#this brought to you by me writing up a summary of his concurrence in the affirmative action case that came out this year

[downn-in-flames]

if i get to absolutely deck ONE person with kaz brekker’s crow head cane i’m picking clarence thomas

[skadren]

For the wips, because I adore your work ❤️ a summary of each WIP? BUT for the ones you've already given summaries for, maybe share one of your favorite details for those you haven't summarized, like what part you love writing the most about it!

wip ask game

aaa thank you <3 we'll just go down the list then, skipping the first two for zine reasons!

elegy rewrite: if there are still any of you who don't know what elegy actually is, it's an au where asgzc got together in cc-era but canon still went to shit. when asgz are brought back to life, cloud doesn't remember anything about their past relationship, so now they have to figure out why they were brought back to life while actually dealing with the emotional repercussions of their actions during crisis core

agoraphobia: really really having fun exploring the queerplatonic undertones of this iteration of cloud and vincent's relationship ngl. like they've always strayed towards that end of the spectrum for me personally but this is the most overt i've ever made it. self indulgence on max

take me to church: lots and lots of gothic vibes. yes this is in fact how i'm unpacking my catholic upbringing. shhhh

owo: that one pwp i promised ages and ages ago for aitr feat. bottom seph

noncommunicative bastards: there's fake dating at some point where everyone in avalanche knows strifentine are fake dating but then they actually get together and no one believes they're together. why, you ask? because i think it's funny

puppet au: because this was supposed to be for this year's sefikura week one of the prompts i planned to fill was pears. please imagine pears fitting into this depressing storyline somewhere and tell me how, i also think it'd be hilarious to see what any of you came up with

deity au: so fun fact i thought this was the sephiroth-is-homura au but i went and actually checked and. this is what i wrote for our brainstorming together ash it's not a wip after all. oops. and sephiroth-is-homura au is only a wip in my heart, it does not exist in google drive

foreigner's god: sequel to stormborne. cloud ends up traveling with seph and vincent and they end up gathering all of avalanche together once again in a quest to take down the reactors, which vincent is insistent on doing in god-cloud's honor. i am 100% tempted to bring genesis in as sent by shinra to stop them but ending up with a giant crush on both cloud and vincent, which drives sephiroth absolutely insane. who is going to stop me

ripples, blood and wine follow-up, and unchanging, everchanging sort of all go in a category together, i guess, as taking place in blood and wine 'verse. ripples and unchanging, everchanging are concurrent with blood and wine while the follow-up is, well, a follow-up. fun fact unchanging, everchanging and fierce and free are both named after ffxiv zone music from areas in the first

allhallowtide: cloud wakes up as a ghost in shinra manor, whose other ghostly residents help him settle in. but the resident vampire vincent doesn't seem as fond of him, and he seems to know something about cloud's death that no one else does [cue ominous music]. maybe one day i will finally finish it.... it'll have to be around halloween for the vibe though

medieval au: oh THIS is an old old old one with a ton of worldbuilding i don't have room to go over here. a sort of cinderella-esque sefikura au where cloud, tifa, and aerith sneak into a three-day ball to try to get information on soldier, an elite fighting force tasked with protecting the king. they'll have to get past them in order to help aerith reclaim her rightful throne. there's a scene where cloud's disguise fades at midnight and his eyes start to glow when he and sephiroth stare at each other from across the room it's all very dramatic

fuck.txt: pwp for elegy that may or may not need to be completely scrapped depending on how the rewrite goes :(

[etirabys]

Downbelow Station, a fanfic summary

I’ve been writing fic for this tiny book fandom and have at least a few fandom acquaintances who want to read my fic but don’t want to read the book. This is a summary of what happens in the novel, whose heart, to me, is the relationship between a mindwiped ex-slave and a cross-cultural married couple who take him in under their protection.

The premise

People are in space, since the Earth Company started establishing space stations around increasingly distant stars for manufacturing/trade. There are several types of people:

Stationers stay on one station – stations were originally established by the Earth Company but have since gained de facto independence because Earth is so far away

Merchanters live on ships and trade – family very important to them, so is family name, regularly deal with Stationers as part of their life but find settling down very foreign. More sexually opportunistic than Stationers, possibly less monogamous.

