#or people saying we're being given free wealth

[chronically-chaotic-cryptid]

It's budget time in Ireland which means some eejit is inevitably going to talk about how giving disabled people and carers a €12/week raise is some fucking spending spree so here's your friendly reminder that disability benefit is and always has been below what the government determined to be the bare minimum amount you can live on.

Ireland is the worst country in the EU to be disabled. €12 a week is fuck all for us.

[vindicated-truth]

I find it fascinating that the exact line Dongsik says upon meeting Joowon outside Jaeyi's butcher shop during Nam Sangbae's death anniversary was: "Inspector Han, we haven't seen each other since that day."

The thing is, Dongsik hasn't particularly said in detail what "that day" is, exactly, and while I don't know how it translates in the context of the Korean language, it's fascinating that if it's to be evaluated through the English translation, Dongsik may not necessarily mean the day of the arrest a year ago.

For all we know, Dongsik could've been talking of a different special day in which he and Joowon shared, and that's where the beauty of the open-ended storytelling is—we're free to interpret that any way we like.

Which is why I also find it fascinating that the fandom immediately interprets that statement (especially through fan fiction) as:

1) Dongsik and Joowon haven't seen each other since the day Joowon arrested him and; 2) Joowon has been avoiding Dongsik all this time because he felt guilty and unworthy to face Dongsik

My personal take on Joowon's one year absence (if we are to assume that's the day Dongsik meant, even though there was no clarification) is that, true to his personality, he wouldn't have stayed away for emotional reasons—or at least, not entirely.

I addressed it in my own fic here, but I actually believe Joowon's forced distance from Dongsik would be logical, if Han Kihwan is still undergoing his appeals, which I assume would be multiple, and which I also assume wouldn't have reached an immediate final conviction given his powerful connections and considerable wealth. At the very least, Han Kihwan could indefinitely extend the conclusion of his conviction with multiple appeals.

Han Kihwan's defense team, if they were inhuman enough (which is not impossible, given how inhuman Han Kihwan already is), could have made the case that Joowon was manipulated or even blackmailed by Dongsik, especially given how closely they worked together as partners, and how "impossible" it would be for a son to turn against his own father like this. Han Kihwan's defense team could spin it in a way to appeal to the jury, at least to lighten his sentence and turn the doubt to Dongsik instead.

Joowon was right to keep his distance from Dongsik while the appeals are ongoing in order to protect him—so that Joowon and Dongsik would not be accused of connivance in any way. That is the more believable reason for me, if only because Joowon had consistently demonstrated throughout the story that his actions are always based on logic, and not (entirely) on emotion.

And as for Dongsik's own conviction—while I also do believe that Dongsik as a person (whom we know the entire story of, and everything he went through that no human being should have ever experienced, let alone live through) doesn't deserve the jail time, the action itself, separate from who Dongsik is, does deserve punishment. I actually fully agree with Joowon on that.

Objectively, any person who tampers with the scene of a crime—a murder at that—deserve disciplinary action, especially when a real person's life was at stake in having reported the crime scene immediately, or at the very least leave the scene untarnished so as to not hinder the investigation. If there's a particular vicious prosecutor who can find loopholes in the law, they can even argue doing so is almost accessory to the murder, even if it wasn't deliberate. The intention doesn't change the result, and it's always the result that matters most in the end.

Which is why, as I have also mentioned here, it's so important that each and every case should have that equal balance of objectivity and empathy: objectively assess the far-reaching effects and consequences of the action involved, while deeply consider how to deal with the people involved humanely and with empathy.

[rockandroobuckaroll]

Returning from the crypt to give my two cents on this whole situation.

I've just been looking at the comments on YouTube and I've been seeing several videos on tiktok and the amount of people blaming Steven for everything as if it's not a group decision is ridiculous. The way people think one man in a group's company can just say yeah we're doing this now and that's final instead of having several meetings about it, everyone discussing pros and cons and all that, going through timeliness of when to set things up... that's not just one man guys. Ryan and Shane definitely have more of a say in their own company than they're trying to imply. More than anything right now I feel really bad for Steven, this is clearly something they're ALL excited about and the comments is nothing but oh well we're all here for Shane and Ryan so Steven you don't need to make your expensive food shows and drive your tesla xoxox. That to me feels more tasteless than the whole reveal.

That being said...

I do agree with how people are saying the timing and presentation is a little tasteless. We're literally in a recession right now. People are broke. The points people make about not giving money to big corporations like Netflix and Aprime and just give it to the smaller creators are missing the point. People don't want to pay for content that was previously free regardless of who's making it, end of story. Especially given the nature of 'just pirate Netflix' and all that vibe they give off, they can't expect the audience they've built with that mindset to be chill about yet another subscription to add to the pile. (Though people saying eat the rich are hilarious to me as if these three men combined have even 1% of Bezos' wealth come on now folks)

I've been on their patreon since literally day one and I'm not going to lie earlier this month before all this was even announced I cancelled my subscription purely cos I can't afford to keep supporting them at the moment given I'm barely affording to live as it is and my workplace decided to screw us over completely (people in the UK look up GAME and what frasers are doing to us managers it's soooooooo funny :))))))) ) so to now find out all but the first ep of each series they put out is going to be behind a paywall just felt like a massive kick in the teeth.

I want to support them and HAVE supported them with money from my own wallet but can't afford that anymore so how are they expecting people who weren't willing/unable to pay before all this to suddenly start paying now?

I really just hope they know what they're getting themselves in to because the last thing I want is for them to stop making content all together.

[warsofasoiaf]

Russia has demonstrated that they can inevitably attrite ukraine. defeating Russia would require a radical expansion of ukrainian offensive capabilities far above the threshold that Putin will seek nuclear escalation. unless biden is prepared to end the world (over ukraine and not Chinese Taipei or Israel as he is willing to), how do propose "beating" CSTO .

This is cute. Russian cope always has this distinct flavor of "we're a great power and we can't be beaten," despite the fact that Russia has experienced numerous failures and has largely been exposed as an incompetent military power.

Frankly speaking, CSTO doesn't really need to be beaten. Given that Kazakhstan has dismissed CSTO troops and Armenia largely sees no hope for CSTO, the world has largely seen Russian security commitments as worthless - they are incapable of fulfilling said agreements given that Russia has largely bled out its force in Ukraine. It's a zombie organization, shuffling on in a semblance of life as opposed to an actual living organization. I predict it largely collapses as Russia loses the ability to influence the near-abroad and Central Asia seeks other partners that can actually fulfill obligations to ally nations.

I don't think Russia has demonstrated the ability to attrit Ukraine. In fact, given the numerical superiority, any competent military would have succeeded their battlefield objectives relatively easily, even if they lost the peace and occupation to come after. Avdiivka was supposed to fall - Russia kept saying it was, and it hasn't. As I've mentioned before, Russia is an incapable force conventionally and has been for a long time. Economically, they're weak and coring out their economy to sustain their fool's crusade. Militarily, they're sluggish, uncreative, and reduced to begging Iran and North Korea for aid to conquer a country with a fraction of the size and manpower, had no navy to speak of and the faintest wisp of an air force. In a conventional conflict, Russia has no advantages against a NATO country other than perhaps the zeal to throw themselves on the enemy's spears - an emotion that only comes from the realization that you live in Russia.

Fact of the matter is, revitalizing the defense industrial base and actually producing HIMARS and other quality armaments would be more than enough to destroy Russia, and wouldn't even reach the Russian nuclear escalation as defined in Russian doctrine. Hell, if we actually had courage in our foreign policy establishment, Russia would have been defeated and sued for peace already as the aid shipments quadrupled. That would be better off for the whole world, including Russia. Especially for the minority populations Russia keeps sending off to die so the elites in St. Petersburg and Moscow don't have to feel the consequences of their actions.

I don't fear nuclear escalation because Russia isn't willing to end the world because the elites like having their vast wealth and the wide array of perks that it offers access to. They wouldn't do it just because they can't have Ukraine. Honestly, Russia should count its lucky stars that they have a nuclear deterrent, otherwise China would have invaded it already to seize resources from the Central Siberian Basin. Alas for the rest of us, Russia was free in the 1990's to launch damn fool wars in Central Asia and Eastern Europe to reassert its own imperialist glories, rather than being brought to heel. Alas, now it can continue to pretend it's anything other than a decrepit excuse for a country run by a wannabe tsar with a Napoleon complex crying over the fact that his country lost the Cold War and no one fears or respects the Russian bear. Boo-hoo. In the words of your fearless leader after the Beslan school siege where you simply mowed down your own people because you couldn't handle a single hostage operation: "You've shown yourselves to be weak, and the weak get beaten."

Also, as a pro-tip: the verb attrite means to wear down by use (as in to wear down a tool through using it for hours on end). You want the verb attrit, which means to use sustained offensive pressure to weaken an opponent. You might want to brush up on your English; this goes double against someone who not only takes great pleasure in laughing at Russian trolls but someone who actually studies the terminology of military science.

Cry more, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[sixminutestoriesblog]

st. patrick's day

Saint Patrick's Day! Green beer, green clothes, parades and corned beef and cabbage for all! In America, we have a lot of traditions associated with St. Pat's Day and a pleasure in celebrating them whether we're Irish or not - heck, even whether we understand them or not.

So let's take a look at some of the ways we celebrate and what we get wrong - and right.

To start with the man himself, Saint Patrick wasn't Irish. Patrick grew up on the Britain side of things. This doesn't make him British however. At the time, the Isle of Britain was run, mostly, by the Romans and letters from Patrick that have survived see him not only writing them in Latin but signing them as Patricius. Whether he was Roman by birth is still a mystery to this day but his family is believed to have been part of the Roman aristocracy. At sixteen, he was kidnapped and ended up in slavery as a shepherd in Ireland before eventually escaping back to Britain. After receiving training however, he returned to Ireland as a missionary and the rest is - well, not history but certainly lore.

There's some speculation, in fact, that the Saint Patrick of myth was actually two men. Saint Patrick the escaped slave and a bishop sent by Pope Celestine in 431 named Palladius to support the 'Irish believing in Christ' that already lived there.

Did he, or they, at least drive out the snakes? Legend says that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland and the island has been slither free since. The truth is - according to fossil records, Ireland never had any snakes to drive out. Ireland was under an ice sheet up until the last glacial period and after that it was safely surrounded by water. To save a little bit of the story, some historians believe 'driving out the snakes' was more of a metaphor for driving out the pagan religions of that time instead.

But we totally wear green to avoid getting pinched! Right? Actually - yes. Though the pinching is supposed to come from mischievous leprechauns, not your over-enthusiastic siblings. Apparently, leprechauns can't see you if you're wearing green and therefore, they can't pinch what they can't see. Given our decorations featuring the little people dressed all in green, you'd think that would make it hard for them to find each other but - not really. You see, traditionally - leprechauns wore red.

The pot of gold, sometimes at the end of the rainbow though - that's real(ish).

So is the leprechauns' strange blind spot with green why everything's green on St. Pat's Day? Not really. Green is associated with Ireland, the Emerald Isle, these days but for most of its history, Ireland, and St. Patrick's, color - was blue. Green recently came into prominence during Ireland's struggle with England. Green came to be associated with the Irish side of things and wearing green was a way to show which side of that you were on. The green beer/food though? That's entirely an American thing.

Speaking of green beer, the drinking is an American thing as well. Or, at least, the 'this is a traditional part of the holiday'. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day has long been a Catholic religious holiday - and it also happens to fall in the middle of Lent. Originally, the day had a lot more to do with going to church than to the local pub. Which isn't to say no one in Ireland celebrates the holiday with a drink. 'Drowning the shamrock' involved pouring whiskey over a shamrock in the bottom of a glass. The whiskey is then drunk and the soaked plant is thrown over your left shoulder to complete the tradition - and get you some extra luck.

Shamrocks being considered lucky is a part of the holiday. Called 'seamroy' by the ancient Celts, the shamrock was considered a sacred plant. St. Patrick was also supposed to have used the three leaves of the plant to explain the Trinity during his sermons. Like the clover, finding a four leaf shamrock is good luck and five leaves promises a future of vast wealth!

So, yes, a lot of our St. Pat's Day traditions aren't exactly... traditional. Don't discount them or their importance however. Many of the ways we celebrate St. Patrick's Day today are the direct results of Irish immigrants to America. The parades, the corned beef and cabbage, the celebration of Irish traditions - those were all created in the mid to late 1800s by Irish Americans that wanted to celebrate their heritage. So don't feel bad for indulging in a day of parties and eating your favorite food.

Just remember to cut a cross in your soda buns to 'let the devil out' before putting them in the oven to bake for the holiday.

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 18)

Get in, losers, we're going to the Motel.

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings, the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. However, given that there will be no elimination this episode, we're doing something a little bit different. Instead, @venus-is-thinking and I will be discussing who we think will be rooting for who in the finale episode! There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Connor's Elimination

Current Score: 76 acquired/113 total

(Points versus @venus-is-thinking: 27 acquired/38 total)

Who would've thought that Grett would be the last player actually voted out of the game? Okay, I did, back when I thought that Grett would be voted out at Final 4, but not when she was voted out at Final 5! I still can't believe that it wasn't Riya.

This is another elimination I already talked a lot about in my initial thoughts, but I'm happy with when and how they chose to eliminate Connor, just unhappy about the surrounding characterization of Jake in particular. Although Connor is overall a likeable guy (barring the potential anti-union stances), from a gameplay and in-universe wealth standpoint he absolutely did not need to be in the finale. I should've counted his broken leg as more of a death flag than it was, and put him at #3 (given that it was never going to be #4).

But hey, maybe I was conditioned to believe that it wouldn't matter much after Yul also injured his foot and I talked about it for weeks for it to ultimately not matter at all! Alec, watch the fuck out for the Yellow Boy Leg Curse.

Trailer Analysis

Given that there's no elimination in this episode, I'm really just going through the trailer to point out things that I think are fun as opposed to any real game logic :D

Awww, glad to see that neither of them are too upset about their eliminations. At this point, at least.

Winners on the right, please B)

They are literally so clingy throughout this entire trailer. Love them <3

It's very interesting that this does seem to be an in-universe filmed event. I wonder what Kristal wants from all the competitors.

Okay, actually relevantly to the ranking, could this possibly be Riya's bench? I wouldn't expect that Yul would root for Riya, given that they hate each other, but it's not like Yul liked the others. And, Riya at least didn't vote for him to go home in his boot episode. It could just be an interview about Riya, but then I don't know why Fiore would be there and Grett wouldn't.

If he's out here being fatphobic again...

Ooh, it'll be fun if they take some time to explore Grett's relationship with Ellie as well as with Gabby in a post-S1 landscape! This one goes out to the GabGreLlie(?) shippers.

OLD PEOPLE DOMINATION!!!

Oh my god, I forgot they were on the same tribe at the beginning.

Hang on, is there a challenge going on this episode? If so, what for?

Lake and Ashley being friends feels so natural. I know that Ashley has already talked about having little sisters in the past, and Lake absolutely feels like she could use a supportive older sister figure. It's like Rosa...! Again.

Another classic Alec/Tom duel. I'm assuming this has something to do with the challenge-looking thing that's going on?

This too, maybe? I'd say that Hunter was somehow helping Emily and Trevor with their plan to ruin the show, but Hunter should have no incentive to end Disventure Camp, especially when his girlfriend is in the finale.

"Daaaaaaamn, that's good shiiiiiit." "AAH! Kristal! Were you spying on us?"

Tom's feet, for free? (/j) On a more serious note, they're probably saying something heartfelt about Jake here.

"Power Ranking"

Following Venus' suggestion, I'm going to rank my people in terms of how confident I am in which bench they'll be on! It'll have no effect on my score-- we're scoring this round separate from the main competition, and even so it'll be a simple 1 or 0 points for if you get it right-- but it'll probably make the flow of the rankings better.

#1: Miriam - Jake's Bench

I see literally no reason why Miriam would be on the bench of anyone other than Jake. They're super close, with Miriam essentially having adopted Jake as her grandson. The only possible argument to the contrary would be if Miriam rooted for Riya in support of the Yellow Team, but Riya literally voted her out, sooo...

#2: Tess - Ally's Bench

(I know that Ally was on the Magenta Team and not the Cyan team, but Ally has an overall blue palette, so she gets blue.)

Similarly, I see no reason why Tess wouldn't root for Ally. The whole reason why she came to play again was to spend time with Ally and Hunter, and even if she didn't get to do that as much as she would've liked, she can at least show Ally her support by rooting for her in the finals.

