violating the terms of a truce in northern Syria that was brokered a day earlier by Vice President Mike Pence, raising questions about the feasibility of the cease-fire and whether the Americans can enforce it.

A spokesman for the Kurdish forces, Mustafa Bali, said on Twitter that Turkey continued to pound civilian areas and a hospital, despite the announcement on Thursday night by Mr. Pence that there would be a five-day pause in the fighting.

Responding to the claims that Turkey had violated the truce, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied that any fighting was continuing.

“I do not know where you get your information from,” he told a reporter after leaving Friday Prayers at a mosque in Istanbul. “Conflict is out of the question.”

The question of exactly when the cease-fire would begin was left unaddressed in both the text of the agreement released by Turkish and American officials, and also by Mr. Pence during his comments to the news media on Thursday.

But shelling continued in the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain, and gunfire could be heard by journalists just across the border in Turkey. The continuation of the deadly conflict provided further evidence of the United States’ diminished influence, showing that the American military, having evacuated its troops from northern Syria, had no practical ability to enforce the cease-fire.

The truce agreement had already amounted to a near victory for Mr. Erdogan, who outmaneuvered President Trump, since it gave the assent of the United States to a Turkish sphere of influence in northern Syria and further diminished the United States’ role in the region.

The Turkish authorities said on Thursday that they would adhere to the five-day pause in hostilities to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Kurdish-run areas in northern Syria that have been occupied by Turkish forces in the past week. But the Kurdish militia’s spokesman said their soldiers were still under fire in Ras al-Ain.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in Jerusalem on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, did not respond to repeated questions on Friday about whether the cease-fire had been violated. A day before, he and Mr. Pence had announced the agreement in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

Asked about the cease-fire agreement, Mr. Netanyahu said only, “We hope things will turn out for the best.”

On Thursday, Mr. Trump described the deal during a speech in Dallas as “an incredible outcome,” and wrote on Twitter that it was “great for everyone!”

Syrian Kurdish fighters promised on Thursday night to adhere to the cease-fire and to withdraw from an area of their territory that the Turkish military has occupied in the past week, including around the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain. Turkey also said it would begin a five-day pause in hostilities to allow Kurdish fighters to evacuate.

But shelling and gunfire could be heard in Ras al-Ain, the Turkish news media reported, and smoke could be seen rising from the town from the Turkish settlement of Ceylanpinar, which is less than a mile away across the border.

Turkish-led forces also prevented a convoy of international aid workers from gaining access to the town to treat people wounded in the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent war monitor based in Britain.

Ras al-Ain has been the site of the fiercest clashes since Turkish troops invaded Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria nine days ago. On Friday, Kurdish health officials said they were investigating whether six civilians in the town had been hit by chemical weapons during Turkish airstrikes. Photographs shared by the Kurdish Red Crescent, a medical charity working in the area, showed at least two children with burns on their faces.

The Turkish government has denied the claim, along with other accusations of war crimes. Its Defense Ministry said on Friday that the Turkish Army had continued its offensive “on the basis of humanitarian and moral values, and of international law.”

But Amnesty International, a global rights watchdog, on Friday accused the Turkish military and Arab militias fighting under its command of carrying out “serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians.”

In a statement, Amnesty’s secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, added: “Turkish military forces and their allies have displayed an utterly callous disregard for civilian lives, launching unlawful deadly attacks in residential areas that have killed and injured civilians.”

At least 218 civilians in northern Syria have died since the invasion began, according to the Kurdish authorities. A further 18 have been killed in Turkey by Kurdish mortar attacks, the Turkish government said.

Turkey wants to force out the Syrian Kurdish militia that has used the chaos of the conflict to establish an autonomous region across roughly a quarter of Syrian territory. The militia is an offshoot of a guerrilla group that has waged a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. The Turks view the group as a terrorist organization.

Since 2014, the group has operated under the protection of the United States military, which partnered with the Kurdish fighters to help sweep the Islamic State from the region and, in the process, allowed the Kurdish militia to control most of the land lining the Turkish-Syrian border.

But after Mr. Trump abruptly ordered the withdrawal of United States troops from the border this month, ending their protection of the Kurdish fighters, Turkish forces invaded with the aim of establishing a Turkish-friendly zone, roughly 20 miles deep, along the border.

The deal announced on Thursday by Mr. Pence and Mr. Pompeo effectively gave American assent to Turkish territorial ambitions in part of the area, handing Turkey a huge diplomatic victory and completing the sudden reversal of a central plank of American policy in the Middle East.