Earth Company Fleet soldiers live on ships; originally under the control of Earth Company, as of novel start have gone kind of rogue, will continue to go even more rogue over the course of the novel

Citizens of Union, a... nation in space that grew in the deepest reaches, furthest away from Earth's influence. Union is currently trying to annex everyone else. Earth Company is trying to resist this through their Fleet. However, Earth Company is not very enthusiastic about this war and have been drawing out; the Fleet thinks it's important to keep fighting and keep doing dipshit moves like impressing Merchanter ships and ?? maybe looting stations a little bit to keep going.

Azi of Union – a genetically engineered underclass specific to Union. Basically designer subs. I believe the word azi is never brought up in Downbelow Station, but it's very clear a character is an azi, and what that means is explained in Cyteen, which takes place in the same universe. Union citizens use 'tapes' casually and at-will for fast learning and entertainment and conditioning, but starting later in life. Azi grow up on tape – their psyches are designed to be good at whatever they were designed to do, whether that's soldiering or psychologizing or childcare. Azi require varyingly regular check-ins with a Supervisor, who is an assigned person who tells the azi they are Very Good and On Course With Their Lives and give them tapes to keep them aligned with their values and mentally stable. Azi have normal human names but also an ID that looks like AO-1234, where the first alphabet character indicates what ‘class’ you are – an Alpha-class azi is probably far smarter than your average citizen and is more capable of functioning independently. Azi can win citizenship, but so far the only people onscreen who’ve done so are Alpha-class azi.

The cast

Damon Konstantin is a head of Legal Affairs on Pell Station, and the son of the Stationmaster, which is apparently a hereditary position. Despite the hereditariness Pell seems to have the most familiar culture to me, a 21st century American expecting democracy and rule of law. Pell Station is special – it orbits a human-livable planet called Downbelow, and there are only three such planets under human control. This means the planet can be used as a base for ‘bioform production’ (a vague category encompassing everything you can grow on a planet but not a space station) and makes Pell strategically valuable. The other two livable planets are Earth, under the control of the Earth Company Fleet’s nominal masters, and Cyteen, the base of Union operations. Pell is neutral, as many star stations try to be.

Elene Quen is a Merchanter who stepped off her ship to marry Damon. They’ve been married for four months at novel start. Her formal role is liaison with Merchanters.

Joshua Talley is a soldier of Union who was captured when Union forces sabotaged (blew up) a station called Mariner Station. He was tortured for information on another station – Russell’s – whose inhabitants feared the same fate for themselves. He had nothing to give them – he was a medium-level technician/soldier, an ‘armscomper’, which I think means he was the person pressing buttons to fire on targets or programming the weapons to fire on targets. During his interrogation Russell’s station was also sabotaged, ensuing in a mass evacuation.

Signy Mallory is one of the ~10 captains of the Earth Company Fleet. She is commanding and very deadly, commands fanatical loyalty from her soldiers. She’s also a sexual sadist. When she comes to evacuate Russell’s Stationers from a failing space station she finds that they have a Union POW who is very pretty, and takes him into her personal quarters for their journey to Pell. It is not said how she rapes him but it was a lot. Joshua thinks of this part as worse than the previous interrogation.

The events from there

When the Fleet arrives at Pell Station, they are convoying huge ships full of thousands of refugees from stations sabotaged / fallen to Union. It has been weeks or months since they started out. The ships were overpacked, many inside are dead, the culture of the ships has quickly turned anarchic/violent.

Angelo Konstantin, master of Pell, says "wtf, we can't take all these people, we don't have space. We literally cannot do this." The Fleet says, “You better,” unloads the highly upset and sick refugees, and leaves. Pell Station clears out two sectors of their station and makes it the 'quarantine zone', later shortened to Q. Conditions are very bad in Q and what to do with the violent, desperate people inside, many of whom cannot prove who they were in their past lives, when Pell doesn’t have the capacity to relocate them, is an ongoing problem throughout the novel.