The only path I see to Tess not rooting for Ally would be if Hunter decided that he was too mad at Ally to root for her, and Tess decided to join him in solidarity. However...

#3: Hunter - Ally's Bench

Let's be realistic. You don't say "we'll always support you 100%" or whatever Hunter and Tess said to Ally in the comeback episode and then choose to be petty and root for... Jake, I guess? When she actually makes the finals. Rooting for Jake specifically would just be fucking cruel. Double damage fr.

Also, Venus and I have been talking about potential scenarios for who the finalists might be able to choose to help them in the finale. There are pretty much four scenarios we've discussed:

Each finalist chooses one former competitor to help them, like what happened in Seasons 1 and 2.

Each finalist chooses two former competitors to help them, evocative of how this season has more competitors.

Each finalist chooses two former competitors to help them, but there has to be one from Season 1 and one from Season 2, to celebrate both seasons equally.

Everyone will be able to lend a helping hand to their finalist of choice.

In any of those scenarios, I think that Hunter will be helping Ally in the finale. He is her literal boyfriend, the person who should be closest to her, and he's really good at challenges. Tess will also likely help Ally in case of #2. That would be a nice way to pay off her finally getting to spend time with the two of them together!

#4: Tom - Jake's Bench

The only reasons why Tom isn't higher up on this list are just because 1) the other three are so obvious, and 2) Tom and Jake are still sort of in a weird zone. However, it's not like Tom has any reason to root for Ally or Riya pretty much at all. If he chose to sit on either of their benches, he could pretty much kiss any chance of a future relationship with Jake goodbye. Or, perhaps "not kiss" is more fitting to the circumstances.

I also find it pretty likely that Tom will help Jake in the finale. His greatest competitor for Jake's hand is Ashley, who's also a strong physical competitor from Season 1. However, Tom is basically a lock for Jake's bench, while Ashley still may wind up supporting Ally. Plus, I feel like the writers (and some of the fans) would love to have Tom support Jake, especially if it winds up leading Jake to a win. Regardless, I have high confidence that Tom will be rooting for Jake.

#5: Aiden - Jake's Bench

Although Aiden and Jake obviously didn't start this season on the best terms, by the end, they became really good friends. Plus, it's not like Aiden is rooting for Riya, and I can't really see why he'd root for Ally either. Especially when Ally was the one who flipped to take him out of the game.

Aiden has the most likelihood of being on Jake's finale team if Jake is forced to pick one Season 1 character and one Season 2 character, although it's possible he could even make the team in a vacuum if Ashley is on Ally's team. A Jake/Tom/Aiden teamup is possibly even more appealing than just a Jake/Tom teamup. This is the last one that I think has almost 100% chance of success.

#6: Lake - Jake's Bench

While Lake and Jake didn't interact pretty much at all in the main season, there have certainly been seeds sown to lay the groundwork for Lake supporting Jake in the end. Most importantly, she was the one advocating to Aiden that Jake deserved a second chance, citing that she saw a lot of herself in Jake. We also had Lake and Jake form a quick connection in the premiere with Jake saying that he enjoyed Lake's writing. That feels like it could have been put in there intentionally to preemptively explain why they would gravitate towards one another.

Also, with no Cyan players remaining, I wouldn't be surprised if Lake is essentially just here to support whoever Aiden chooses to support, which I expect to be Jake. As the cherry on top, she's shown hanging out with Ashley a lot in the trailer, who is very pro-Jake even if she doesn't ultimately wind up on his bench. I find this to be pretty likely.

#7: Grett - Ally's Bench

Although Gabby and Riya worked together for much of the game, I expect that Grett will still be on her "no forgiveness for Riya for voting with Yul" grind, and therefore not be on Riya's bench. And, similarly, while she did wind up working with Jake near the end of the game, she was working with Ally for longer and more closely. Both Jake and Ally wound up uniting to take Grett out, so I think that lands Grett pretty solidly in Ally's camp.

I could also see that they had Grett clarify that she held no ill will towards Ally in her elimination just to make it clear that Grett didn't feel at all betrayed by her. As one of the strongest players of the season, Grett would also make a great assistant to Ally's team, should she choose to accept it. Just watch out that you don't get out-sabotaged again this time, Grett...

#8: Gabby - Ally's Bench

Gabby is mostly here to hang out with Grett. If Grett is taking a no-Riya stance, Gabby would support her all the way. It's possible that she could wind up on Jake's bench through Tom/to support a S1 player, but... that feels like it's valuing Gabby's relationship with Tom over her relationship with Grett, which was not the moral of this season. I just have to be right that Grett would choose to support Ally!

Please let me be right that Grett would choose to support Ally.

#9: Connor - Riya's Bench

Okay, let me preface this by saying that I do NOT think that Connor has once again relapsed into his Riya simp phase to genuinely support her. I think that the twinge of pain he gets any time he moves his ankle would be enough to remind him that that's a terrible idea. I simply think that Connor will join Riya's bench for strategic purposes. There are a lot of strong reasons why sitting on Riya's bench is the optimal choice for Connor.

Number 1: choosing between whether to sit on Ally or Jake's bench could have disastrous results at this point. If he chooses to directly support one of Ally or Jake over the other, it might make it more difficult for them to work together. The safest move is to remove himself from that fight entirely, and choose Riya to NOT choose Jake or Ally.

Number 2: Seeing Connor on Riya's bench could give Riya some sort of psychic damage, whether it's Season 2 loser flashbacks or through confusion as to why Connor is "still there stanning her." You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Number 3: This gives Connor the opportunity to be an anti-helper for Riya. If Riya's bench is mostly unoccupied, then she may be forced to select Connor as her assistant. Even beyond any deliberate sabotage he tries to throw her way, forcing her to wait while he hobbles behind on his broken leg could eat up a lot of time. It would all be deliciously karmic, especially as a bookend to Connor's arc by having him defeat Riya by deliberately screwing up her endgame, again.

#10: Ellie - Ally's Bench

Gabby is here for Grett, and Ellie is here for Gabby. I know that Ellie and Ally have had, like, negative amounts of screentime together, unless you count every time I've mixed up which name various other characters were saying. But otherwise, like, who else?

No way in hell Ellie is rooting for Jake; she's the OG Jake hater and nothing this season has changed that. I did initially think that Ellie could support Riya as a fellow villainous winner, but would she really value a member of the alliance that almost drove her and her girlfriend apart that she hardly talked to over hanging out with said girlfriend and supporting a young artist who needs the money to support her career? I think not.

Please let me be right that Grett would decide to support Ally so that I'm also right that Gabby would decide to support Ally.

#11: Alec - Riya's Bench

Given how, uh, terribly these two's relationship ended, it may come as somewhat of a surprise that I think that Alec would still "root for" Riya in the end. However, Alec and Riya just had such a connection this season that I feel like it would be wrong if he didn't wind up tied to her in the end somehow. Then again, he didn't wind up rooting for Fiore in the Season 1 finale, so maybe he will just pick, like, Jake or whatever at random.

I'm more confident that Alec would be on Riya's bench in the case that Riya needs two assistants, S1+S2 specific or not. I could totally see Alec and Connor conspiring together to be the only two assistants available to Riya, so that no matter who she chooses she's going to get someone who's actively working against her. The plan still works if she only needs one assistant, obviously, but I think it packs more of a narrative punch if Alec and Connor could do it together.

#12: Ashley - Jake's Bench

So, obviously Ashley is going to pick either Jake or Ally, and she's only this low down because it's a little tricky to figure out which one of them it is. You might be surprised to see that I ultimately decided to have her pick Jake based on the way I wrote this post, but the truth is that I wrote the post that way because initially, I also thought that I was going to have Ashley pick Ally.

That was because, under the possibility of S1+S2 helpers, I didn't really see who Ally could possibly pick up from S1 other than Ashley. However, that specific scenario is dubious enough as is, and once I realized that Grett could fill that S1 slot for Ally, Ashley felt a lot less locked down. I could also see that (in the S1+S2 situation), if Jake picks Tom really quickly, Ashley could volunteer to join Ally's team from Jake's bench, swapping sides like Rosa did to support James. (Because you can never pass on an opportunity to make Ashley Rosa.)

I just feel like, after making such a statement to Jake about being proud of him and wanting him to succeed, and after them working together in the comeback challenge, it would be really weird for her to not wind up on Jake's bench in the end. Plus, Ashley was Jake's friend first. Those are just the facts.

#13: James - Jake's Bench

Much like Ashley, James winds up this low because I can't tell whether he would root for Ally or Jake. It's not going to be Riya. Obviously.

The argument for Ally is that I feel like the writers have been... lowkey pushing that Ally and James are closer than I at least thought they were? When the Magenta team initially formed, he seemed really excited to be on the same team as Ally and Hunter, saying that the team was stacked. Also, in this greeting from about two months ago, James said that he was rooting for Aiden or Ally to win. Of course, that was from a while ago in the competition, so James' opinions might have changed. But, if he sticks to his word, he would be rooting for Ally.

However... is he really going to pass up the opportunity to sit with Aiden AND Lake just to support Ally? Notably, I do think that greeting may have been from before Aiden and Jake became friends, and I can believe James rooting for Jake much more if he's doing it through the lens of supporting Aiden's friend. I also don't know how James feels about Ally's descent into villainy. As someone who became more heroic over the course of his season, I could see James being disappointed (on the level of being a friend, not just in her "character development") in what Ally has been doing, and not want to support that behavior.

Also, we see James hanging out with Ashley, Lake, and Miriam in that one scene, who are all people who I, at least, have determined will be supporting Jake in the finale. To the extent that the former campers have already determined who they're rooting for and have sorted themselves into factions because of it, that may be an indication that James will be repping Jake.

#14: Yul - Riya's Bench

"Seriously? You're making me pair with curry girl?! Gross!" That's my Yul impression. I don't like it either, Yul, but you don't like anyone and nobody likes you. Thus, my only real lead is that Yul would want to support a villain winner, bolstered by that scene of him sitting for an interview with Connor, Alec, and Fiore.

Yul also did wind up rooting for Riya in the Final 2 of Season 2 eventually, although he initially supported... Aiden? In the Final 3? Wait, I totally forgot that Yul ever supported Aiden. You really threw your support towards our GT king, Yul? Anyways. He does have a past history of rooting for Riya, although their relationship probably got worse throughout the course of All Stars. I really don't know with Yul.

#15: Fiore - Riya's Bench

As I described to Venus, Fiore is really tricky because she has, like, a 2/5 good reason to support any one of these people in the finale.

Jake is from her season and the one she was trying to appeal to, but he's also an idiot and didn't side with her in the end. Ally was trying to protect Fiore from Hunter, at least, but they never became particularly close, and Fiore left the game throwing her under the bus. Riya is a villainous #slayqueen that was once close with Alec, but she also left Alec much worse for wear and screwed Fiore over in that one challenge to win the reward. I don't think Fiore will be particularly happy with rooting for any of these finalists.

Thus, I think that Fiore will probably just be hanging out with Alec, who I've pegged as supporting Riya. I could also see her stanning Riya as a statement about wanting villains to win, much like Yul could, and to further complain about how more people should have helped her in the Season 1 finale.

It might seem like putting Yul and Fiore on Riya's bench would ruin Connor and Alec's plans, but I don't really think it does. First of all, for Fiore at least, if she's united with Alec, Fiore might be another rotten pick for Riya. And, even if she would genuinely help Riya to win, Alec and Connor being two terrible choices for Riya's team only further forces her to work with Fiore (a child) and Yul (Yul). Those are also terrible teammates! Riya can be taken down by her own lack of a social game in either situation.

And that's everyone! Here's how I've laid out the teams, ordered in terms of how likely it is that I think they could be an assistant to whoever they're supporting (which sort of crosses over with how confident I am that they'll be there):

Jake: Tom - Ashley - Aiden - Miriam - Lake - James

Ally: Hunter - Tess - Grett - Gabby - Ellie

Riya: Connor - Alec - Yul - Fiore

I guess, in the end, the teams wound up pretty even, with one extra person for Jake and one person missing for Riya. I kinda thought that Ally would have fewer, but picking up the Grett/Gabby/Ellie trio does a lot.

This was a really fun and unique power ranking to write, so I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! I feel like DCAS has been at its best when it has the most of its characters in the episode at once, so let's hope that this is another fire episode. And, no matter what, my overall score ain't gettin' any worse!

[chaosandcrimson]

no way is that THALIA BELMONT.. they're a 24-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being BELLIGERENT & CAVALIER but there are some people who have seen them being ICONOCLASTIC & DILIGENT. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of formal attire worn with beat up sneakers, an eclectic studio apartment that is always a little messy, and an acute discomfort with your own wealth, but that could just be because they're considered the WHITE SHEEP around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time It's miserable and magical, oh, yeah Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines

OVERVIEW

Name: Thalia Edalyn Belmont

Nickname(s): Lia (by family)

DOB: December 22, 2096

Age: 24

FC: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Height: 5'4"

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Pansexual

Occupation: Talent Scout at Tao Talent Agency

Relationship Status: Single (Closed)

[+] iconoclastic, maverick, diligent [–] belligerent, spiteful, cavalier

BIOGRAPHY

Thalia's parents had been married for six years, raising her half-sister Cornelia, when they decided to have a child of their own together. Due to complications with her mother's first pregnancy, they were told that having children naturally would pose a certain risk, and opted for a synth child.

As a little kid, she wanted to be close to her sister, but it always felt like Cornelia was trying to separate herself from the rest of the family. She stayed in touch with her biological father (and her cousins on his side of the family) and Thalia could not for the life of her figure out why she would do that.

By default, it made Thalia their parents' favourite, even if they would never say as much out loud. Both employees of DrakeTech, they would take her with them to the office often enough that most of their coworkers knew her by name.

When Thalia was seven years old, Cornelia was kidnapped by her biological father but was eventually returned safely. Their family dynamic shifted after that, with Nelly getting closer to Thalia's dad and accepting him as a father figure, and finally seeming like she wanted to be a part of the family.

Suddenly she was the favourite, and Thalia started feeling like the odd one out in her own family. Her sister graduating with a business degree at the same time as she became a rebellious teenager did not help matters.

During that time, she grew much closer to her uncle, who encouraged her to take the opportunity she had been given to pursue a career outside of DrakeTech. And much like him, she wanted to do something creatively fulfilling.

For a few years after high school, she worked as a Talent Manger at Immortal Productions, a job which she got through her family's connections. While she worked there, she was also a songwriter for some of their artists.

However, her creativity waned as she grew disillusioned with the company, and how every time she tried to push the boundaries even a bit, she was immediately shut down. After one too many disagreements with her boss, she quit and ended up taking a job as a scout at Tao Talent Agency, which she feels suits her skillset and temperament much better. As a bonus, she also gets along with her boss.

Other than her uncle, she tries to limit her contact with her family to holidays and other family gatherings. She still loves them, but she doesn't want anything to do with their lifestyle or the people they associate with. There is a limited amount of DrakeTech and other Big Three events she is willing to go to per year and they have simply learned how to prioritise which ones to ask her to attend.

MISC

She still writes songs and poems in her spare time but doesn't really share them with people. When she does, it is always under a pseudonym.

She plays the guitar. Her vintage acoustic guitar is her favourite belonging.

[shadesofawe]

(Can't believe I'm doing this, but comment space was too little, soo...)

I don't believe in an interventionist god (piano chords playing - sorry). Or any god. Not as an entity or with an agenda anyway. But let's act as if, for the sake of the argument. I feel like we have things to consider here, no? Because we have choice. We can chose actions, thoughts, values. Those choices shape our society. To expect a god to guide our every decision is to deny our own agenda, our responsibility. It feels very cheap, a lame excuse. There can be neither virtue nor vice, also no success, no guilt that way.

Like, I don't KNOW if we live in a deterministic universe or actually have free will, but it sure FEELS like we have, so we better ACT like we do.

So, I do think refugees drowning in the Mediterranean sea is on us on many levels. Homelessness is. Inequal wealth distribution. War.

The question of theodicy (why did you let that happen?) still arises around things we have no choice in, like natural disasters, illnesses.

Although, now that I think about it: the more we know, the more responsible we are. (Climate change, cancer causing chemicals, ...)

No, it's not fair that some people have to suffer for the actions of others, but if a god just fixes the outcome, why would the responsible people have to change anything?

Say, someone with diabetes is not responsible for their health issue, nor for the cost of the available treatment - but, for the latter, society is. It's on us to make an existing solution accessable and affordable.

Of course, apart from this post I consider myself an atheist living in a vast universe that doesn't particularly care about me, so I might be biased.