It was sealed without the involvement of the Syrian or Russian governments, to whom the Kurdish authorities turned for protection after the American evacuation and the onslaught of Turkish-led forces.

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, and Lara Jakes from Jerusalem.

Fighting continued in northern Syria between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish fighters on Friday morning, casting further doubt on the feasibility of a cease-fire announced on Thursday by Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish officials.

The cease-fire deal had already amounted to a near victory for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who appears to have outmaneuvered President Trump, since it gave the assent of the United States to a Turkish sphere of influence in northern Syria and further diminished the United States’ role in the region.

The continuation of the deadly conflict in a Syrian border town on Friday raises further questions about whether the American government has the ability to enforce the cease-fire since it is not a party in the conflict and no longer has troops posted in northern Syria.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in Jerusalem on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, did not respond to repeated questions about whether the cease-fire had been violated. A day before, he and Mr. Pence had announced the agreement in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

Asked about the cease-fire agreement, Mr. Netanyahu said only, “We hope things will turn out for the best.”

Syrian Kurdish fighters promised on Thursday night to adhere to the cease-fire and to withdraw from an area of their territory that the Turkish military has occupied in the past week, including around the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain. Turkey also said it would begin a five-day pause in hostilities to allow Kurdish fighters to evacuate.

But shelling and gunfire could be heard in Ras al-Ain, the Turkish news media reported, and smoke could be seen rising from the town from the Turkish settlement of Ceylanpinar, which is less than a mile away across the border.

Turkish-led forces also prevented a convoy of international aid workers from gaining access to the town to treat people wounded in the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent war monitor based in Britain.

Ras al-Ain has been the site of the fiercest clashes since Turkish troops invaded Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria nine days ago. On Friday, Kurdish health officials said they were investigating whether six civilians in the town had been hit by chemical weapons during Turkish airstrikes. Photographs shared by the Kurdish Red Crescent, a medical charity working in the area, showed at least two children with burns on their faces.

The Turkish government has denied the claim, along with other accusations of war crimes. Its Defense Ministry said on Friday that the Turkish Army had continued its offensive “on the basis of humanitarian and moral values, and of international law.”

But Amnesty International, a global rights watchdog, on Friday accused the Turkish military and Arab militias fighting under its command of carrying out “serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians.”

In a statement, Amnesty’s secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, added: “Turkish military forces and their allies have displayed an utterly callous disregard for civilian lives, launching unlawful deadly attacks in residential areas that have killed and injured civilians.”

At least 218 civilians in northern Syria have died since the invasion began, according to the Kurdish authorities. A further 18 have been killed in Turkey by Kurdish mortar attacks, the Turkish government said.

Turkey wants to force out the Syrian Kurdish militia that has used the chaos of the conflict to establish an autonomous region across roughly a quarter of Syrian territory. The militia is an offshoot of a guerrilla group that has waged a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. The Turks view the group as a terrorist organization.

But after Mr. Trump abruptly ordered the withdrawal of United States troops from the border this month, ending their protection of the Kurdish fighters, Turkish forces invaded with the aim of establishing a Turkish-friendly zone, roughly 20 miles deep, along the border.

The deal announced on Thursday by Mr. Pence and Mr. Pompeo effectively gave American assent to Turkish territorial ambitions in part of the area, handing Turkey a huge diplomatic victory and completing the sudden reversal of a central plank of American policy in the Middle East.

But the deal was sealed without the involvement of the Syrian or Russian governments, to whom the Kurdish authorities turned for protection after the American evacuation and the onslaught of Turkish-led forces.

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, and Lara Jakes from Jerusalem.

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The Navy Wants to Push Out Problem SEALs. But Trump May Get in the Way. ( Trump has infected every facet of the U.S. Government. 😔 SAD)

A push to strengthen discipline in the SEAL teams has been stymied by one member’s support in the White House.

By Dave Philips | Published Oct. 18, 2019 Updated 7:06 AM ET | New York Times | Posted October 18, 2019 |

Spiking drinks with cocaine, shooting Iraqi civilians, strangling a Green Beret: The Navy SEAL teams have been rocked by one high-profile scandal after another in recent months, and the leader of the elite commando force, Rear Adm. Collin P. Green, has vowed to clean house.

Admiral Green has come down hard on misconduct, fired two key leaders and made an unusually public admission that the Navy’s secretive warrior caste has an “ethics problem.” At the same time, though, he has steered wide of the SEAL at the center of one of the grimmest episodes, Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who was charged with shooting civilians, murdering a captive Islamic State fighter with a knife, and threatening to kill witnesses.