Before leaving, Signy Mallory also said, "in addition to the refugee crises we unloaded on you, here is a Union prisoner of war we transported separately because the refugees would have killed him", and dumps Joshua on Pell leadership.

Around this time, Elene Quen finds out that her ship was destroyed when Mariner Station blew up. She now has no blood family, and Merchanters put great cultural emphasis on having clan and name. She decides to have a kid, talking Damon into it.

Joshua Talley is extremely depressed and keeps asking for a mindwipe so he can live as a normal citizen on Pell rather than being indefinitely detained. Mindwipes are used on stations as a consensual way of rehabilitating criminals. His captors are reluctant – it’s tantamount to execution. Damon Konstantin is the final permission-giver on the issue and gives it in the end. The process of mindwipe (or Adjustment) necessarily causes the person to regurgitate their whole life. This is recorded. Due to this, he discovers only after the mindwipe is complete that Josh was tortured on Russell’s with mindwipe drugs (presumably for the same regurgitating-your-whole-life property) and then raped on Signy Mallory’s ship on the way to Pell, and that wanting to wipe out the trauma was the real reason he wanted a mindwipe.

Damon feels really bad about this. He checks up on Josh Talley a lot when he's recovering from the mindwipe. He and his wife Elene decide to 'sponsor' him when he's rejoining normal society on the ship. Elene does so through some personal resistance – Josh once belonged to the military force that wiped out her family. They check in with a guy who doesn’t remember much of anything but definitely has abandonment issues and is afraid of emotional entanglement with people.

Josh Talley quietly converts much of his internal body mass into gooey loyalty.

Plot chaos. The station comes to be formally occupied by the Fleet, who wants to use it as their new base of operations, and a Union saboteur named Gabriel who talks to Stationmaster Angelo Konstantin’s main rival and conspires to bring him to power instead...

There’s a part I really really want to summarize here where Josh tries to fall on  grenade for the Quen-Konstantins – literally, trying to take an action that would end in his death but keep them safe from the Fleet – and they show up and say “you idiot, never do that again” and bring him back to their apartment and say “while the Fleet is suspicious of you, you are living HERE, so everyone knows you are under our protection. Forget your old job, we’ll find you something working closely with Damon every day – while you’re in sight they can’t get at you.” But I can’t find a non-confusing way to relay it, sorry.

Soon after that, the Union saboteur succeeds. Angelo Konstantin is assassinated. His rival, Jon Lukas, takes his place, and starts enacting subtly Union-friendly policies. I think this somehow happens concurrently with the Fleet still using Pell as a base of operations. It’s highly chaotic. Elene flees the chaos on a Merchanter ship whose family she knows. Damon and Josh, fearing whoever assassinated Angelo, hide within the more bad and chaotic parts of the station (I honestly don’t believe the author when she says they managed this for months – Pell has tens of thousands of people, that’s not a lot! You could close each sector at a time and sweep everyone!). This part feels like big missed opportunity to me – they spend their time moving from hiding place to hiding place, coming up with hopeless schemes that they know they’ll never enact. One infers they got much closer, but the author doesn’t go into that either. The one delight that comes out of this sequence is that Josh becomes more assertive and competent than we’ve ever seen him – being in hiding, under danger, brings out submerged training. He’s not a dependent anymore – arguably in some places he’s in lead.

In the middle of this, Josh makes contact with the Union saboteur, Gabriel, who hails him as a colleague and informs him that they’re of the same kind. They have the same training. The story Josh gave Russell’s interrogators, and Pell, that he was a mid-tier technician, is an implanted set of memories that automatically flushes his real ones when he was under duress. 

This means, although the author never explores it, that Josh was probably integral to destroying Mariner Station, and concomitantly responsible for Elene’s family’s deaths.

Josh asks Gabriel for safe passage to the planet Downbelow for both himself and a companion. Gabriel acquiesces, but is shocked when the companion Josh brings to the meeting is the Konstantin heir. He starts to say, “Well, well, what a useful person you have brought me –” and then gets shot by a Fleet soldier who’s following reports of a suspicious person. (My fic Half-Silvered Mirror diverges from canon at this point, and asks what would have happened if Gabriel had his way.)