Now, if you're really saying, "given a god like that, we're better off without" - I don't disagree, I merely add "and we're also better off not being any god's fully controllable playdolls".

Even if and because it means being held accountable.

Sorry but if god was a real thing and we asked him "why did you allow this?" and he responded "why did you allow this?" I would kill him. You're the omniscient omnipotent one man. Next time you open up your divine mailbox to receive your followers' sacrifices expect a holy hand grenade in the mix

[heliads]

Numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 for the 4:02 a.m. asks, my love?? 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

yay!! questions!! using this as an excuse to procrastinate studying for my finals (it is not my fault, i am brain dead and this is more fun)

10. Are you always going to be a little in love with somebody?

yes! similarly to your answer, first girl i fell in love with. everyone's gotta have that one person who made them have a sexuality crisis (and also gave them mental health issues etc). i still follow her on instagram, we text for birthdays and holidays but never more than a couple of messages before radio silence for a few months. it does break my heart a little but what can ya do

20. Do you want a grand adventure?

do i want it? yes. will it probably happen? no. the idea of having Some Great Experience would make me so happy but idk when or how it would happen. i'm not asking for a lotr-type multi-year journey, but maybe a few weeks in another country with friends you keep for a long time would sound pretty good to me.

30. Are your choices fated or of your own free will?

of your own free will, but the choices available to you will differ drastically on the situation in which you were born. ex) it's way easier for someone born into a lot of wealth to make the choices to eat right or only take jobs from companies they like as opposed to someone who wasn't from a wealthy area. overall i think we make the choices that we want, but not all people get to make all choices, if that makes sense?

40. what makes a person 'good'? are you a 'good person'?

ooh that is a difficult question. i'd say that you're a 'good person' if you consistently try to do the right thing, and help others within your own power. i think i am a good person, or i try to be, at least? i volunteer a lot. i help my friends when i can, and i listen to them. i do my best.

50. what do you expect from a friend or partner?

honesty, mainly. also i want them to make me feel important. i've had a lot of friend groups that give off this tangible impression that i am not their priority, which sucks obviously. basically i want to be valued

60. what do you think the next era of fashion will be like?

this one is interesting! honestly i am not the most fashion-savvy but probably a resurgence of old trends like we're seeing right now, maybe greater strides with non-gender conforming fashion and people being more comfortable to show off their own unique style

70. what's the tragedy of your life?

i have been very blessed with my life so far, i'd say, so i don't know that there's a great tragedy compared to the hardships that others are facing? closest i can come is that i will never fully be able to let myself rest. no matter what i do, it's not enough for me. my standards for myself are impossible to meet and so i'll never be proud of myself completely. anyway that got sad fast xoxo

80. is your music organized by mood or sensation or do you just listen to everything at any time?

i do love making playlists for random occasions but most often i just shuffle whatever daily mixes spotify gives me and roll from there

90. given the chance to reset your life (with none of the knowledge you currently have), would you take it?

i would not! i'm happy with where i am, the friends i made, etc. some things i'm not entirely satisfied with yet but i'm more interested in what i will do in the future than how i could fix things in the past.

100. what belief do you have that isn't logically grounded, but you still firmly believe in?

fear of animals. i think this question is more asking about spirituality but i am not a spiritual person so instead you get this <33 i am convinced that every wasp and dog and animal in the universe wants me dead. no i will not explain why. i am afraid

thank you again for sending these in!! i love a chance to get deep on main

[verloonati]

It's so funny how these liberals assholes guilt trip people into voting Biden by claiming those who refuse to do so are trying to maintain "moral purity" it isn't about moral. It's about politics. About the world we live in and why. About how we change society from one where a few people posess absurd, incomprehensible level of wealth just because they were lucky enough to be born in the right family and how other starve in the street whilst companies throw away unsold food and empty houses are legions. We aren't the one claiming that the lesser evil is the "right moral choice" we're saying fuck you. We, everyone deserves no evil at all. We deserve to be free from capital. We deserve to be free from the hold religious institutions have on us. We deserve to be free from the familial values that are been forced on us by capitalism.

You've been trying for centuries to change the system from within, it doesn't work. It didn't work them, it made you sacrifice what you used to believe in, in the name of reform. It made you kautsky.

What we need is revolution. It's to be done with capitalism. It's to be done with the empire. It's to be done with it's patriarchy. And it won't be given just by asking nicely, or being technically correct.

There is no moral high ground in refusing to vote, there is no moral high ground in voting. They are not moral decisions. There are political decisions. They impact only what you want to do with the world: believe in the tale of social democracy, or believe in the need of the revolution.

Not voting is of course not enough, organize. Radicalize your coworkers, radicalize your neighbours, radicalize your bus driver.

I just realized the fundamental disconnect for people who think they can "boycott" voting:

People who threaten to withhold their vote are thinking of the government like a business. If you don't like what a business is doing, you can refuse to shop there, and that hurts them.

But your government is not a business, no matter how much the GOP tries to pretend it is, and refusing to participate doesn't hurt it. If you refuse to vote, you still have to live under that government. I know we're all fundamentally broken by late-stage capitalism, but you get that you can't "Well, you just lost a customer" this one, right? YOU AREN'T A CUSTOMER.

Refusing to vote isn't like refusing to buy McDonald's. It's like walking into a McDonald's, handing the cashier $20 (because you still gotta pay taxes whether you vote or not), and saying "Surprise me."

(Oh and during this particular trip, one of the two McDonald's options is maybe not your favorite food, and the other is deadly poison.)

[jjmaybanksbaby]

enamel pins, school dances and summer movie nights

or: alternatively, i hate everybody but you

pairing: kiara carrera x rafe cameron (platonic)

warning: cursing, underage drinking, some fighting, rafe cameron being sappy because that deserves a tw of its own

word count: 7.2k words

MASTERLIST

"I’m so glad that they’re still doing this. Keep calm. Carry on," Kiara said to the boys as she stuffed the change from their tickets back into her wallet.

It would have been an understatement to say that JJ and Pope hadn’t been eager to attend the outdoor movie night hosted by the Island Club. In fact, they'd spend thirty minutes listing all the things they would rather do when Kiara proposed the idea. She'd let them grumble about going for the better part of an hour since she knew there was no way the pogues would let her go to something on Figure Eight alone. Pogues always had each other's backs, always. Kiara figured the least she could do was pay their entry fee. Plus, she knew JJ and Pope didn't exactly have extra cash laying around for movie nights.

She would have dragged all three of the boys with her but John B hadn't been back to the chateau all day. Since the cell towers were still down thanks to the hurricane, she could only guess where he was.

"Welcome to the summer movie series. All proceeds go to...." The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers as Kiara lead the boys to an empty space in the middle of the crowd.

"Back to OBX life. You know? Aren’t you guys glad that I made you come?" She really didn't have to ask, she was already sure of their answer.

"Ecstatic," Pope responded, his tone clearly lacking enthusiasm.

"My couch was pretty comfy, I’ll be honest," JJ echoed.

"We’re out of the green zone, man," Pope leaned over, commenting to JJ, out of earshot of Kiara. She didn't know about Topper's boat and Pope wasn't really interesting in bringing her in as another accessory to the crime.

"Dude, tranquilo, okay?" JJ whispered back.

"We're in the middle of Kooklandia. This is the last place I wanted to be."

"Shut up, Pope," JJ snapped, his wide eyes with warning. This was Kiara's thing, they weren't gonna let the Shakespearesque fued between Kooks and Pogues ruin her fun.

-

"Hey, uh…can I get two Pepsis, pleases?" Kiara asked the employee currently manning the snack bar.

"Sure," he replied.

Kiara slide the money for the sodas across the counter and took the cold drinks, watching Rafe slowly approaching from out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Kie," Rafe said. Kie felt her pulse spike at a nickname he'd originally given her. "Hey, what’s up? How are you?"

"I’m fine," she replied, intentionally angling her body away from him, her gaze resting anywhere but on him. For someone whose presence she uses to be able to relax in, now the sight of Rafe put her on edge.

"Good, good. Um...Tell your boy that we know what he did." Rafe held her stare and Kiara couldn't stop her lip from curling up in contempt.

"Sorry, what boy are you talking about?"

"Uh, he’ll know." Rafe smiled as if this conversation was bringing him some wicked sense of pleasure.

Rafe opened his mouth as to say something else but Kiara turned away from him. "Bye," he called to her as she walked away.

"Douche," Kiara said, loud enough that she was sure he would still hear her. She threw a glance over her shoulder, feeling Rafe's eyes still watching her.

-

Kiara handed Pope a Pepsi. "Just saw Rafe, and he said, and I quote, 'Tell your boy that we know what he did.' What is that?" She finished, handing JJ the second soda.

"Um...Where is he?" JJ asked back.

"Right there." Pope and JJ's heads turned around to look with her.

"Great the whole death squad," Pope said.

JJ grabbed the top of Pope's head, knocking his snapback off as he forced it forward. "Don’t stare, bro," JJ paused. "Just warning you, bro. If they corner me, I’m coming out swinging, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Pope agreed.

"Slice and dicin’. I’m on edge right now, okay? If that doesn’t work, I got this right here." JJ held up his worn backpack.

Fucking hell, Kiara thought. He brought the gun.

"Yeah, yeah. So, we just gotta stay in the group. They can’t come get us if we’re in the group," Pope remarked.

"Like a school of fish.”

"Stay in the school. Can’t leave the school. Stay in school," Pope repeated to himself.

"I’m sorry JJ…" Kiara interrupted. "Please tell me that you did not bring a gun here. JJ, there are kids."

"No Kie! I didn’t bring the gun. Everything’s fine, okay?" JJ assured, his frantic tone betraying him.

"Oh wow, thank you. That’s really convincing. I love that JJ." Kiara looked from JJ to Pope, trying to assess what kind of trouble they’d caused now. "Founding principle, you guys. No secrets amongst Pogues. What is Rafe talking about?"

Pope leaned it, bringing his face closer to Kiara's. "Kie, it might go down tonight."

"What does that mean?" Their vagueness was making Kiara extra suspicious. "'Might go down tonight.' What did y’all do?"

The boys look at each other, neither of supplying any answers to Kiara's questioning.

"Deny, deny, deny," JJ said quietly to Pope under his breath.

The opening score of The Addams Family cracked through the weathered speakers forcing an end to the conversation. A memory popped into Kiara’s head before she had time to stop it. This was Sarah Cameron’s favorite movie. Sarah used to mouth the lines along with the actors every time they watched it together.

There were a lot of glamorous parts of being best friends with the Kook-queen Sarah Cameron. When they walked down the shiny hallways of the Kook Academy literally arm-in-arm peoples' heads turned and watched them go by. All the mean girls with their once snarky remarks were suddenly complimenting Kiara's "unique style," begging her to tell them where she bought her clothes. (In truth, most of it was actaully thrifted since that was much more eco-friendly.) Plus there was the way Sarah swiped her Daddy's black card without a second thought. Kiara’s family lived on Figure Eight, they were a part of the Island Club but they would never have the kind of east coast old money the Cameron's had.

It wasn’t something Kiara usually minded. The whole money thing. Kiara never saw herself as less than because she didn’t wear a watch that cost as much as college tuition on her wrist. But it was more than that: Kiara never really saw herself as much of a Kook to begin. She didn’t want that lifestyle. She never had. It was her parents who pushed it on her. Her mom had grown up under the crystal chandeliers and ever-watchful eyes. She’d debuted into Outer Banks high society at the age of seventeen like every Kook at that age still did. An action which Kiara scoffed at. Her mom was fully prepared to be another success story of the ring-before-spring pipeline, returning to the Outer Banks after four years of college with an MRS degree and a husband who would be balding by his early forties.

But in a Hollywood-worthy meet-cute that involved one drunk sorority girl and her vodka-induced need for pancakes, Mike Carrera stumbled into Anna's life.

Mike Carrera was the opposite of Anna in every way that counted. His whole life had been hard work and grit, fighting for the things that were rightfully his and taking them when people still refused to hand them over. He had a pipe dream of owning his own restaurant, a borderline fantasy that he was dead-set on making sure came true. Anna loved him and he loved her right back. They eloped to Vegas the week after graduation even though own Anna’s mother was halfway through planning the wedding. They bought cheap rings and a second-hand dress since they were still living paycheck to paycheck. Though the bright lights of Vegas had made the impromptu wedding seem a bit more glamorous than it really was, they both knew deep down their love was the real thing. They promised each other till death do us part and meant it.

When Anna found out she was pregnant, she talked Mike into going back to the Outer Bank. Anna swore up and down the move was only so her parents could help with the baby. They'd live on the cut, work for what they deserved and be happy. Then Anna's parents bought them a house on Figure Eight as a wedding gift and Sunday dinners at the Island club became protocol. Anna slipped back into her life as a Kook and brought Mike with her. When the restaurant turned into the tourist hot spot, the zeros in their bank accounts started growing. The Carrera's got rich but their money could never compete with the trust-fond generational wealth of their fellow Kooks.

The Outer Banks only had one elementary school. All the kids on the island were thrown together at an age where no one yet realized the lines between the haves and have nots. Fifth grade was when it got messy. Every fall the class size heading to the Kildare County Middle School dropped by half when all the Kooks transferred to St. Andrews “Kook” Academy. A breeding ground for Ivy-league-bound eighteen-year-olds who lived with the cushions of their parents' bank accounts.

Kiara begged her parents not to make her go to the Kook Academy. She would have rather died than leave her best friends, Bea and Joey, who were both Pogues and staying at KDMS. She didn't realize that middle school would rip the three of them apart. By eighth grade, Kiara had her new friends. Pope Heyward, John B. and JJ Maybank, but he still went by Junior back then. Even if they were bothered by Kiara's status as half-Kook, in the same way Bea and Joey had been, they never showed it.

Mike and Anna didn't see the need to send Kiara to St. Andrews if she didn't want to go but as high school inched closed with every year, the whispers about the Kook in public school grew louder. The summer before freshman year, her parents offered her a deal - though it was hardly a fair one in Kiara's mind. She could either stay at Kildare County High School but she'd have to work in the restaurant in her free time or she could go to St. Andrews with complete freedom for a year. Kiara knew her parents wanted her to transfer so she caved and agreed to a year at St. Andrews to make them happy. Anna prayed her daughter would find her people at St. Andrews and that one year would turn into four but Kiara knew she had already found her people and was counting down the days till she could go back to them. It was only when Sarah Cameron decided the new girl might be cool that Kiara stopped marking each passing day with a big red x.

-

There was less than a week left in their Christmas break and Kiara was seated across from Sarah at the Cameron's dining room table bent over her practice problems for Mr. Harrings' freshman science. He infamously gave out the hardest pop quiz of the year the first day back after break and Kiara's grade couldn't take her failing it.

"What’s avocado’s number?” Sarah asked, looking up from her paper, her pen frozen in midair.

“What’s what?” said Kiara, thoroughly confused at Sarah’s question.

“You know,” Sarah paused, scanning Kiara’s face for any sign of understanding. “Avogadro’s number. Some kid in my class thought the dude’s name was avocado so we’ve been calling it avocado’s number since.”

“Ah, Avogadro’s number,” Kiara repeated, shifting her papers around until she found the one with all the formulas and constants written on it. “Six point zero two two one four zero seven six times ten to the twenty-second power.”

Sarah punched the numbers into her calculator. “Thanks, babes.”

“Of course.”

Rafe’s heavy footsteps carried through the Cameron’s massive house announcing his arrival home. He strolled into the room, a thick stack of papers in one hand and a garment bag draped over the opposite arm.

“Hey loser,” Sarah said, not inspired enough by her brother's presence to look up from her work.

“Hi Rafe,” Kiara echoed. "Where you been?"

"Being Ward's errand boy. I forgot the key to his office where I was supposed to drop off this contract so he's gonna kill me for that. But," Rafe paused digging into his pocket and pulling out a small velvet pouch. "Merry late Christmas," he finished, handing the bag to Kie. "I saw it and I thought you'd like it."

Kiara reached into the pouch pulling out a small enamel pin of the earth, shaped into a heart with the word "love" in silver written over it. Kie smoothed her thumb over the cold metal.

"You know since you're gonna save the planet and everything," Rafe added.

"Thank you. I love it!" Kiara jumped up from her chair, throwing her arms around his waist wrapping him a hug.

"No problem, Kie." Rafe said.

"Hey, I'm trying to save our planet too." Sarah pipped up.

"Shut up, Sarah," Rafe cracked. "I gave you your Christmas present last week."

Sarah stuck her tongue out at him, Rafe doing the same in return.

"What are you guys working on?" Rafe asked.