Chief Gallagher was acquitted of murder charges this summer, but evidence that he had engaged in a range of other misconduct, including theft and drug use, had come to light during the investigation. Admiral Green and other Navy leaders were planning to demote him and force him out of the SEALs — sending a message that such conduct had no place in one of the country’s premier fighting forces.

None of that has happened, though, because one of Chief Gallagher’s most vocal supporters happens to be the commander in chief. President Trump has repeatedly intervened, and has posted so many expressions of support for the SEAL on Twitter that the Navy now sees Chief Gallagher as untouchable, according to three Navy officials familiar with the case. Any talk of punishment has been shelved, not only for the chief, but for two other SEALs who had been facing possible discipline in the case, these officials said.

Mr. Trump helped Chief Gallagher get released from confinement before his trial, and personally congratulated him on Twitter when he was acquitted.

“People want to hold these guys accountable,” said one Navy officer who was involved in the punishment deliberations. “But they are afraid that if you do anything, minutes later there will be a tweet from the White House, and the officer in charge will get axed.”

The officer, like others interviewed for this article, asked that his name not be used because he feared retaliation.

The president has previously made it clear that he believes the country should tread carefully when calling American troops to account for acts of war. Only last week, he announced on Twitter that the White House was reviewing the case of Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn, a former Army Special Forces soldier charged with murder in the death of a Taliban bomb maker in Afghanistan. “We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!” Mr. Trump wrote.

The issue in Chief Gallagher’s case became apparent to Admiral Green’s team in August, when the chief’s lawyers — including one of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers, Marc Mukasey, who joined the defense team two months before the June court-martial — had tried and failed to persuade Navy commanders to suspend any punishment. Soon after that, the president brought up the Gallagher case at a meeting with the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations, according to a senior Navy official.

White House officials strongly denied that the Gallagher case was discussed. But hours after the meeting, the Chief of Naval Operations announced that he would personally take over the Gallagher case from another admiral, who had indicated that she planned to punish the chief.

The Navy had also planned to discipline two other SEALs who had come under investigation in the Gallagher case: Lt. Jacob Portier, who was charged with not reporting Chief Gallagher’s actions in Iraq; and Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a platoon medic whose testimony at the chief’s trial prompted the Navy to open a perjury investigation. But on the same day as the White House meeting, the charges against Lieutenant Portier were dropped and the investigation of Special Operator Scott was ended.

The intervention from Washington left Navy leaders with a dilemma: Not punishing Chief Gallagher and the others would undermine efforts to restore discipline in the ranks, but punishing them only to be publicly reversed might make things even worse.

“All that’s off the table now,” said a Navy Special Warfare officer who was briefed on the most recent deliberations of Admiral Green’s team about the matter. Navy commanders grew concerned that if they took away from Chief Gallagher the Trident pin that signifies membership in the SEALs, only to see the president give it back again, the officer said, “it sends a message that the commanders aren’t in control.”

While taking no action against Chief Gallagher, the Navy recently fired two senior leaders of the team on which Chief Gallagher serves, SEAL Team 7, which has had other recent incidents of misconduct. The command cited a “loss of confidence that resulted from leadership failures.”

The two leaders, Cmdr. Edward Mason and Master Chief Hugh Spangler — both decorated career SEALs with unblemished records who took command of the team after Chief Gallagher had been arrested — filed a complaint with the Navy’s inspector general over their firing. They said that they had become “expendable scapegoats” in the admiral’s fight against an anti-authoritarian “Gallagher effect” that was threatening to spread through the force.

With his new, protected status, Chief Gallagher appears to be trolling Navy leadership.

A few days after the demoted leaders filed their complaint, an Instagram account belonging to Chief Gallagher and his wife started selling T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “The Gallagher Effect.”

Another recent Instagram post from the account referred to Admiral Green and another top Navy leader as “a bunch of morons.”

And in a photo posted on social media by a former member of his platoon, Chief Gallagher is seen gripping a hunting knife similar to the one Navy prosecutors said he used to kill a captive fighter from ISIS, which is also known by its Arabic name, Daesh. The post, which was “liked” by Chief Gallagher’s account, included the hashtags #WeDon’tHaveAnEthicsProblem and #NoOneCriesOverSpilledDaesh.

Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer for Chief Gallagher, said the Instagram account is administered by the chief’s wife and does not reflect the chief’s views.