Now in the hands of the Fleet, Josh and Damon meet with Signy Mallory again. Josh isn’t what Mallory remembers – as a rape victim he was passive, inward-turned. This Josh is articulate and emotional and loyal. Damon isn’t what she expects, either – he manages to jab at her conscience about what the Fleet has become, lawless and unmoored from any democratic interest. She plans to execute both of them the next day.

Due to convoluted plot reasons, she doesn’t. She turns against the rest of the Fleet, which for their own reasons is headed back towards Earth – to conquer. Her ship, Norway, enters a standoff against Union warships over Pell. Which isn’t on course to go well for her, until someone broadcasts at both of them that Pell is now under Merchanter claim. Elene, while out in space, has been convincing Merchanters to form an unprecedented coordination bloc. She demands Pell for the Merchanter Alliance and informs the Union military leader, Azov, that if he doesn’t acquiesce all Merchanter ships in her fleet will refuse to trade in Union space.

She wins. The scene when she docks at Pell and walks in, pregnant and victorious, to kiss her husband, is one of the most visually !!! scenes.

In the aftermath, Azov tries to take Josh back for Union. Damon says nope, he’s ours. Josh, what do you want? Josh says nothing. Looks at nothing. But when Azov and the other Union soldiers leave, he stays.

And afterwards, he goes to Signy Mallory – whose ships now constitute Pell’s militia – and asks, sincerely, to work as crew on her ship for a while. He says he can’t live on a station comfortably. That the stationers know him, and his past. (Not sure how true this is.) Mallory says it’s nothing another mindwipe can’t cure, and he says he doesn’t want to forget. “I’ve got something. The only real thing. All that I value.”

“So you go off and leave it?”

“For a while.”

Comments

There’s... so much I want to write about and explore.

Did Elene know when Josh left that he was probably responsible for her family’s death? (My fic Awarding Damages is about one way they could resolve this)

What did Signy Mallory do to Josh? Can he handle working under her?

Damon and Elene are so parental to Josh, and they're also embarking on having a family in a dynastic way where having a clan is their way of asserting that they exist and are rooted in the world. And of course Josh is going to feel really weird about how he fits into that – he's only watching it happen because he's a charity case, of course he's going to have no involvement in that project – what place is left for him anyway, he has no one and is nothing. I want this man to have feelings about family and how he doesn't have one and then HAVE A FAMILY I want him to hold the baby and go "OH. You are a biological composite of the two greatest people in the world. I cannot hold it against you that you are now going to push me out of my current living situation with the two greatest people in the world"

Due to the amount of mindfuckery Josh has gone through, it’s unclear to both him and the reader how many his memories are real. What does that do to a person?

From what I know of azi from Cyteen, Josh has psychological needs – again, he’s like a bred sub – that non-Unioners aren’t going to understand. Can he get them met? How does he negotiate that?

[omgmarieux]

Raw and the Baby means Yes. // Roger Taylor x Reader (smut)

Hi!: I just want to say tnx for a hundred followerS! Also I attempted to write smut this week which has a back story of me finishing it until midnight and accidentally erasing the whole thing so I had to rewrite it before dawn 😂 so I hope you like this one, I put a big effort in it, lol.

Warning: nsfw/just smut(fem&male recieving), face (riding&fucking), unprotected sex, softie afterwards.

Summary: besides morning sex, you asked your boyfriend: Roger, to raw you and put a baby in you as another term for your yes.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　enjoy reading!　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Y/N love."

You woke up with your favourite scent of Roger lingering in your nose, and a soft kiss on your forehead, and arms hugging you towards the best person you've ever been with your whole life.

"Morning love." you said as Roger kissed your lips softly. He was about to pull away when you held the top of his head for him to stay put, giving you both the time to kiss passionately, but finally pulls away when your hands left him.

"Rog?"

"Yeah?"

"Today I have plans on riding you." you said back at him as your hands wandered on his clothed chest. He raised an eyebrow at your remark.

"Hmmm? And then?" he hummed in response.