"Science," Kiara replied, reaching down to grab her backpack from underneath the table.

"Is that for Mr. Harrings' class?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Kie said, half distracting by trying to decide which spot to put her new pin in.

"I think I might still have my old test from that class if you want them.”

Sarah's head snapped up at the offer. "No way."

"Sound any more surprised, Sarah. I was offering them to Kiara anyway, snob," Rafe shot back.

"I'll share," Kie assured her best friend.

Kiara followed Rafe up the grand staircase, flopping on Rafe's bed while he searched for his old work.

"Henry Spiegel was talking about taking you to a he formal in the locker room before we left for break," Rade relied from inside his closet.

"Isn't he the freshman who made varsity lacrosse?" Kiara asked back. She contemplated the idea of going to St. Andrews' Winter Formal with him. Henry was nice enough, plus he was pretty good-looking. She could stand going with him.

"I told him if I found out he'd asked you, I'd make sure he missed the next three games because of a black eye."

"Rafe."

"What? Do you really think I'm gonna let some dweeb with half a brain who only wants to get in your pants take my little sisters to formal?"

"Who am I supposed to take?” She shot back.

“I don’t know. Not him,” Rafe said, emerging, a small stack of papers in hand.

“You know Denny asked Sarah last week.”

“I know.”

Kiara paused, “You will you take?”

Rafe shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Maybe Ashely M. Seniors don’t really go to the actual dance.”

Kie took the pages of old test for Rafe’s outstretched arm and riffled through them. His name was scribbled on the top of each one in his messy handwriting.

Her eyes drifted up to the Duke basketball poster in the corner of Rafe’s room.

“When do you hear from them?” Kie asked.

“March,” said Rafe, his voice void of emotion.

“I know you’ll get in.”

"My dad'll make sure of it.” Rafe sat down on the bed next to Kiara.

“You don’t know that.”

“I found a card addressed to Ward from the Dean of Student last week thanking him for 'the generous donation from such a valued alumni.'”

Kie's head dropped to rest on Rafe’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well he’s a dick.” Rafe’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, reading the text on the screen. “I gotta go. I told the boys we’d go hit at the Club tonight.”

“Thanks again for these.” Kie held up the papers. “And for the pin," she added.

“Mr. Harrings always includes the names of the scientists from the unit as bonus questions. Don’t forget to look those up,” Rafe said as he stood up from the bed. "See you around, Kie." He placed a small protective kiss on her forehead before he headed back downstairs.

-

"JJ?" Pope slapped JJ's shin to get his attention.

"What?" JJ whispered back over the sounds of the movie.

"I gotta take a piss.”

"Hold it."

"I can’t hold it. I drank too much soda."

"It’s too exposed. They’ll totally see us."

"I gotta go," Pope pleaded. He peered behind him to see Rafe, Topper, and Kelce still parked in the same spots at the back of the crowd. "They’re blocking the bathrooms," Pope added.

JJ looked around, thinking up a Plan B. "Alright. Come here. I know where.”

"Hey, where y’all going?" Kiara asked, turning her attention away from the movie.

"We gotta wring it out," JJ responded deadpan.

"What? You gonna hold it for each other," Kiara questioned, disgusted at the thought.

JJ shrugged off the comment and lead Pope through the crowd, the two of them ducking behind a large oak tree.

Kiara turned back to the movie playing on the giant screen, leaving the boys to their own devices. Besides, they wouldn't dare start something with all the people around. They were idiots but they knew better than that.

"Crap," Kiara cursed under her breath when Rafe trailed by Topper and Kelce brushed by her, heading in the same direction Pope and JJ had went. She watched their figures disappear behind the screen before she jumped up from her seat.

JJ's gun, the thought flew her mind.

She picked up his backpack with no intention to use it but better safe than sorry. Especially when it came to those Kooks in particular.

"Hey, kick his ass, Top!" Kiara heard Rafe yell as she rounded the corner.

Kiara felt a full-fledged panic run through her body as she took in the sight. Kelce had pinned JJ's arm behind his back and was Rafe pounded his fist into JJ’s face. A foot away, Pope was barely holding off Topper. Whatever Pope and JJ had done had obviously crossed a line.

Kiara ran in without another thought, swinging JJ's backpack in front of her. "Let go of him, Topper! Fascist asshole!" She screamed at him.

Topper grabbed the bag from her, ripping it out of Kiara's hand and throwing it aside. Kiara jumped on Topper's back, desperate to distract him.

"Hey listen, Pope," Topper yelled over the sounds of the movie. "All you gotta do is accept a little personal responsibility."

"Screw you, kook," Pope spit back.

Kiara felt arms wrap around her waist, yanking her off of Topper. The too-familiar scents of Rafe's cologne filled her nose and his breath was hot on her cheek.

She kicked her legs struggling against him, "Let go of me, Rafe."

"Stay out of this, Kiara," he warned, tossing her onto the ground. His gaze fixed on her for a second before turning away. Kiara swore she saw a look of guilt flash across Rafe's face, wordlessly apologizing for tossing her away so harshly but she didn’t have time to think about that while her boys were still in trouble.

"Kie! You okay?" Pope yelled, struggling against Topper who had wrapped his arm around Pope's neck.

"Come on, man. Just admit it," Topper shouted. "Admit you did it, bitch!"

JJ's backpack had conveniently landed close to where Kiara lay. She rolled over, pushing herself onto her knees and crawling over to the backpack. She riffled through it, her hand landing on the cold mental of the gun.

"You don't mess with me, Pogue! You hear me?" Topper continued. Kiara looked up at Topper's face which showed no signs of mercy. Meanwhile, Rafe's fist smashed into JJ's face again and again. The situation was getting worse by the second. “I'm gonna give you one chance. One chance, Pope. One chance. Come on! One!"

Kiara dropped the gun back into the backpack pulling out JJ's lighter instead, two Js craved onto the surface. She had to go big to stop Rafe, Topper and Kelce. Kiara crawled over to the edge of the sheet the movie was being projected off. Fuck, this has to work.

"Finish him off, Top!" Rafe directed.

Kie flicked on the lighter, the wind blowing out the flame the first few times. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the edge of the sheet and held the blue flame up to it. The fire lit up her face as it took hold, spreading faster than she had expected. The crowd yelped, scrambling away as the orange flames climbed toward the sky.

"Guys! Fire!" Rafe yelled, taking in the sight.

"Get off of him!" Kie pushed Topper away from Pope who fell to the ground gasping for air. "Kelce, let go of JJ!"

"Let's get out of here," Rafe started, fleeing the scene. The other Kooks not far behind him.

"You good?" Kiara asked Pope helping him off the ground. "We're okay." She assured. Her heart was racing, her hands still shaking.

"You're a freakin' idiot," Pope responded.

"I saved your ass. Come on." Kiara threw her arm around Pope's shoulder, leading him away.

The sounds of the film continued to echo over the speakers as the sheet burned to ash behind them.

-

Kiara sat slumped against the wall of the St. Andrews hallway that lead into the cafeteria. The frill of her $200 dress fanned out around her. The dress, in her opinion, had been a colossal waste of money but had Sarah actually squealed when Kiara walked out of the fitting room in it. Kiara had tugged at the awkward way the skirt st on her hips but Sarah wouldn’t shut up about how perfectly the blue color fit the Winter Wonderland theme so Kiara bought it. Now, the sequins itching against her collarbone were just annoying her and Kiara couldn’t help scratching at them, making the already red marks on her skin even angrier. She was so fucked. Denny had pulled out a flash during pictures and somehow it kept ending up in Kiara's hands. The whole dance thing had Kiara incredibly anxious so she kept taking sips of the flash to keep her self busy. First during pictures, then during dinner, and in the limo on the way to the school. Now the flask was lying empty on the floor next to her and her nerves were no less settled.

She longed for her pogues so much the pain of missing them made her stomach hurt. Well, that or the alcohol. At that moment, she would have given anything to be back with them. Back with Pope and his overly nervous tendencies, back with John B. and his ideas that usually lead them into trouble, back with JJ and his flirtatious banter that left her blushing a lot more than she cared to admit. They were her family, where she belonged. Not in the gated communities of Figure Eight with mansions so big they had rooms no one entered for weeks. This whole year had been a mistake. She couldn't stand the fakeness of everybody and everything that came as a side effect to bank accounts with the kind of zeros that could seriously help if the 1% gave up being so selfish. Even Sarah's save-the-sea-turtles-with-men façade was fading away revealing another rich kid who didn’t give a shit about who she hurt. 

The doors of the cafeteria swung open, the bass of the DJ's music filling the previously silent hallway. Kiara looked up to find Rafe jogging down the hall to her.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked, sliding down the way to sit next to her.

"The room kept spinning and...uh...I thought I might throw up so I went to find a bathroom," Kiara answered.

"You know the bathrooms are on the other side of the school?"

Kiara giggled which turned into a little burb which made her giggle even more.

"Jesus, Kiara. How drunk are you?" Rafe picked up the flask from the ground. He could smell the alcohol on her breath without even getting closer over. “Who's is this?"

Kiara paused for a moment, trying to remember. "Denny's."

"Sarah's date, Denny?"

Kiara nodded her head.

"Fuck," Rafe muttered. "Okay, let's get you out of here before any of the chaperons see and write you up." He stood up and held out both hands to held Kiara to her feet too.

Kiara pulled herself, leaning against Rafe for stability. The doors swung open again and Rafe's date marched into the hallway.

"Ugh, thank God. There you are. This dance is so lame. C'mon, we're all going to Joey's."

"I'm not coming. I have to take my sister home. She's totally trashed."

The girl's eyes moved over Rafe's face, landing on Kiara. "No," she corrected. "You're my date. You have to come with me."

"Did you not just hear me? I'm taking my sister home," Rafe replied.

"Are you kidding me? She's not even your real sister. She's hardly even a real Kook. I bet she's just using Sarah and you for your family's money. Just look at her dress. It's the same one every other wannabe trying-to-hard freshman has on. Pathetic."

Rafe pulled Kiara closer into him, wrapping an arm around her shoulder protectively. "You can fucking leave," Rafe spit back. "I don't wanna hear you ever talk about my family like that again."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I was gonna hook up with Brandan tonight anyway. He's way hotter than you." She spun on her, stalking off in the same direction she had come.

Kiara looked up at Rafe, her bottom lip shaking as tears welled in her eyes. "Are you mad at me?" She asked.

Rafe laughed. "Of course not, Kie. Ashley can go fuck herself. Or she can go fuck Brandan. I don't really care." He wiped away the tear that had slide down Kiara's cheek. "Let's go find Sarah so I can take you both home."

-

Sarah was sitting on her date's lap back inside the cafeteria turned South Pole for the night, laughing loud enough at Denny’s shitty jokes that it was throughly annoying everyone around her.

"Get up Sarah," Rafe commanded.

Sarah surprised at Rafe's sudden presence scrambled off her date's lap. Rafe reached down and grabbed a fistful of Denny's shirt. He cocked his arm back and swung his fist straight into Denny's nose which gave a definitive crack on impact. Sarah let out a gasp and rushed forward.

"What the fuck?" She screamed at Rafe, shoving him off her date.

"You're date's an ass. Kie's completed wasted thanks to him" he said to Sarah. "Let's go. I'm taking you both home."

Sarah glanced at Kiara, who was standing slightly behind Rafe feeling both embarrassed at how much she had drank and grateful for Rafe's protectiveness.

"But I wanna go to the afterparty," Sarah protested. "She has you." Sarah's eyes locked with Kiara and Kiara's heart sank. She could tell her "best friend" wasn't about to give up the rest of her night just because she was nervous and had drunk too much.

Kiara shifted awkwardly on her feet. Sarah could have a least pretended to be conflicted, considered missing the party for a second. God, Kiara missed the unwavering faithfulness of her pogues.

Kiara tugged on Rafe's hand and he glanced over his shoulder at her. "It's fine," she slurred. She really needed out of this itchy disaster of dress as soon as possible.

"You're a really great friend," Rafe said to Sarah.

"Whatever," Sarah replied, her voice almost mimicking the way Rafe's date had said the same words. "Let's go find some ice for your nose, Denny."

-

They had found the gold. It was fifty feet down a well under an ax-murders house no less but they'd fucking found it. John B's crazy plan had worked and all they needed to do was get the gold out, a job which had effectively been delegated to Pope. Of course, first they had to wait for John B to get back from his fishing trip with Ward Cameron, some twisted form of pseudo father-son bonding. What was it with men and finishing? Couldn’t they pick a sport that didn’t actively destroy the environment?

Pope sat atop the kitchen counter, a pencil tucked behind his ear, his mouth moving as he made silent calculations. JJ stood in the doorway of the chateau, dripping water from the hot tub onto the floor. Kiara had thrown off the couch cushions and was rifling through the desk draws, slamming each one with frustration when they didn't hold what she was looking for. Kiara noticed this morning that a pin was missing from her backpack. It didn’t seem like a big deal but with every passing second her panic escalated.

“What are you looking for, bro? I swear this house is like one of those Where’s Waldo? books.” JJ asked Kiara.

“Did you just make a reference to a book, JJ?” Pope chimed in from across the room.

“Just because I chose not to read, doesn’t mean I can’t Pope,” JJ replied.

“Both of you are idiots. It’s a picture book anyway, you don't read it. Can you help me find my pin, please? It's the one I've always had on my backpack. The earth, shaped like a heart," Kie explained.

"Right," Pope replied, sliding off the counter where he was sitting. “Why do you care about it so much anyway?”

“It was a gift."

“From who?”

“From someone at the Kook Academy.”

“Sarah?”

“No.”

“You had other friends there?” JJ mocked.

Kie hesitated. “Fine, it was actually from Rafe as a Christmas present.”

JJ and Pope automatically stopped and looked up at each other.

“Bro, please tell me this isn’t the same Rafe who almost beat Pope’s face in last week."

“It’s not about Rafe. It’s about the pin,” Kie said.

“That’s from Rafe,” Pope finished.

“You guys weren’t there. You don’t get it. Whatever," she huffed. “Don’t help me find it then.”

“No, please Kie. Enlighten us," the sarcasm dripped off JJ's voice.

“I said you don’t have to help,” Kie repeated.

“Hey Kiara,” Pope said, grabbing her wrist. He was always the first to tell when something was off with her.

Kiara shrugged him off, wiping away her tears with her tshirt hem before the other pogues saw them.

“There was just this time,” she started, still overturning books like the pin might have been under there. “At a dance. This senior called me a fake Kook. She said my dress looked tacky like I was trying way too hard to fit but I would never fit in because I’d always be a fucking Pogue. Which of course I don’t wanna be a Kook, I was just playing dress-up for the year to please my parents and it’s like she saw straight through. Rafe was there. Like an older brother. Told her to go fuck herself. That if she ever talked about me like that again, he’d tell the whole she had an std.” Kie paused to wipe her runny nose. “He was basically my family so when Sarah dropped me like I was nothing I was sure that meant Rafe didn’t think I was worth his time anymore too. I never reached out to him again and now he just looks at me the same way he looks at every other Pogue.”

Pope cleared his throat, clearly mildly uncomfortable with Kiara’s sudden expression of emotion. It was an almost unspoken rule among the four of them that they didn’t talk about Kie’s kook year. It had sucked, bottom line. She’d shown back up the summer after ninth grade and it was the four of them again just like middle school. No one had the guts to ask about anything that had happened that year so it never got brought up.

JJ couldn't stop himself from remembering what Rafe had said at Midsummers. Tell Kiara she looks pretty hot for a Pogue. Fucking jackass. If he'd been like a brother to Kie, of course he'd know just how to hit her where it hurt.

JJ clinched his fist, wishing security hadn't pulled him away before he'd gotten a chance to swing at Rafe that night. “I still hate him,” JJ announced. “The entire Cameron family thinks they're the shit because they eat from golden spoons or something."

"The expression is born with a silver spoon in their mouth but JJ's right. All Kook’s suck," Pope added.

-

Rafe had wrestled off Kiara's heels after she almost face-planted in the school parking lot on the way to Rafe's truck thanks to them. He'd gotten up her all the back to the Cameron's house and in the front door successfully without her throwing up. Rafe tried to get Kiara to walk up the stairs but she'd sat down on the bottom declaring she would just sleep there so Rafe had delicately thrown her over his shoulder and didn't put her down until he dropped her on Sarah's bed.

Kiara closed her eye instantly and hummed softly, pleased with the comfortable spot she'd landed.

"No sleeping yet. You gotta drink some water first. Hold on."

Rafe dashed across the hall to his own room and grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen from his bathroom for Kiara in the morning. He also snatched the half-drunk water off his nightstand. It wasn't the best option but it was something.