The original criminal charges against Chief Gallagher, 40, stemmed from his fifth combat deployment with the SEALs, when he led a platoon fighting ISIS in Iraq in 2017. In a text message sent to his supervisor before deploying, he said he did not care where the Navy sent him, as long as there was “sure action,” adding, “We just want to kill as many people as possible.”

He ended up in an advisory role largely behind front lines. But several men under his command told Navy authorities that he remained fixated on killing, and said they saw him shoot civilians with a sniper rifle and stab a captive teenage ISIS fighter in the neck. Their reports eventually led to the war crimes charges filed against the chief.

After Chief Gallagher was arrested in 2018, his family appeared repeatedly on Fox News, insisting that he had been wrongly accused. Soon Mr. Trump became a supporter, praising Chief Gallagher’s “past service to our country” on Twitter. Mr. Trump directed the Navy to release the chief from pretrial confinement in the spring of 2019 and ordered paperwork to pardon him before his trial in June.

During the trial, the Navy’s case against Chief Gallagher fell into disarray as a key witness, Special Operator Scott, changed his story on the stand and prosecutors canceled the testimony of other witnesses, fearing they would do the same. A jury made up largely of seasoned combat veterans found Chief Gallagher not guilty of nearly all counts.

After the acquittal, the president congratulated him on Twitter saying, “Glad I could help!”

But Admiral Green was worried about the message that the Gallagher case was sending to the rest of force. In July, he sent a letter to the SEAL teams warning that the spate of incidents of drug use and violence in the SEAL teams showed “we have a problem,” and that leaders “must now take a proactive approach to prevent the next breach of ethical and professional behavior.”

In Chief Gallagher’s case, though he had been acquitted on the murder charge, Navy officials were considering administrative punishment for other possible misconduct uncovered during the investigation.

The Navy had found unauthorized grenades, stolen equipment and illicit drugs in his house and in his work locker, according to the Navy’s criminal investigation report. When investigators seized the chief’s phone, they found text exchanges suggesting he was illegally using the narcotic painkiller Tramadol, as well as marijuana and ecstasy.

Chief Gallagher has denied that he did anything unlawful in Iraq, and his lawyer, Mr. Parlatore, said the purported drug and equipment offenses had already been investigated and had been deemed insignificant.

The part of the case taken over by the chief Navy officer in Washington concerns the minor charge on which Chief Gallagher was convicted in the trial — posing for a photo with a corpse. The officer hearing the case had recommended that the chief be demoted by one rank, with the possibility that he could be further reduced to the lowest rank in the military, E-1. The regional commander overseeing the court-martial, Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, had the authority to adjust or overturn the conviction and sentence.

Chief Gallagher’s legal team pressed Admiral Bolivar to suspend his punishment so the chief could retire from the Navy with full rank and a clean record. Admiral Bolivar replied in a letter Aug. 1 that she found the chief's conduct reprehensible and had no intention of suspending his sentence.

That was when the chief’s legal team informed the Navy that they would “take their case to Washington,” according to a Navy official with knowledge of the exchange. On the same day that Admiral Bolivar’s letter was sent, the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John M. Richardson, along with the Secretary of the Navy, Richard V. Spencer, went to the White House for a meeting with Mr. Trump.

A senior Navy official said the two men had not expected to discuss the Gallagher case, and were surprised when the president brought it up, expressing his displeasure that prosecutors had received commendations for what he regarded as a botched handling of the case.

Though White House officials insist the case was not discussed, within hours of the meeting, Admiral Richardson took the Gallagher, Portier and Scott cases from Admiral Bolivar.

Charges against Lieutenant Portier were dismissed that same day, and the investigation of Special Operator Scott was halted. Neither man responded to requests for comment.

Mr. Parlatore said he had not contacted the White House and had no knowledge of any intervention by the president. He said he welcomed the president’s involvement if it happened because his client was threatened with punishment for minor misconduct that is often overlooked in the SEAL teams. “If the president has a deterrent effect and can prevent retaliation, we’re thankful for that,” he said.

A new Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Michael M. Gilday, took command in August, but has not changed course. His final decision in the Gallagher case is expected by the end of October.

Admiral Green was not available to discuss the case, according to Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence, a Navy spokeswoman, who added that “it would be inappropriate to speculate on any administrative actions, as no decisions have been made.”

On the night of the leadership demotions in Team 7, Chief Gallagher made an unauthorized appearance at a “Patriot Awards” gala in Nashville, alongside Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. Both men accepted awards from the country music star Charlie Daniels.

“What an honor,” a post on Chief Gallagher’s Instagram account said.

Maggie Haberman and John Ismay contributed reporting from Washington.