"Riding your face and then, maybe give you a li'l blow." Your hands travelled underneath his shirt and you drew circles on his chest.

On a sudden movement, his hand caught your wrist and pinned you down to the bed, as his another hand caught your free hand to join your pinned body.

"You can't crave for morning sex without answering my proposal to you last night." Roger said chuckling at you. You just rolled your eyes at him.

Oh really? you thought to yourself. Roger kissed you once more again and finally lets go both of your wrist while he tops you over. He crawled down, tugging your pajamas and discarding them off the air, as your panties followed the same fate.

He brings his face close to your inner thigh to kiss it and made a wet trail towards your glistening cunt. As he brings his mouth to your core, his nose brushed with your clit that let out a breathy moan from your mouth. You tangled your hands with his hair pushing his face to meet more of you and you felt his warm mouth covering majority of your vagina, stretching and opening your folds.

"F-fuck!" you hissed as his tongued entered you. Roger's hand holds one of your legs that threatens to close tightly around him while the other one's at your clit performing small circles to stimulate you. You couldn't contain the feeling Roger is giving you as you relentlessly moan his name over and over.

"R-rog, think 'm c-comming." your breaths are short and your eyes are shut closed until you felt Roger pull away.

"What the fuck Roger?" you hissed at him.

"What? Thought you're gonna ride my face?" He asked innocently but not so innocent.

"Wow! Thank you for noting that, Rog." you said sarcastically while rolling your eyes but deep inside you actually do appreciate Roger remembering it before you forgot it yourself.

He crawls back up and kissed you.

"Just passing how good your taste is, love." he laughed as he wraps his arms around your waist and flip your position. You are now on top, straddling him.

"Come on up love." he cooed and you obliged.

Your knees crawled to meet his face and you held on to the headboard. His hands fall on your hips as you start rocking to his face a little bit slow until you build the pace that you desired. His mouth are back at yours, pleasuringly giving you a hotter experience than earlier.

Another chain of moans excape your mouth as your knees are trembling while holding your own weight. Roger's hand never fails to guide and help you, neverthless, your pace went slower than usual.

You looked down to Roger and having to visibly see his long beautiful eyelashes from that angle, you felt more determined to come undone right to his face. Roger brought a finger to your clit stimulating you to reach your high and for a moment, you grabbed all your energy to build up your pace once again. You tightened your grip to the headboard as you felt yourself reaching your high.

Unfortunately, Roger is physically unavailable to coo you because of you hovering his mouth, so you muttered forms of encouragement in the back of your head, until you felt yourself coming undone to Roger's mouth.

He kissed your cunt one last time before you laid down to his chest and rest for a moment.

"So, how do you like to be repaid, love?" you smirked at him as you fix your knees to kneel on both if his side. You tug his shirt, signalling him to remove it and he complied.

You felt his bulge growing inside as you were sitting on his crotch and rode it a little to tease him.

"Fucking hell, Y/N." You lift youself off Roger, and he arched his hips to make your work easier when you started pulling his boxers down. His cock instantly flying over to slap his belly and you smiled you the view.

One hand grabbed his balls to massage and the other one took his length and shove it to your lips to kiss. He whined at the contact that made your smile grow wider.

"You're enjoying this, are you?" he shakily asked you and you chuckled at him.

You took only his tip in your mouth, letting your tongue to swirl and sucking it like a lollipop. Roger grabs a handful of your hair to push you to himself as you bob your head.

"Yes go on love. You're doing good."

You took him deeper as you heard his encouragement, in which you earned a moan out of him. Your free hand held the rest of his length as it moves concurrently with your mouth. You did it for a little while until you pull him out and he whines at the lost of contact.

"Fuck my face daddy." It was supposed to sound like a dirty talk for him, but you were no good at it and it comes out like a command, in which soon he obliged and you're thankful for that.

"Of course stand up Rog. So lazy."

He chuckled with you as he stood up on his feet and you got youself on your knees. He held his length and pumped it first as he grabs your hair one again before shoving his cock inside your mouth. He rocks himself in a fast motion, forcing his whole length to be inside your mouth and you gagged as its tip hits your throat. Liquid dripping from you mouth as he goes further. Soon, Roger failingly keep his pace.