"Okay, okay. Sit up," he said to Kiara, setting the water and medicine down on the bedside table.

Kiara grumbled but pushed herself upright until her back was against the headboard.

"I'm so happy you're my big bro," she said, reaching out her hand to tousle Rafe's hair. "It's always just been my mom and dad and me. And my turtle, Leo, before I lost him." Kiara felt tears wetting her cheeks again at the thought of her lost pet. "I just thought he might wanna play in the yard but then he ran off." The crying made Kiara hiccup which made her cry even more. "He ran off, Rafe. Turles aren't supposed to be fast.”

Rafe couldn't stop himself from laughing. "I didn't peg you as a sad drunk," he said, putting a hand on Kiara's shoulder to calm her down. "It's okay, Kie. I'm sure Leo is just fine."

Her sniffles stopped momentarily and she looked up at Rafe through her tear-soaked eyelashes. “You know no one ever called me Kie before you did. Now everyone does."

Rafe chuckled. "Alright, drink some water and you can sleep."

Kiara accepted the water bottle and pressed it to her lips, taking a swig. "You promise you're not mad at me? About Ashely and the dance?"

"I promise, Kie. I'd much rather make you sure you're okay."

"You're getting soft, Rafe," Kiara teased as she snuggled herself under the sheets.

"Never," he replied, reaching over and clicking off the lamp on the bedside table before he stood up. "Hollar if you think you're gonna throw up."

"Never," Kie repeated, giggling to herself as Rafe left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

-

John B's face was plastered on wanted posters up and down the island. The entire county was looking for him, desperate to be the first to claim the twenty-five thousand dollar reward. The wholesome treasure hunt John B. has advertised to the Pogues at the beginning of the summer had gone way south, like equator-level south. None of them had eaten a decent meals in days, much less slept more than few hours. The whole thing was taking its toll but the stacks were too high for them to slip up now. They all knew the odds. John B's word would never stand against Ward's. They had to get him off the island.

JJ and Kiara pulled up the boatyard, the keys to the Phantom clutched so tightly in JJ's palm that they left little indentions. He'd emerged from his house, his jaw set and only held up the keys in response to Kiara asking how it went so she decided not to push him on it.

JJ shoved open the rusty metal door of the garage. "There she be. Hey, girl," he remarked. "1983 formula four-oh-two SR1." JJ pulled the sheet covering the boat off, the sunlight streaming in through the windows making the dust lingering in the air visible. "The Phantom," JJ announced proudly.

"Mmhm," Kie hummed.

"First boat to make the run to Bermuda in under sixteen hours, Kie," JJ paused. "Forty years old! Forty. And it's still the fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen."

"It's kind of a junker."

"Really?" JJ turned to her. "She's right there, Kie. She can hear you. Let's just put it this way. You would not be smokin' weed right now if she never existed, okay?"

"I just hope it runs," Kie replied.

"Oh, no, she'll run alright. She's faster than any of the cutters the boy in blue got."

The sounds of motorcycle engines roared from outside the garage.

"Pope. Finally," Kie exclaimed, jogging to meet him. Hopefully, the Outer Banks sun had burned off any weirdness still lingering from this morning, she prayed.

Rafe appeared from behind the boat and Kiara stopped suddenly, not expecting the sight of him.

"Hey, there. What's goin' on? JJ?" Rafe said and JJ also froze at the sound of the eldest Cameron's voice. "How you guys doin'?”

Barry whistled, announcing his own arrival. "Well, well...." The sounds of a gun cocking send the blood rushing to Kie's ears. JJ raised his hands in the air, backing up as Barry pushed the gun to his chest. "See, don't think I forgot about me and you on the side of the road. I'm here because I want my motheruckin' money."

Barry grabbed the side of JJ's face, shoving him to the ground. "JJ! JJ!" Kie screamed as Rafe pulled her back from the scene. "Rafe!" Kiara struggled against Rafe’s taller and stronger physique.

"That's what I'm here for, ain't it," Barry shouted lifting JJ's head up by his hair.

"It's not you we want, Kie. Alright, Where's John B?" Rafe asked.

"I don't know," she screamed back, her hand slapping Rafe's face on instinct.

"I really wish you didn't do that.”

"Look, I know what you did.” Kie’s voice wavered.

"What? What'd I do?" Rafe's face inched closer to hers.

"You murdered Peterkin."

Rafe's hand flew up to Kiara's throat, wrapping his fingers tight around it. Kiara's mouth fell open in a silent scream as she clawed at his hand. "Don't you ever say those fucking words again," Rafe warned.

"Rafe," Kiara pleaded. Eighteen months later and Kiara could tell Rafe didn’t have a single ounce of warmth left for her. The Rafe that had protected her from handsy freshman boys and made her drink water so her hangover wasn't as bad, the Rafe that had once held a deep sibling-like affection for her was gone, replaced by someone with pure blinding disdain for pogues of any kind.

"Understood? Do you understand? Where's John B? Where's John B?" Rafe asked again, his tone growing impatient

"I don't know," Kie yelled. Rafe’s hand was growing tighter around her throat with every word, forcing tears to her eyes. Fuck this. Rafe Cameron wasn’t about to be the thing that killed her. This rich, white asshole couldn’t get away with two murders.

"Where's John B? Huh?"

"I don't know! I don't know!"

Rafe's hand fell away from her throat suddenly. "Don't touch her," Kiara heard Pope screamed, his voice full of rage as he swung a metal pole into Rafe's back. The look on his face was something Kiara had never seen before from Pope. It sent a chill down her spine.

"Hey!" Barry yelled as he attempted to throw his gun to Rafe but it landed on the ground a few feet short.

"Kie! Kick it!" JJ hollered and the gun disappeared under the boat out of reach.

JJ picked up Barry slamming him into the boat. Pope's fist continued to connect with Rafe’s face. Again and again. Crap, he wasn’t stopping.

"Pope," Kie said. "Okay, Pope. Pope! Pope, that's good! Stop!"

JJ, having thrown Barry aside, moved to pull Pope off Rafe. "Hey, Pope! He's had enough, dude."

"He's good." Kie pleaded as Pope reached for a piece of plastic tubing, pulling it tight around Rafe's neck.

"Snap out of it, man. Snap out of it, dude!" JJ said.

"Pope!" Kie yelled again. "Pope, that's too much!"

"Stop, dude," JJ added. "Dude, cmon! Stop! Stop, dude!"

"Pope! Get off!" Kie desperately tried to make eye contact with him

"Let go! Come on!"

"Look at me!" Kie screamed in one final attempt to stop Pope from going to far. Rafe's face was already turning a concerning shade of red. If Pope crossed this line, Kiara feared there would be no coming back. She already had one fugitive to deal with, she didn’t want another.

Pope dropped the tubing, eyes wide with fear.

"Shit. Oh, shit." JJ said.

Rafe coughed from the floor, blood smeared down his chin.

"Okay, we gotta go. We gotta go." Kiara announced, hustling back the car. They had to get the boat ready for John B. They had to get him off the island. Her Pope-like organizational instincts kicked in protecting her from processing anything that had just happened. Letting her forget the look in Rafe’s eyes as his hand closed around her throat. Three o’clock at the dump. They had to stay on schedule. Three o’clock. Three o’clock. Three o’clock.

-

The single yellow heart Sarah had responded to Kiara's ‘Happy Birthday!’ text with stared back at her mockingly. She closed out of her messages, opening Instagram instead. Story after story showed the party she hadn't been invited to. A shaky video of everyone singing to Sarah, her face lit up by the glow of the candles. A bathroom selfie of all the girls who Kiara had through became her closest friends, their faces flushed red with joy. She clicked the side button of her iphone making the screen going black. Kiara couldn't stand to look at it all happening for another minute. She flopped backward on her bed opting to stare at the plain, white ceilings of her bedroom instead.

She should have been, standing by Sarah's side, smiling along with everyone in a tipsy haze of happiness, not watching it happen via Instagram. Kiara knew she wasn't doing anything productive by throwing herself a pity party but God, she was pissed. She wanted Sarah to know it too. She picked up her phone from where she'd dropped it next to her on the comforter.

The line rang twice before a voice answered the call.

“Kildare County Police, what’s the emergency?”

Kiara hesitated. Sarah was sure to figure out it was her who had ratted on the party and that would be social suicide enough. But Sarah really had brought this on herself. She should have invited to Kie to her fucking birthday.

“Hello? Anyone there?” The operator asked.

Kiara brought the phone back up to her ear. “Hi, I’d like to file a noise complaint, please. Two six six St. Margaret Street.”

“Yes, the Cameron’s house,” Kiara confirmed, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks and steading her voice as she relied the rest of the information to the operator.

Happy birthday to you, Sarah Cameron.

taglist! @surferkie

[firstumcschenectady]

“Every. Single. Time.” based on Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

As far as I can tell, the stories of the wandering in the desert are stories of the people learning dependence on God. Many of the stories of Exodus repeat the narrative “(1) Something was wrong, the people were worried. (2) The people complained. (3) God provided.” Since deserts aren't super hospitable to life, they make sense as places people can learn their dependence. The writer of Deuteronomy ends up worrying that once the people enter the “land of milk and honey” they'll forget that they are dependent on God. In the early centuries of Christianity the “Desert Fathers and Mothers” returned to the desert to seek connection with the Divine, and learn again the lessons of dependence.

Historically, there are some reasons to question the overarching narrative of the 40 year wandering in the desert. It may be MORE true that some of the proto-Israelites were desert nomads for a prolonged time in their history, and some of the proto-Israelites were slaves who had escaped from Egypt, and some of the proto-Israelites were Canaanites who decide to follow YHWH when the nomads and former slaves told their stories about YHWH. I rather like this idea, because it is pretty easy to see how nomadic hunter-gatherers in a harsh desert climate would definitely experience the gift of life as a gift from God. And, that their descendants who lived a more settled and fertile existence could relatively quickly change their minds about how lucky they are to be simply alive.

I rather like how these stories begin. The people are frightened for their lives. There is a lack of FOOD or WATER, and those are seriously dangerous lacks. The stories present frightened people as appropriately and realistically negative. They grumble. They mumble. They complain. They romanticize their former lives. In this case, they say, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." And, I'll admit, I feel for Moses and Aaron. That ISN'T FAIR. It isn't even TRUE. But, I also feel for the people, because when humans are frightened for their lives, they really can't be held accountable for being “unfair” much less have reasonable perspective.

In these Exodus stories, every single time, God intervenes and provides. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Sometimes Moses and Aaron get annoyed, sometimes God gets annoyed, sometimes as a reader it gets annoying that they don't learn how to trust faster, but God provides EVERY SINGLE TIME.

And I have some feelings about that, because in our world today there is both an abundance of food and an abundance of hunger. Based on both the stories of our faith and the miraculous food producing capacity of the earth, I'm pretty sure that the story is STILL that God provides. But... human beings get in the way. We hoard (the US government is one of the worst), we promote “competition” for who gets to eat, we blame the hungry for being hungry, and we permit wealth to rise to the top no matter the cost to the bottom.

God provides.

Humans intercept.

The challenge is not scarcity – there is enough. There is MORE than enough. The problem is distribution . That is, the problem is acting out the belief that all people are worthy of surviving and thriving, as beloveds of God.

Around here, we try to do our part to change that story. We promote the humanity and belovedness of all people. We have a free breakfast, and we give people extra food to help them make it through the week. We advocate for policies to alleviate hunger everywhere in the world. We donate to SICM and help with summer lunches. We educate ourselves about food distribution, and work with “Bread for the World.” Our tithes and offerings promote justice and compassion programs around the world, and our extra gifts to UMCOR just add on to it.

But, it is a big problem and there is lot of work to be done to BOTH feed all of God's people AND change policies so we don't allow anyone to be hungry.

Some of the reason I said all that is because it is true. Another reason is because I'm about to take this story metaphorically, and I could not do so in good faith until I also took the literal meaning of hungry people seriously as well. Especially now when A LOT more people are hungry world wide then were before the pandemic.

When I first considered this passage, my attention was drawn to that complaining and yearning for Egypt. It seemed worth talking about our yearning for what used to be, and how the yearning can erase the realities of the past – things like slavery for example. Much of what I hear, and a good portion of what I experience these days is a yearning for pre-pandemic times. Recently, after I'd shared a bit about how odd it was to give birth during a pandemic and how unexpected parenting a baby during a pandemic has been, a perspective person said, “Well, and you got pregnant before the pandemic, you didn't sign up for any of this.”

I sighed with relief, like you do when someone really understands. Also, I think that applies to all of us a little bit. The things we were thinking about, planning, and even worrying about 2 years ago all changed on us in early 2020. And we didn't sign up for this! The stressors and conflicts we live now we wouldn't have been able to dream 2 years ago. And we didn't sign up for this.

2 years ago wasn't great. It really wasn't. There were serious injustices happening, and the things we were worried about were real. Comparatively though, I see why we want to go back. I can even see why the people grumbling in the desert would have wanted to go back. With death looming, anything else looks better. But Egypt wasn't their future, it was their past. And we aren't going back to pre-pandemic times either.

The wandering in the desert, as the story says, was important for forming the people, forming their faith, teaching them their dependence on God. It got them ready for the Promised Land, but it was so hard and so terrifying, there were a lot of times they thought going back was worth it. Without knowing what the Promised Land would be like, or when they would get there, the only things they knew were the terrifying lack of resources of the desert and the utter oppression of slavery.

For most of us, our pre-pandemic times weren't THAT bad, but I hear people saying now, “Having had a break from it all, I don't want to live like that anymore.” We're different. We've been formed by this time in the desert. We're still being formed by this time in the desert. I'm not sure when the Promised Land is coming.

As much as the desire to go back to Egypt caught my initial attention, I couldn't help but notice that it is only the beginning of this story. This isn't the story of landing in the Promised Land. This is a story of having God provide. This is a story of there being BREAD on the ground in the desert that would sustain the people AND quails flying overhead for protein, and both of them being gifts of life from the God of life. (In the desert, where other people didn't interfere with God's gifts.)

This is the story where God says, “'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" And then when it happened, and the bread showed up, the people said, “What is it??????”

And this is where I think God is leading me today.

We're in the desert, dear ones. Whatever our roles and circumstances were in Egypt, it is far behind. Whatever our roles and circumstances will be in the Promised Land, we aren't there yet. We are DEEP in the desert, learning our dependence on God. And that means that God is giving us gifts that we desperately need to survive.

And most likely we're responding along the lines of “Huh?” or “What is THAT?” Or “I'm not sure I want that.” Maybe more than anything we're thinking, “I'd rather have bread from Pereccas, or Gershons, or Friehofers.” These gift that God is giving, we might not even recognize them. We might not want them. We might be a little horrified.

Today's story ends with Moses telling the confused and hungry people, “It is the bread that YHWH has given to you to eat.”

What is the bread that God is giving to you to eat right now? How are you feeling about it?

Holy One, help us see what you are giving us, and help us receive nourishment from what you offer. We are tired, weary, weak, and frightened people. Your nourishment is what we need to go on, and we know that this desert wandering is not your final plan for us. Amen

August 1, 2021

Rev. Sara E. Baron 

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady 

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

http://fumcschenectady.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

[tarajenkins]

Given what you've said of Vauthry, about how we're never given any chance to even try and redeem him, help him become a better person, I'd like to ask: how would you go about "saving" him? When he transforms into that Lucifer/Archangel Michael-looking guy, he seems permanently lost, but how would you write out a redemption narrative for him?

I love this ask, I hate the answer I have to give. But it’s gonna be a long response anyway, because context and because you already know I don’t know when to shut up about characters, lmao. 

SO I HOPE YOU LOVE HEARING ME RAMBLE UNDER THIS CUT (but I won’t blame you if you don’t)

I don’t think the in-game narrative allows Vauthry any chance at redemption in the current time, even if he had the agency to take it.  I don’t think we ever saw what he actually could have been. I think what we saw in Shadowbringers was the Lightwarden he’d been carrying finally “awakening”, as Innocence’s Triple Triad card put it. Or, as the X-Files put it in their eighth ep: “We are not who we are”.  

Even if that Lightwarden could be driven out of him (I know an “Aethertech” who would do anything to make that possible cough), I don’t know if he’d regain clarity he may never have had to start.  I’d love to think that he did, a long time ago. The Minstreling Wanderer tells us he can’t say whether or not Vauthry was a monster as a child, when you unlock Crown Of The Immaculate EX.

I believe the Lightwarden’s influence was driving a lot of his brutal acts of “justice”, because that is kinda their whole thing.  As for the man inside the monster?  I have a hunch he was desperate to not be seen as unnatural, and was trying to make sense out of what was happening to him in a way that would not make him a hybrid abomination. Because if he wasn’t a God, if he wasn’t this divine thing he was told he was – then what was he? The way he worded it, “this is why I was born…as man and Sin Eater both…” – it makes me feel he had, at some point in his life, at least once, ASKED why he was born as he was. That he had perceived it was wrong. He needed it to be right. And that was just fuel to the corruption fire.

The talk of godhood actually seemed to be a recent phenomenon, as no other NPC mentions a thing about it – they refer to him as “Lord Vauthry”, and speak of him in mortal terms, apart from his miraculous ability to keep the Sin Eaters at bay. He freely boasted of being a God to the Crystal Exarch, yet we’re to believe he didn’t say a word to his own people, all this time? Or that no one, in turn, would mention to us “Yyyyeah, about this guy….” Mayor Punchable Face may have told him he was a God, but it doesn’t sound like Vauthry bought into it enough to spread the good word for at least twenty years. 

Also consider he called his transformation into Innocence a “trial”. Why would a god need to be tested? And by whom?

By the time we see him in-game, it seemed he was in a rapid decline of sanity, or at least the ability to keep up appearances, and whatever was left of him was fervently clinging to the only purpose he was ever apparently given – which is exactly what that Lightwarden (and Emet-Selch) would want. 

 He was really cynical about the rest of humanity. Given his father, I can see where he’d get that from. Not that daddy told him people suck, it’s that Vauthry probably learned that by his father’s example. Maybe by the rest of Eulmore, too, but I got the impression he was kept seriously isolated from society before his inauguration. He seems to prefer being alone – he only leaves that room when he moves the Sin Eaters against Lakeland. He gives no indication he knows how to socialize, period. You either come to him, or you don’t see him. (He may be keenly aware humes don’t typically reach at least fifteen feet tall. Seriously, look at Cruelty’s size compared to player characters, now look how Cruelty makes a comfy couch for him.)

Cynical, and yet, he wanted to see the people of Eulmore’s “dreams fulfilled, their wishes granted”. Just so long as he was the one responsible, and he was the one recognized for it. He needed their acceptance. 

ANYHOO.  On to stuff I still have zero idea what to make of. 

I should preface the rest of this infodump with the fact I found the Eulmore arc to be the weakest of the expansion, between Vauthry and Ran'jit. Most of the MSQ was given nuance. Eulmore was given a Saturday Morning Cartoon sledge. A -lot- of questions, with no answers, unless Squeenix decides to be generous in a fifty-buck lore book later. (something I hated Warcraft for. I should not have to pony up for a book to understand the main story quest chain in a game.) So, here are some of the questions I’ve got:

- FOOL! THAT WILL NEVER WORK!

They don’t really explain why Emet-Selch thought corrupting an infant was a good plan, as the Sin Eaters seemed guaranteed a win on The First, if only by outlasting the survivors of the Flood. Impatience, maybe? Why not give it to the mayor? That dickpickle would’ve said yes. Maybe we’ll get more answers with the Eden raid. IT’D BE NICE *COUGH*

- The meol thing.  

It’s using Sin Eater’s non-existant flesh to make a bread, and through that bit of Sin Eater, Vauthry could control whoever ate it.  The fanbase loves the “soylent green is people” angle, but it’s done pretty haphazardly, when you think about it like that? Sin Eaters have no lasting corporeal body. They are Light, mixed with a bit of the lingering essence of whatever they originally were – and what they originally were did not have to be humanoid. They dissolve into sparklies in the air upon death – and arguably, they would not have to die to contribute sparklies to somehow mix into food. Forgiven Cruelty lost a whole wing to Thancred when Thancred first took Ryne from Eulmore, and it seemed to have grown back just fine by the time we see Cruelty again. Killing Sin Eaters also would be entirely counterproductive to a nation that devoted themselves to NOT killing them. Also – we are shown the Afflicted, people who are falling to corruption from a SIn Eater attack they’d survived. How is it people who eat meol don’t become corrupted themselves?

Where did the idea for meol  even begin? Vauthry’s father was ousted by the people as mayor before Emet-Selch said hey there, friend, you have a punchable face, let’s make a deal – and Vauthry only took control of Eulmore 20 years ago. He looks a LOT older than 20, or even 40. So his father must’ve rode his child’s coattails before then.  Did Mayor Punchable Face think that was a wise countermeasure against future insurrection? In any case, Vauthry did not exert that control until the WoL and allies were coming to kill the Lightwarden of Kholusia (him), so it did not seem to be a priority of his. Alphinaud confirmed the people were of a free mind until they were made to fight the WoL and allies. (and dialogue stressed it was very noticeable when someone was not of a free mind.) Squeenix: *throws meol into purse* I have to go plotholes came up

- The “Perverted Paradise”.  (I at least giggle every time Alphinaud says this.)

Vauthry is presented as the pinnacle of vice, yet the game does not really show this well – in some cases, not at all.

Gluttony: He isn’t shown to indulge in drink, let alone overindulge. Apart from the meol scene at the end, which was related to controlling the Eater-corrupted citizenry, not gluttony, he was not shown to have so much as a snack. There’s food in his chamber, all of it untouched. But! In the Shadowbringers trailer, Squeenix thought the best example to showcase Eulmore’s decadence was – three thicc'qotes. Having pleasant conversation ‘round a table. Eating fresh fruit.

Not the creepy-ass old patron who thinks that  since his pretty servant can’t sing anymore, she should be “Ascended” as a kindness, although it was implied she could have recovered her health, just not her voice. Not the guy who tossed his servant from a balcony because reasons and wanted us to bring him back. Not even the noblewoman trying to have her servant killed because her lecherous husband put designs on the poor girl.

Three thicc'qotes. Having pleasant conversation ‘round a table. Eating fresh fruit.

We get it, Square, we’re supposed to see he’s fat and think that is bad. Moving on.

Lust: He doesn’t visit the adult nightclub downstairs (the adult nightclub that is shown practically empty and behind closed doors, the lewdness of it all – I clutch my pearls.) He doesn’t  creep on your player character like Magnai did in Stormblood – he doesn’t creep on anyone. He doesn’t want you to be his steed. No interest is shown in the Sin Eaters apart from them fighting for him, as much as some people in the fanbase theorize he is fucking them. (They probably think that Spirited Away is about the sex industry and My Neighbor Totoro is about dead girls, too.) This game is pretty blatant when they intend that sort of thing, see: Yotsuyu, Sastasha, any number of things in Ishgard or Ul'dah. I’ve found nothing here, except the German translation for “Consort Of Sin: Forgiven Obscenity” is “Purified Fornication: Playmate Of The Redeemer”. Since this is not implied in any other translation, I put my trust in Koji Fox and the fact Obscenity’s job seems to be Official Nose Petter to Forgiven Cruelty.

Greed: I am not going to hold his rings and his robes against him, as Urianger has just as much bling (more, actually), The wealthy are made to give up ALL their fortune to be permitted to stay in Eulmore – but that wealth is then used to provide everything for free to those who live there, and the free citizenry are apparently given funds for private use to boot. If they intended to show that Vauthry was using all that for hookers and blow for himself, it did not convey well.

Wrath: If one has broken the rules of the city (or has thrown shade that takes him a full two minutes to catch), Vauthry definitely has this in spades, with a temper tantrum a lot like Philia’s Fierce Beating attack.  But again, the writers don’t really show the extent of the wrath they are trying to tell . Because if you don’t break the rules? Nothing happens, apparently. Trouble seems to have to be brought forward to him, he doesn’t go looking for it.  It didn’t feel any different to me than the Grand Companies, yet this is the one that finally makes Alphinaud do the *GAAAAASP*.

The populace does not seem afraid of Vauthry. In fact, they feel free to pop ‘round to have a word if they think something needs doing. Chai-Nuzz did not seem distressed by his wife’s suggestion she would have a word with Vauthry to soothe the “hard feelings” stirred up in the quest “Emergent Splendor”.  

Pride: He has great pride in his ability to keep the SIn eaters under control, but doesn’t really display any vanity in himself. No portraits, statues, etc. When Alphinaud interfered with Kai-Shirr’s punishment, Alphinaud was told he’d be permitted to stay in the city if he made a painting – not a portrait of Vauthry, but of the city itself.

Sloth: We get it, Square, he’s fat and he sits down, moving the FUCK on.  No actually, hold up, to be honest? As tired and :| as he looked all the time, he struck me as depressed. What guy in Paradise looks that haggard?

NOW moving on.

Envy: If my theory holds, probably plenty of unresolved envy for folks who are not “half Sin Eater”. Otherwise, I can’t think of an example here.

- “Ascension” (Sure thing, Jan)

This is only made reference to in the Weeping Warbler quest chain. “As all know, the sin eaters exist to devour the sinful. But also do they serve to gather the souls of the innocent, and shepherd them unto celestial paradise.”

Sin eaters ate a meal that represents the sins of a household you fool oh wait this is The First

The thing I don’t get here is - why are there obviously limitations on who can be ascended, and when? If the idea is strictly to feed the Sin Eaters, or make meol, or just be an asshole, why is this the only time we hear of it?

It’s like if there are no more mortals, Vauthry wouldn’t have that reassurance he is doing good anymore. Either that, or since he’s never worked in retail, he doesn’t know how to push features.

But I’m betting on the former.

- LASTLY: the hypocrisy of the writer’s narrative (and the fanbase).

Tesleen was our first and horrifying sample of what Sin Eater corruption can do to a human. No matter how strong her will may have been, she was just lost to it. She scratches madly at her face when she uses one of her attacks in Holminster Switch, as though trying to stop herself, or punish herself. But she can’t help it. And we know this.

Titania was a tragedy, had to be stopped. But, a TRAGEDY. Whatever was left of the benevolent ruler was corrupted. There was never a moment where our heroes went “dis binch just evil, they gotta go down”. ( I had many choice words for Titania when I wiped enough times to them, but no actual game dialogue really says it. )

We, the Warrior Of Light, came this close to becoming a Warden ourselves. Somehow it was stalled (convenience!), but there was never a question corruption = bad and out of our control.

Vauthry, on the other hand, is treated as though he is in full control of his faculties, although the corruption before birth makes that questionable at best and he pretty clearly is not? Even as he did that Exorcist neck-twist, no one was like “oh fuck, the Sin Eaters got to another one, damn that poor man”.  (Which would seem a logical conclusion to me, I hate we have like zero real say in our characters’ reactions) Not even a “ahaha okay no seriously what the fuck is going on guys”. Nope. Their reaction was “EVIL”.  Trying to help somehow was never on the table. Watching him die slowly at our feet was.

We saw the Echo of the real circumstance of his birth. It had to come from the Sin Eater that corrupted him, because he wasn’t out of the womb to see that scene play out. Or Emet-Selch. Either way, we saw it, yet at no time afterward do we try to bring the truth out. We just let everyone believe he was evil by choice, and not another casualty of this mess.

And remember earlier, how I said Alphinaud confirmed the free citizenry were not under Vauthry’s control until the fight? Remember the noblewoman whose husband went after their bonded servant, and so she tried to get the girl murdered?

Yeah, we catch up to that noblewoman who tried to murder her servant. She feels really bad about that now.  And what is an option we get to tell her ex-bonded servant when she wonders how she could possibly trust the woman who tried to kill her?

“Vauthry’s society brought out the worst in people…”

Fffffffuck you Square lmao

TL;DR:

In private RP land? In private RP land, where we can back the fuck up in the timeline at will? You are damn skippy that Lightwarden got purged before it took complete hold. (an Aethertech did it with SCIENCE.) And Vauthry is cynical and scarred and bitter and broken and betrayed, but he’s not evil. If anything, he’s actually pretty relatably human. And he’s actually pretty damn glad his father’s shitty legacy is over.

[unforth]

alright usually I keep my fucking mouth shut on posts like this but I can't let it pass today. Preface: I am profoundly anti slavery and my kids are half-black. I am not saying the below cause I think slavery should have continued; in fact I routinely refer to it as the US's "original sin" and think it should have been abolished when the constitution was written. But all that said...

Yall aren't right. It wasn't this easy. And believing it was this easy not only downplays the accomplishments of places like Pennsylvania, it also completely misses the point of why Reconstruction was a failure and we're still dealing with issues in the US to this day.

It's very sweet and ludicrously naive to say, "they could just free the slaves!" We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people with a net worth of zero, most uneducated, many never self-sufficient. They had nothing - not a penny. Freeing them without a plan to support them WAS economically unviable, and pretending that the problem began and ended with "well they're free our work here is done!" was why share cropping and Jim Crow happened. Manumission of one or two slaves, pretty easy. Manumission of hundreds at a time? Complicated but doable with careful planning. Manumissioj of MILLIONS at a time as eventually happened? With no plan? And no preparation? Catastrophic.

Where will they live?

How will they eat?

What will they wear?

Where will the money to support them come from? Where will the land for them to live on come from? How will they live?

The government couldn't just pay for this; early views of government were to have it as minimal as possible, there wasn't even a national tax system until 1861 - created to fund the Civil War, ya know, the one that freed the slaves and the tax continued to - you guessed - at least ATTEMPT to pay the absolutely insane amounts of money that the newly freed people needed to enable them to be integrated into the society they'd been systematically denied access to their entire lives.

We're talking about m.i.l.l.i.o.n.s of abused, traumatized, tortured people, many with debilitating injuries caused by what they'd been subjected to, who couldn't read or write and had never had to support themselves, being just...ta da, now you're free, go do the thing! (This is an over simplification - many slaves did interact with society, did earn income, weren't treated that badly, etc., but en masse as a socio-economic group it could be assumed they needed the support).

When people like George Washington manumitted at their deaths, they did so by leaving enough money in their wills set aside for the slaves to be supported/helped with transitioning into freedom - and did so at the cost of leaving that wealth to their families. Further, many literally couldn't afford to. Slavery as a farming system was fucking busted, the money to do it came in loans in the spring given against projected/anticipated crop yield. When the crops didn't yield as expected? The owners went into debt to New York City bankers. A few bad years in a row? Could leave everyone trapped in a cycle of "one more year, just one good year..."

Slavery was an awful system. Of course it was far worse for the slaves, this isn't meant to be "boohoohoo poor white owners," it's meant to be, "you cannot say this was simple when you understand jackshit about the economics of early 19th century America you just sound like a fucking tool your hindsight is lovely and sweet and oh so progressive and totally fucking useless."

Thomas Jefferson, in classic "the worst person you know just made a good point" fashion, said "we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go" - even people who wanted to end slavery looked at the economic realities and went "oh fuck." And that's not even mentioning the part where the also had to contend, politically and economically and socially, with the people who genuinely DIDNT want to end it, of which there were many.

In the end, millions of slaves and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians died because no one could find a political or economic way out of this situation. And even then, when confronted by the questions on what happens next...they failed. Miserably. Dismally. Disastrously. We still suffer the consequences because they looked at the biggest, most expensive questions of the age, and instead of seeking solutions, they abdicated responsibility and left millions of newly freed people destitute and vulnerable and said, "we did our part, the rest is up to you."

To see Tumblr people who don't know history act like this was all nothing is fucking i.n.f.u.r.i.a.t.i.n.g. do you really think you're so noble and could have done so much fucking better?

The questions raised by freeing slaves were answerable, and many individuals and even states did answer them, but thinking that there are no economic repercussions for freeing slaves is insane.

The US failed when it formed as a nation with slavery. It failed again when, only 12 years after the end of the Civil War and start of slavery, northern liberals said "whelp we did what we were supposed to do," wiped their hands and left (note: this is a massive over simplification of why reconstruction ended I know that please don't come at me).

Don't sell short people like the Grimke's: what they did was insanely difficult, not something easy that anyone in their position could have attempted, and they're the more commendable for that. You make everyone who did realize how difficult this was seem unremarkable when you act like this wasn't among the most challenging issue in the US's history, and one we completely utterly fucking failed to solve.

And don't act like this was simple when you clearly know fucking nothing about the actual history.

Slavery was one of the worst things in our history (and only ONE of the worst things, God I hate this fucking country) and it should have been abolished centuries before but it wasn't because ABOLITION WAS FUCKING HARD AND LUDICROUSLY EXPENSIVE. IT WAS AN ECONOMIC ISSUE. (Not an economic necessity but definitely a huge problem).

...I'm starting to repeat myself. I'll shut up know.

Just know you sound like a idiot to anyone who knows anything about US history when you act like your 200 years after the fact solutions of "they should just free them!" would have actually worked at all.