He suddenly pulls out leaving you puzzled.

"Lay down, back on the bed." He commanded as he was about to walk off.

"W-where you going?" you asked panting.

"To get con-"

"Raw me instead Rog." you said and his eyes twinkled at you.

"You sure?" he asked reassuringly.

"Yeah, put a baby in me." He laughed at you as he carries your body towards the upper area of the bed.

"We'll tackle that later." he said and he laid you down properly and he hovered you. He kissed you passionately as his hands took the hem of your shirt and pulled it upwards to remove your covers. He caressed you breast for a moment before proceeding to align his manhood to your entrance. He pushed himself inside you. Rocking back and forth slowly until he found a pace perfect for him. His groans and your moans, together with the skin slapping are the only sound that occupies your whole bedroom.

His pace grew faster that made you grabbed sheets like you've never grabbed them before, curling your toes just as he puts a finger on your clit to rub circular motion on it.

"I'm f-fucking close R-roger!" He burried his face between your neck and shoulder, leaving whichever part of your skin his lips landed violet marks.

He brings your leg to his shoulder giving him the ability to hit deeper and the spot that you've wanted.

"T-there it is!" You walls tighten around Roger's cock and soon you felt yourself filling his length which was enough to drag him to his high as well. You felt a pool of hot spurts waving inside you as he dedicatedly rock his hips slower as he finishes off. Roger's body fell onto yours and rested his weight for a short while until he pulls out of you and laid beside you.

"So love. Why did you want to me to raw you and put a fetus there?" Roger asked.

"Because-" he cuts you off.

"Wait!" he stumbled as he got up from the bed rushing to the bathroom and he walks back with a wet washcloth and cleans you up. He set down the washcloth on the table and laid back at your side, body facing yours.

"So the baby?"

"Roger, it's because I'm saying yes. Yes I will marry you."

He stayed still for a moment, in shock, lost for words, it was when he realized You said yes to his proposal last night he came back to the world. Roger kissed you passionately and about to go deeper when he stood up and whisphered "Where is that goddamn ring?" to himself. He walks towards the hatstand and he cupped his coat for the box and goes back a you and knelt at the side of the bed and put the ring in you.

"Just fits you perfectly love." He said and he kissed the diamond ring attached to your finger and pulls you up to stand with him. You shared kiss with Roger and pulls away after.

"Sex number two today?" He asked smirking at you as he carried your body and throw both of you on the bed.

"First sex after being engaged." You answered as you kissed him passionately and instantly transitioned to hungrily.

[norabrice1701]

Imagine me and you, I do

A “Minority Report” fanfic 

Pairing: Fem!reader x Danny Witwer 

Summary: He worked homicide before going federal. You would know - you were there. And you’ve always known there was something about Danny Witwer. 

Rating: M for sensual sexiness, couple of f-bombs

A/N: So I pulled the screenshot of Mr. Witwer for my previous post, and I couldn’t let this go. This worked its way out in between writing more demon!Percival Graves. I think I’m officially a hopeless case...

You tear at the catches of your Kevlar vest, breathing deep. As much as you owe your life to the thing, you’re always glad to take it off. You hand it to a sergeant, feeling the adrenaline slowly seep out of your system.

This one was so close. Too close.

The sirens of the first ambulance leaving the scene are a distant noise in your ears. The medics said the perp was in bad shape, but would likely live. You can honestly say you’re a little surprised - the perp and your boss had fallen through a window, and the perp took the brunt of your boss’ fall. Surely, that could kill a person. Fortunately, the perp was made of sterner stuff.

You already knew Witwer was.

Glancing over at the other ambulance, you spot the man - somehow - still sitting upright. The medics probably aren’t happy about it, though. His tie hangs askew but his braces are still pristine against the blood spotted shirt. Dark hair hangs heavy and disheveled over his bleeding face. It never fails to de-age him by at least ten years. No matter how much stubble darkens his jaw.

The medics buzz around him, scanning and assessing - he’d been severely limping and holding his left arm gingerly when they escorted him from the scene.

You won’t be surprised when they cart him off to the hospital, too. He’s officially unfit for duty and the scene is already yours. As it should be when you’re Witwer’s second in command.

It’s an easy walk back into the building. After securing the area, standing down the backup teams, and calling for medical responders - there is little else to do now but clean up. Sure, there will be some fallout from such a pursuit and property damage, but it isn’t anything you can’t handle.

It’s not your fault the perp had run. After hiding off the grid for the better part of a month, he’d finally popped up in low-level shithole and the chase had been on. You’d tried to convince Witwer to stay off the ground on this one - it wasn’t worth his time - but that isn’t the man’s style. He’s never one to hide behind his title and suit while others charge in. It had always been something to admire, especially as you’d risen through the ranks and learned just how much respect the man commanded.

He’d been lucky so far - correction, he is still lucky. But no one’s luck holds forever.

The abandoned warehouse smells repugnant and is littered with all manner of discarded human refuse. A lone spotlight had been hastily erected beneath the shattered window, light glittering off the glass fragments. Puddles of blood mix with the shards on the floor, but you’ve seen far worse in your days working homicide.

The sergeant rattles off the official stats - no property manager; no damages suit; no occupants. After a few photos and a quick clean-up, the building will return to anonymous silence. It still amazes you that empty places like this are even allowed to stay standing. It’s just a vacuum inviting illegal activity to fill the void. But all in all, this is another case closed. Another murderer brought to justice.

You nod your thanks and your concurrence with the sergeant’s words. Another case closed, indeed, you agree. And thankfully, it hadn’t turned into a shootout. Witwer had gotten to the perp first.

The sergeant’s footfalls echo in the rundown space as he goes off to check on the evidence team. You stare down at the floor, lowering to a crouch. It’s still a marvel that both men survived the fall. If you have to bet, it probably won’t happen this way again.

You gaze catches on something reflecting out of the glass shards. Something small with a metallic sheen. A rounded shape - a pendant on a damaged chain. Technically speaking, this isn’t a crime scene, so you reach out. The pendant is cool in your palm and you turn it over, the broken ends of the chain swinging free of the ground. Your brow furrows as you think you sort of recognize it.

You’ve never actually seen the details up close, but you’re familiar with the pendant that Witwer carries. A little silver medal that flashes from his pocket or the collar of his shirt. Just long enough for him to brush it to his lips before it disappears again. You’d never thought to ask him about it. It isn’t uncommon for cops to cling to religious beliefs for protection when their lives are on the line every day. But there is always a reverence to Witwer’s handling of the item. In the way his eyes soften ever so subtly that if you don’t watch for it, you’d never notice it.

Holding the medal now feels like a complete violation of Witwer’s privacy. You can just make out tiny letters - an inscription in Latin. The words wrap around the portrait of a man with a beard and a halo. It’s quite unremarkable to your eyes, but you have no doubt that Witwer knows who this man is, as well as the inscription’s translation.

You stand to your full height, curling your fist around the pendent. The free ends of the chain dangle in the bright light and you take in the damage to the clasp - the missing link, the bent hook. Had he been wearing it? Did the perp grab it for leverage?

Does Witwer even know it’s missing? Probably not - he looked pretty woozily and bleary-eyed as the medics helped him to the ambulance.

You tuck the rest of the chain in your hand just as the sergeant and the evidence team arrive.

X

The jeweler tells you it’s a St. Christopher medal. He recognizes the patron saint but doesn’t know the Latin inscription. You thank him all the same and ask again if you can pay for his repair services. He smiles kindly and tells you the same thing he told you earlier – he’s happy to do his part.

As you exit the shop, the badge on your hip flashes in the window. Ah. The jeweler probably assumed it was yours - a sign of faith, or protection, and you’d brought it in with an obvious need. A testament to a bad day on the job.

Well. He wasn’t entirely wrong.

Witwer hadn’t been cleared to return to work yet. A nasty concussion and a sprained ankle had given top brass the perfect excuse to force two weeks of leave on the consummate workaholic. Not that you faulted him for his dedication – there’s a reason he had achieved so much, risen so high in such a short amount of time. And the man’s good at it, too. An innate sense of doubt, always pushing for that next question and challenging the answer until he’s satisfied. There’s such a sharp intelligence that lurks in his dark eyes, even you’d been stumped a time or two against his knowledge that expanded broader than the average cop.