Slavery could have, and should have, been ended.

But it was absolutely NOT easy.

[davidwindsor97]

For a while, I've been an asset to the U.S. Government. Since then they have continually asked what it is I want for my service. Since I am apart of a group of Missionaries that doesn't believe in payment due to service it has become complex to perceive what it is I do want. It comes the time to put into detail what it is I desire:

I want to reclaim my real full name, David Windsor. Of course, I want my blood to accept me. But at the moment it is irrelevant. I have an obligation to a people I can seriously relate to. People who if I was in the same position would gladly do the same. Maybe some of them wouldn't but why should that make the difference?

My circumstances have really been unnecessarily shameful. All I've wanted is to explore my identity and yet people offer secrecy. What I've noticed is in every branch of this United States Government there are those of advocacy and heresy. No sector of the organization feels solely the same for me. To consider such a thing would put everyone in the same bubble of thought. Such a form of segregation is something the Enemy holds in high regard. Which is why I shall remain intentionally ignorant of such practices.

I had the money and the means to get to Israel. But some fools froze my accounts impulsively and just plain extemporaneously as if I am some sort of terror threat. When I risk my life for there sakes they decide to paint me as an enemy. The kind of enemy destined for execution by there spiteful hands. What is logic? Simply put I am a Christian who is not swayed by their sinful indulgences.

I don't want a new identity or a new life. I want to accept the identity I've always had and enjoyed the life of which so many fools attempted to control. If my enemies face me like men instead of hiding like children and grow courage in the midst of numbers then I'll be ready. Why fear the wrath of man when I know the wrath of God is exact? Nothing could be swifter. So when I see these Barbie spies hiding every time I call them out I laugh. Because it reminds me of Adam and Eve. Didn't they try and hide from there mistakes? I too have tried to hide from my sins. The sin of deception, of arrogance, of selfishness, of lust, and there's probably more that I'm just not ready to accept. But that is the point, isn't it? We are all sinful people trying to make amends for our mistakes. But the only true way to do such a thing is to accept Christ as your savior. No government could give you a better chance than the Holy Trinity.

Another aspect that just bothers me is there constant attempt to find a code in everything I do. I was looking out this pleasant window expressing part of the Houston downtown area and people act as if I'm scouting out a sniper. My survival is based on a number of factors. But when God tells you you are safe their's no reason to doubt it. Relaxation is something I'm fond of. You just add anxiety when you anticipate something that isn't there.

They've made silent offers to go to school in the states. But frankly, this school system sucks. Elementary, Middle, High, and a bit of college. What did I learn? Absolutely nothing. Every useful skill I learned when I left the states or experienced extremities in the states. A school setting makes me want to regurgitate. Ergo, I would rather throw up than set foot in a ridiculous system. The education I required no money but all commitment. Sure some skills I acquired through favors and some coin. But the most important lessons were learned through earned respect. There's no way a school teacher respects every student. But when you first earn that mentor's respect thereby gaining the important lessons that are when you gain more than any college could give you.

That's not to say you can't gain a wealth of knowledge from any known education system. I've just learned more from the unknown ones.

I'll most likely come back to the U.S. to eventually pursue the arts. But that is not my main objective. I don't have scores to settle but relationships to build. No matter the high or the low that is all that matters. Perhaps the U.S will offer some resources for my journey other than the mud some of them (not all of them) have thrown on my face. But I really am fine either way. Here I can anticipate being treated like I have leprosy. So if I get nothing it would be by no means surprising. Plus they have the audacity to act as if they saved me. When really they're like a dad who decided to stop by after 22 years of abandonment while the mother (the Missionaries and other great heroes) has been protecting and guiding me from day one. And this mama bear hasn't taken any breaks. Even when a lot of them have. I have no doubt some of them relished the thought of my enemies killing me. But I am untouchable by God's grace not by any pitiful physical "mercy".

I am just so sick of feeling like I'm in a prison of misunderstanding. Despite my continual transparency. I'm transparent, not translucent.

There have been times where if they would have told me we're protecting you I would have to ask: how can you protect me from yourself?

Because if I didn't have my license and social a lot of them would have killed me by now. Does that mean they represent the entirety of the U.S. Government? Hell no! People like that are just examples of a load of cowards who can't accept how wrong they are because they're too busy bolstering up their egos. Honestly, I'm surprised they still have a job. How can you rely on someone who's more interested in saving their own asses then the guy next to them?

Oh, and do these pricks get pissed when I call them out on their bullocks. Then they try to act as they care about me. If I was a corpse on the street you would take a selfie, you sick demented morons! But have I, throughout this entire process, had a reason to anticipate death? By Gods Grace: no.

Their mistake is a heavy reliance on fear. I am referring to the cowards of course. Such people are a form of the slaver. They wish to keep their informants in fear so they can do anything they can to take advantage of them. To make the person bend over as they relish in their sadistic pleasures. Such people are the inevitable viruses of any system. Just because a car is dirty doesn't mean it can't be cleaned. Yes, I've given a wealth of information and exposed a wealth of criminals. But that doesn't mean I'm for free. Money has never been an object of concern for me. I've thrived with or without it. Its freedom I will continually seek. No amount of money, no occupation could be worth more than that to me.

Why should anyone fear my expression? Has it ever been a crime to express oneself honestly? Since I don't fear who I am I've officially accepted that cameras will follow me in some way. It seems my reputation has finally landed in the states. But at this point I quite like it. Just as long as personal space is constant. After all, I don't want to be treated like a slave again. A lot of people have called me a weirdo or just been confused by my actions as if I have to fit a certain mold. But I realized when I read the biographies of celebrities they were treated the same way. So I guess I could look at it as a good sign. I do think the photos and videos of me would be fun to watch in certain cases and just a plain invasion of privacy in others.

Despite these neanderthal's, I know a lot of them to care about me. But sympathy or apathy doesn't change that I need to go to Israel. Do I give a damn if my enemies know my destination or not? Of course not and I shouldn't have to mention why. There fear their of overt caution is just evidence of the fact that they have very little understanding of what they're dealing with. But the Missionaries do. And whether they help us or not makes no difference. We will still pursue the mission objective. As we always have and always will.

Yes, the Missionaries could get me there in a matter of days. But the relationship between the U.S and the Creed of Christians (Missionaries) needs to have a solid structure. Its clear to me now the whole purpose of coming back to the US to spill the beans was so I could be free to go where I please. Which thanks to my training is exactly where I'm supposed to go. I definitely can't dispute if it wasn't for the scrutiny of law enforcement and the constant surveillance (for a time) I wouldn't have had the chance to tear away from the fake family. So yeah that tearing away from that toxic mold couldn't have happened without them. It has been freaking cool working with them. Especially when I drove to LA. It was so composed. Every maneuver was a different thrill. And watching my enemies flee in fear wouldn't have been so satisfactory if it wasn't for my exposure induced by there surveillance. Recently the cowards tried to drug me which I can't help but laugh at. If my calculations are correct this is the second time they've attempted this. Even the Russians stopped drugging me because I learned how to fight through it. When it comes to any drugs as long as you physically exert yourself it is plausible to shatter that barrier between you and your capability.

One of the big mistakes some of them have made is thinking I am in some way going to be some sort of Edward Snowden ergo a boy who thinks he could run the country better by pointing out the flaws but totally ignoring his own hypocrisy by sleeping with a Judas of a Government. Look everyone can agree mistakes were made on both sides. As long as we remain transparent and not look for ways to annoy each other we really shouldn't have any problems. Yeah, I've been pissed off at the stupidity that has come my way, but that doesn't change the warm hearts I've come across as well.

Wither they be military, investigative, or a mixture of the two it's not hard to see that the people advocating for me within the U.S. Government and abroad are by no means few in number. This is why it is of the utmost importance for us to work together to put a stop to these extremists by any means necessary.

[hak-7]

ASA

The Children of Israel or Jews as some call them were chosen by Allah; G'd, to deliver His message to all the people, they were not chosen by G'd to be the one special people above all other people on earth, Allah has no partners or associates. They failed to follow the command of Allah through their Prophet Moses, Moses was successful but most of the following went astray. The same mission was then placed upon Prophet Muhammad 610 AD, to call the people back to their original G'd given human nature.

Allah made a covenant with the Children of Israel, when they broke the covenant Allah gave that same covenant to Prophet Muhammad, that same covenant is upon us Muslims today. Praise be to Allah.

Isaac and Ismail are from the same Father, Ibrahim, Isaac, the father of Israel was the first leader of the Children of Israel; the 12 tribes. Ismail was the beginning of the Muslim movement, finalized with Prophet Muhammad, Allahs Messenger, The last Prophet of Allah to mankind.

All Prophets and Messengers, and Holy Books, are from One Source, Allah, The One and Only G'd.

See Qur'an, 2:40-86SUPPORTS YOU CAN'T SEE

And God says, "Look at the heavenly bodies." Both Scriptures point us to the heavens, for us to observe the wisdom for a higher order of human life on this planet earth. God says, "Observe the bodies that you see in the sky and how they appear to be supported with no props or supports under them that you can see."

What is that saying to us? It is saying that not only your life but the existence of the material universe is existence upon powers that you can't see. The sun you can't see what is holding it up. The moon you don't see what is holding it up there. You get a telescope and look at planets and material bodies or material mass bigger than ours.

Look at the planets, like Jupiter. You cannot see what is holding them up there. Science tells you of the trillions and trillions of tons not pounds in that mass. There it is hanging out there in space seemingly with no support holding it up.

That is pointed out to us to tell us to trust the God that designed this creation, trust the God that designed the Universe. Trust Him. You can't explain everything He did. Trust Him. He knows and you know not.

You look at what He has done and then come up with your own explanation for it. I know about universal gravity. That is what science tells us.

But when the farmer looks up there, he doesn't see any universal gravity. All he sees is big bodies up there and nothing is holding them up. So God's Lesson is going to stay, no matter what science says.

God gives us a Lesson that says, "Have faith in the Lord that designed this creation. The way it is designed is too big for your mind to grasp. Have faith in The One that designed it and don't doubt.

Imam W.D. Mohammed (raa)https://www.instagram.com/p/CC33dRXJ2BT/?igshid=1vwaofkitf11chttps://www.facebook.com/masjidmuhammedjacksonvillefl/videos/327046542021423/Marriage is not easy. It can be difficult. It can also be amazing and beautiful. Your partner is not perfect. Neither are you. So why demand perfection? The grass is not always greener on the other side. Today, let us pray for all those marriages which are causing heartache and may Allah protect, bless and guide us all. AmeenMarriage is not easy. It can be difficult. It can also be amazing and beautiful. Your partner is not perfect. Neither are you. So why demand perfection? The grass is not always greener on the other side. Today, let us pray for all those marriages which are causing heartache and may Allah protect, bless and guide us all. Ameen"America, The Modern Sodom and Gomorrah"

If your eyes are open, and you look around us today, you can't help but notice that America has the wrath of God on it, and it may very well be because those who are religious leaders in this society have abandoned their duties and responsibilities in leading the masses of society in the moral direction set by G'd The Almighty.

The religious leadership is getting weaker and weaker by the day. A good example of how weak they have become - There once was a time when homosexuality was taboo in this society and throughout the world, in one time or another. If you look around us today you'll see that it's just about accepted not only among the masses, but even among some clergy. If you ask the clergy what their views are on this subject, many will tell you that homosexuals deserve rights that everyone else has, or they may say that they don't see homosexuality as a serious problem facing America today.

Dear people, when the religious role models in this society can't see that all problems stem from a spiritual problem, we're in trouble! When those who do see it as a problem are too weak to address the issues that their religious scripture draws out as a clear abomination, then there's no leadership for those right minded people. Some religious leaders will admit that homosexuality is unnatural, but they'll say it only behind closed doors, because they're too afraid to address the issue for fear of the consequences, what ever they may be. This is terrible because this shows that they have no faith in the All-Powerful, Almighty G'd, Who no one is a match for. There are homosexuals preaching in the church in some cities across the country. Even our politicians are supporting homosexuals because they want their votes.

Homosexuality is slowly being accepted as a natural way of life because the religious leaders have failed to prove otherwise.

By now you have noticed that we have yet to use the term most commonly used today, gay -- This term came from the same sociologists in this society who determine and define what's sane and what's insane in America -- many who are themselves homosexuals.

IS HOMOSEXUALITY A CREATION OF G'D?

Almighty G'd has shown us in the Bible, the Torah and the Qur'an that homosexuality is an abomination. So how did they get people to accept what G'd has made forbidden? They suppressed G'd's word and changed the terms homosexual and pervert to a term that people already naturally accepted as a happy word, and so the term gay was used for homosexuals. It's easier to say gay rights than to say pervert rights. This is very clever of those so-called students of human behavior, who because of their knowledge and wealth and hunger for power strayed from the path of G'd and became enemies to G'd and humanity. They have piggybacked on the struggle of civil rights and minorities and have gained a following, but no matter what they do they can never change what G'd has made natural.Book #3 WDM p.18 of 86

Allah judges

Allah knows their value. we can’t judge that. We may take a brother who drinks and sit him over there with the corrupt, and that brother who drinks may be in heaven a little higher than us when are resurrected. We don’t know. Maybe the drinking that you did with Islamic science was bigger, made you a bigger drunk than he is. So we don’t know. So it is hard for us to do that. But sometimes I would like to see a good situation where all the corrupt, I know they are over there. I would be free, more relaxed to talk over here. When I talk over there I’d have something for them to say. It would be more relaxed for me to address them knowing that they are over there. But we can’t do that.

So now, what do we have to see, first? That Al Islam is a Religion that focuses the light on man and shows him firstly, principally, as a social creature; that G-d intended for him to be a social creature; not to be satisfied being an island, or on an island all to himself; that he must mate and become a bigger social unit; family, tribes, and then until you embrace the whole community of man on this earth and see yourself as a member in one family, with all people. So man is a social creature.

Qur’an gives social inspiration

Man is a social creature and the spirit of the Qur’an is, what? The spirit of the Qur’an is social inspiration. It feeds our social aspirations. This word social is bigger than we think it is. By social we don’t mean just associating with each other, physically, but our dependency on each other as members of a world society. We want to keep the focus on the Muslim community right now. As members of the Muslim community, our dependency on each other brings us together and our love for each other brings us together. So here we have a love for each other that brings us

Book #3 WDM p.19 of 86 together, and a dependency on each other that brings us together.

Pretty soon we find that the teacher of the school has to be tied up full time in doing that. But there is also a need to have business growing in the community. So there is a business person feeding business.

The social context in terms of people keeps expanding with growth, and as it grows there is more demand for more things to take care of the needs of its growing people. He can have the regulation of the home in the parent. He can have the regulation of the family in the parent. He can have the regulation of the morals in the parent, the discipline, the laws that discipline the family can be in the parent, everything. Everything can be in the parents.

That’s a small unit and he can manage that. But when it extends and involves hundreds of families, he can’t manage that. If there is nobody but him and his family, he can go out, take his sons out with him, children with him, go out and plow the field, and regulate his own food. He doesn’t need anybody to regulate the economy for him. He can handle that. But when they multiply in a social unit, it’s the social unit that is getting bigger. The social unit gets bigger and brings in demands for industry, for more sophisticated government, more complex government ideas, and everything else we can think of. There is not one other single influence responsible for the growth and development of society, other than the social principle, or the social influence.

Now, go back to the sun as a symbol. The sun, I said earlier that it’s the principle behind all the changes in the weather, the growth and everything, didn’t I? So here you have, now, me saying that the social interest, the social principle, is the influence behind all the other growth and possibilities.

Can’t we then say that the sun is also a symbol of man as a social unit, the Khalifa is male and female, and the purpose of male and female is to have generations? That’s the social principle. So the Khalifa is the social principle. He is the sun. He is the social principlTHE ROBE

Lost Knowledge

Now, let’s continue here. What is the robe symbolic of? Do you recall? Symbolic of the way you use the knowledge, the dress, symbolic of the way you use the knowledge. The sheet is the knowledge, the pages, the script.Remember now, when Jesus was crucified, he lost his robe and they gambled to see who would possess his robe. Now if you understand the meaning of robe, then you should understand that this world doesn’t have the true knowledge, the true use of the knowledge that Jesus gave them.

The knowledge was lost from Jesus’ body and it fell in the hands of crooked sinners. They gambled for it. Not only that, the silver cup, the special cup, it was lost too. Which tells us not only the proper use of the knowledge was lost, but also the moral cleanliness was lost from the religion.Silver chalice I think they call it. Is that what they call it? I think it is called Silver chalice. It was lost from Christianity. So how would they explain this? Ask the preacher next Sunday morning at 11 o’clock. Ask him. Say preacher; please tell me what it means in Christianity when they say that they lost the Silver chalice, the silver cup. Ask the preacher, how they can have the shroud of Jesus, in this city that is called Turin.

When the Bible says that his robe fell into the hands of sinners and they gambled to see who would possess it. So how can they have his robe there? If they have it, sinners gave it to them and if the sinners gave it up, it wasn’t fit to wear. That’s right. That robe wasn’t fit to wear. After it fell into the hands of sinners, who would want to wear it?

What is sweeter than honey?

Let’s continue now, it says he gave them another riddle. And this riddle is: “What is sweeter than honey?” And “What is stronger than a lion?”So he gave two riddles. In fact four parts to it.Second one is, “What is sweeter than honey?What is stronger than a lion?” All right. You know honey means the beauty of pure scripture. How do we know this? We know it because in the Qur’an this word is used. Honey is a good word for scripture. The honey is the essence of the flower and flowers are symbolic of beautiful culture.What is sweeter than the beauty that G-d offers you? What is sweeter than the sweetness that you find in G-d’s pure scripture? That’s what he’s telling them. And what is stronger than a lion? What he’s telling them is that, the east has honey.

They have the beauty of G-d’s revelation. And you have the strength of a lion. I’ve got something that makes you stronger, and I’ve got something to give you to make your doctrine sweeter than their honey.You see this thing? Yes, it’s plain. So he gave them, the Gentile world, the doctrine of love, the love of Christ that was sweeter than the moral and spiritual teachings to weak people, than the pure teachings of the Prophet. It’s sweeter to them … that G-d loves you sinners so much, that he gave his only begotten son, that he should be scorned, mocked, spat on, tortured, crucified, and die and be buried for your sins. Oh that’s sweet to ignorant weak people, sweeter than the truth of G-d’s scripture. So he said what is sweeter than honey? This lie I am going to give you is sweeter than the pure honey of Scripture that the east has.

Cheated Samson out of his heifer

And what is stronger than a lion? This subtle psychology…. (indiscernible) and he himself was going to destroy the Philistines. They have cheated him out of his heifer; I am talking about right now!The Christian Church that he thought would be his heifer betrayed him. Say oh, you can have business, you can have media, you can have this, but you are not going to run our churches. The Gentile doesn’t want any Jews over their churches. If you want to have something, you can have Peter. Go and tutor the Pope in secrecy. He’ll accept it. But these ordinary Gentiles are not going to accept that no Jew rule over them.So you mean to tell me you are not going to give me my heifer? So why don’t you, can’t you all do it through me, can’t you all carry out my orders?No we can’t do it. They are not going to listen to it. Well very good. Well then can I tell you what kind of doctrine you should give to the masses that won’t follow Peter?Yes it’s okay. All right. I’m going to make bread again. I’m going to get on a wheel. I’m going to make Marxism. I’m going to make Communism.I’m going to make the Age of Reason. I’m going to exalt logic. I’ll give them some new flour, is that okay? Well that’s okay. As long as you don’t take over the church. No, I won’t bother the church. Okay. Go on to the wheel again. It’s okay.

Bring society down on me and them

Now listen. After all that he still was not satisfied. Is that right? Yeah look at the story now, remember, he still is not satisfied. So he said, “I am blind, but I got something that they don’t know I’ve got. I got special power, in my arms.” “All I want to do is just have somebody show me to the pillars of the foundation of their society. And if I just can get to the two pillars that hold up the structure of their society, I’m going to bring it down on me and them.”So Samson goes and stands between the two pillars with the help of a little boy. He couldn’t see but he used the help of a little boy. What is the help of that little boy? Psychology. Psychology.

Don’t think it’s another person; he’s not even a person. Persons carry it out, but he’s a knowledge body. Then he goes and he used a little boy, psychology. Don’t human beings use psychology before they use intelligence?That’s why in psychology in this particular context it’s called a little boy. Your little children, before they are able to compete with you on an intelligence plane, they already using psychology on you. So psychology is an early development in the human being. That’s why the Jahcubite’s cousin, Fard Muhammad said Yakub conceived his idea at the age 6, as a little boy, a psychology. He’ll be surprised to know that I know that. I hope he gets this. I understand that he’s back home now. So he’ll get this message, Insha ‘Allah. Now, let me continue. With the help of psychology, he finds his way to the foundations of the new society. And when he gets to the foundation, what does he do? He forms a cross of himself and he begins pressing with all his might. That’s what the Scripture says. Said he pressed with all his might, with all his strength on the pillars, forming of himself a cross. What does this mean? This is more than Trinitarianism, this is the psychology of the mentality that Trinitarianism has produced.

Weaknesses in the mentality that trinitarianism has produced

He has now learned that there are certain weaknesses in the mentality that Trinitarianism has produced. And he knows that he can appeal to their emotions, and he can push in two directions at the same time.He didn’t pull the pillars, he pushed. He can push in opposite directions at the same time. Make one people give in to emotions, and the other people give in to logic. Push them. So that some will become highly emotional and some will become highly logical.And in doing this the logic will act against the emotions, and emotions will act against the logic. The emotional makeup will kill the logic, the logic will offend the emotions, the society will be divided against itself and the pillars will fall. Don’t you know that’s a strategy that is used in this Society? Whenever the hidden evil in the structure is about to be exposed they began firing the society with emotion, sentiment, flower children, love for everybody, crazy kind of sentimentality and emotionalism. They fire it up and build up strong emotions, this is depressing. Now when he does it it’s going to drop the whole thing. If he can be successful and bring in the sentimental and emotional elements against the logic, it’s going to destroy the whole thing.But look, he will certainly, he will be killed, as a knowledge body. He was already blind wasn’t he? What the hell has he lost? Nothing. Once he brings it down, he would start up all over again. Do, ra, mi, fa, sol, la, ti.

By the Grace of G-d, through IWDM, America was not destroyedJust in a few years that have passed us dear people, that scheme has tried to destroy America. But by the grace of G-d, through me, America was not destroyed. Why do I say through me? Because I was the only one that came out when the trend was to go in the form of the cross. When the trend was to become emotional, highly emotional and give one side to dry logic, I came up in the middle of that action and said there is a scheme going on, there is a trick going on.This whole thing is designed to fire up your sentiments, your emotions and topple the society. Somebody must have heard me and believed others who had been talking before I started, and all of it came together to save America. Yes.

See they didn’t believe others who were saying, there is a scheme, there is a hidden scheme. But when I began to speak, they say look, now we know this boy, we’ve been watching this boy since his father raised him up. We know that this boy is not a tool of outside influence. So if he says these things that ring a bell, where did he get it from? We believe maybe G-d is inspiring Wallace D. Mohammed. So they went back to the desk. And they begin to pull out things from the old file and they studied history all over again. And they said that Wallace D. Mohammed is an inspired man, he sees something. And what he is saying is what we’ve heard before. It might be something to it. How else could he get it?

Simple Simon met a pie man on the way to the square

Say oh no, let’s check this thing. Let’s check this thing. Said I’m sorry, you can’t get sixpence today, only one. Sorry, we aren’t buying pies today. We’re buying cakes. You heard that old story of Simple Simon … Simple Simon met a pie man on the way to the square. I think it goes,” … said Simple Simon to the pie man, would you have a sixpence to spare?” And I think he said, “If I was selling sixpence, I wouldn’t be selling pies!” Well, that’s another one of the conspirators’ riddles. And I will tell you what it means. Sixpence means the knowledge behind the scheme. It’s said the man was made on the 6th day. The sixpence is the knowledge behind the scheme. Simon was given seven (7), not six (6). He couldn’t see 6, six (6) was ruling seven (7). But he wanted the six (6).What is the secret in this? Will you tell me please, Mr. Pie man? You know what Pi is? 3.1416, I think it is. It’s a formula for finding the circumference of the earth. It’s a formula for world dominance. Now I’m not saying anything that I didn’t want to say, I know it’s a formula for finding the circumference of a circle. It’s a formula for world dominance.

If I was selling my own secrets you think I’d be selling pies And Peter, the Catholic Church wanted it. But the conspirator wouldn’t give it to them. Said if I was selling my own secrets you think I’d be selling pies? You think I’d be telling you how to get the world, if I was selling the secret to how to get it.I’ll just tell you how to get it; I’m not going to tell you my secret. You get it from me. Yes. All Peter got was some magic beans; he did manage to get those didn’t he? You remember that riddle? Nursery rhyme, whatever you want to call it. Jack and the beanstalk. Yeah. He had Jack, which is nothing again but Peter, or the Western society. Pardon me, I shouldn’t say Peter, not Peter, Jack is not the Catholic Church, it’s the Western society, Protestant society. Catholic Church headquarters is in Rome. This is typical American. Jack is talking about typical America. That’s why we call each other Jack. You know, hey jack, what’s happening Jack?

Yes, so, it was Peter, the Pope who asked them for his sixpence. But Jack, the American Christian society, they asked for magic beans. Well really they didn’t know what to ask for. All they wanted was really to be rescued, because their cow had got so lean, it was about to die.Everything was going bad. And they wanted to know how to bring back life. How can my cows get fat again? How can the society thrive again?So, while they were (wandering) wondering, this funny looking thing jumped out in the road. And he made himself visible and he said, “Magic beans want to buy some magic beans, like to buy some magic beans?” And Jack agreed to give his cow up for the magic beans. I’m showing you that this is not only in Scripture. If it is only in Scripture that means that what I’m talking about may not be existing in the world today. Or maybe it was just a story that was only in Scripture, maybe it was just fiction. But if it’s in the world too, we should listen.

What do the magic beans represent?

Now. Says this little funny thing, man, jumped out, and he talked Jack into giving up his cow for these magic beans. Right. Some of you remember it. He went away with his cow. What do the magic beans represent? A way to, again, to the secret knowledge in Christian religion. A way to the secret knowledge in Christian religion.And dumb Protestant society gave up their lean cow for this heavenly knowledge. What is the lean cow? The lean cow represents what they had before. What did they have before? They had rational growth. The Protestant movement began with an interest in rational growth. Is that right? Yes.

Our knowledge is weak, our cow is lean

They wanted to pursue knowledge. The Catholic Church had suppressed enlightenment, had suppressed education. The people weren’t allowed to learn. The masses couldn’t learn and educate themselves. So a thirst for knowledge came with Martin Luther. Right. And they began to want knowledge to develop their minds.Here comes Jake, Jack pardon me, feeling himself desperately in need of help. We have the interest in rational development of our society, but our knowledge is weak, our cow is lean. We haven’t yet produced anything. We need help. Who would help us?Oh Lord Jesus, help us. We got this logic. But Rome is powerful. We got this logic and Rome is powerful. G-d help us please! Ding, ding. Jahcubite conspirator. I will help you! Would you like to have some magic beans? If I give you my magic beans you’ll have to give me your lean cow. In effect he was saying the same thing that Samson said. I’m going to give you a new world, but you’re going to have to give me the one that you got now. And if you give him the one you got now, when it becomes fat, who does it belong to? Belong to him. He got it. He got it in exchange for the magic beans.

Over the heavenly kingdom was a mean old giant

So he (Jack) went home and planted. Went home and he didn’t know the value of them right? But I think accidentally one fell into the ground right? The thing grew up and it went up, up, up. He saw it going up past his window, he ran out and jumped on it, and the thing took him up into heaven. (It) took him up on the plane of clouds, into a castle that was in the clouds. Right. Yes.There he found a nice old woman that befriended him. But over that heavenly kingdom was a mean old giant. That right? Yes. He said fee, fi, fo, fom, I smell the blood of an Englishman, be he live or be he dead; I’ll grind his bones with my bread. With my bread. Remember bread is of two kinds. Leaven and unleavened. I’ll grind his bones with my bread.So, he managed to escape with the help of this woman up there, old woman who was nice. He managed to escape. Who is the old woman who was nice? Means people in the religious knowledge of the secrets of religion that weren’t corrupt. Didn’t have no evil designs on the world like the conspirators. They shared with him after he got up there. They shared with him some knowledge. Helped him to get the golden knowledge down from heaven.

The Golden knowledge it came from the hen right? The hen who laid golden eggs. But the hen couldn’t lay any golden eggs without music playing. When music played the hen would lay the eggs. The music stopped, the hen stop laying the golden eggs. Which means that the wisdom is tied to music? Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Do, ra, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Now when he got the musical scheme, he came back down with the hen and the music harp plus the knowledge, and he tied them together, then he had wisdom.He had wisdom to bring back down with the hen, and the music harp right, according to the story. From heaven, he brought back with him, they don’t say heaven, but it is the heaven of religious symbolism — Biblical symbolism. He came back down with the music maker and with the egg layer. You needed both in order to get the wisdom. The golden egg means wisdom. All right.

Giant’s fall from heaven left a big hole in the earth

The giant fell from heaven. Is that right? He was so big and heavy that when he fell he knocked a big hole in the earth, left there a big hole in the earth. The giant was finished. Who was finished? Who is the big giant that was finished? The people in the secret religion. The Pope.The Pope and certain others that I don’t care to name right now, that hoard the secrets of religion. When the Protestant was given the secret way to get it, and when Protestant leadership got it, got their share. Don’t think they got all, they got their share. Catholic got his share yes. Protestant got their share. The conspirators got the whole share.When they got it, the position of superiority of them over American Christian leadership fell. When it fell, it knocked a big hole in the ground. What is that symbolic of? Actually they were not spiritual people, they were material people.And when they fell a big part of the material that they had before was taken out. So much of the material wealth that was under Catholicism, and under other secret conspirators in religion, fell to Jack, to the American Christian Society. Is that right? Yes.Then they began to rise. But they only had magic beans. Magic beans is not knowledge. Magic. The only way you can get it is through magic. You have to have the knowledge of the magic to know how to work them. And, they were secret, so only a few of the Jack people can have them.

Jack: the American Christian society

Let me quickly tell you what Jack represents in the American Christian Society. It represents the intelligent leadership, Jack represents the intelligent leadership. Now Jack is not as long as Jacob. So their knowledge is shorter than Jacob, you see?Jack is a derivative of the word Jacob. Jacob is the origin, Jack is a derivative, derived from Jacob. So Jack is just a short …. they don’t have Jacob that’s long. But they do have enough to enable them to keep this same rhythm going.Rotating events, with a seven note scale, or is it eight. Yes, an eight note scale that goes to seven, and comes back to where it started. Right? Do, ra, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do, come back to where it started. So they were given knowledge of how to keep society going through these changes, psychological changes.

So America unknowingly, has been going through these changes. Look at the trends, one fad behind another. Pretty soon you are wearing what you wore 20 years ago. Right. Pretty soon you’re dancing the way you danced 20 years ago. You are talking the way you talked 20 years ago. You are thinking the way you thought 20 years ago.So they keep rotating. They have the Jahcubite scheme, but they have only that pie that Jahcubite wanted them to have. Jahcubite sell pies all over the world Jahcubite sell pies all over the world. Sold the Pope a pie. Sold Protestant America a pie. Sold Communists East a pie, called it the red pie. Yes, the red pie. I’m getting ready to let you go now.

What does the red represent? What do they mean red? You say passions? That’s to trick you. Yes,Red means passions in the other octave. It has been played. It’s another octave. It takes on another color, it takes on another dress. It don’t keep the same dress, it says I will sell you changes. You see?Yes, it meant passions in one place, but not passions in Communist Russia, although passions are involved. It means the social life. Red means the social life. What ties me together with my brother? Blood. Blood is red. See. So people, as a social group are tied together first by blood. And they call each other brother, you see. So that’s blood.Red stands for blood. What blood? Human blood. Human blood, according to the Bible, New Testament in particular, should combine with water, which is human spirit, symbolic of human spirit.

Bring the social life too

So people should be spiritual, as well as social, according to the New Testament teaching. You shouldn’t just be blood. Christ Jesus says, “I come not of water only, but of blood also.”What does this mean? It means that before him, the people were all spiritual, but were neglecting the social development of society, the development of the relationship of person-to-person, people to people, communities to communities.He came to bring the blood, means to bring the social life up too, with the spiritual life. This is in the Scripture.So now, if the East has become red, it means that they now have gone to another … see the world was spiritual, and then it became religious.Now they are trying to get it to become all red. No spirituality, take the spirituality out of it. Make it all red, that we are social group and we are born out of materialism, so material concepts should govern us. We shouldn’t have spiritualism in our life. Give up; give out the water, only the red.

Imam W.D. Mohammed (raa)