But then again, you already knew Danny Witwer is far from average.

Those are usually thoughts reserved for late at night. Only brought to the surface with careful deliberation. Only indulged with the slide of your fingers, the gasp on your lips, and the images playing out behind closed eyelids. Only dismissed with the knowledge that the man remains your boss and won’t hesitate to see you replaced if you fuck up.

So, you don’t. You don’t think about the alluring glow that catches in his eyes under low lighting. You don’t think about the husky rumble of his voice after twenty-four hours on a job. And you certainly don’t think about the temptation to kiss the medal where his lips have touched countless times.

Especially not when Witwer’s still out on medical. Especially not when the division is yours to command.

It’s not hard to do. You’ve always been damn good at your job, no matter how attractive your boss.

X

Witwer’s return is met with applause from the floor. He flashes a grateful smile, nodding his head in acknowledgement but he’s quick to shuffle off to his office. It’s another day, after all. There are still murders to solve and more that will happen. You know the two weeks of stillness have likely made him stir-crazy, and he’ll be so eager to jump into everything that he’s missed.

Three days later, and there’s still plenty to review. His sharp mind latches onto the details and calculates angles, postulates theories. You’re proud to say you’ve accounted for 90% of the contingencies and recommendations that he recounts, but there’s always something. Dammit.

Like you freely acknowledge – there’s a reason he’s the youngest head of homicide.

You can only hope you’ll be there someday. Well, you won’t be the youngest – you’re vintage Witwer’s age as far as you can tell – but you will be head of homicide someday.

You rise from the chair opposite his desk, flipping the report file closed. The team in place has done an admirable job tracking down leads, and are likely to narrow down the primary suspect’s location before the end of the day.

“I wasn’t sure Harmon was quite ready when his promotion came through,” Witwer remarks casually, “I’m glad to be proven wrong.”

“Agreed. He’s doing alright.” You shrug a shoulder in afterthought. “His defensive driving needs to improve, though. He’s damaged more fleet vehicles than anyone.”

Witwer quirks a brow. “He had another incident?”

“Oh, yeah. The man can’t reverse worth a damn. No matter how smart the technology.”

“Next time, the repair cost will come out of his paycheck.”

“You drive a hard bargain, chief.”

“The man’s gotta learn somehow.” He flashes a closed-mouth smile that doesn’t reach his eyes before he says his thanks and your name. You’ve always liked the way your name sounds in those tones that haven’t fully lost their Irish brogue.

You turn to head back to your desk but that’s when you remember. You stop short, turning back towards him, watching the expectant lift of his thick brows. “I have something for you, by the way.” The jeweler insisted on placing the medal in a black velvet box and you hadn’t bothered to take it out. The material is smooth under you fingers now as you pull it free of your jacket pocket, stepping up to set it on his desk.

Amused confusion lights his face, his gaze landing on you before darting down to the box. “Aren’t you supposed to get down on one knee?”

You stare down at him, huffing, the corner of your lips lifting. “Just open it.”

He reaches for it, prying the lid open. All traces of amusement fall from his face. He stares down at the medal nestled on the black velvet, eyes wide and downcast. Loss and heartache flash across his handsome face, and once again, you feel like you’re intruding on something very personal – intimate, even – for him.

You take a step back, content to leave and let him compose himself. A sense of satisfaction blooms within you, though. Had anyone else ever doing something so personal for him before?

His voice, when he speaks, is heavy in his throat. “I thought it was lost.” He looks up to you, warm gratitude in his molten eyes. “Truly, I cannot thank you enough.”

“Once is plenty.” Your lips pull to a reassuring smile, holding his gaze for all too brief a moment.

He frees the medal from the velvet, wrapping the chain around his fingers as you’ve seen him do. He brings his hand to his mouth, eyes sliding closed before he presses his lips in reverence to the medal.   

You bow your head, shifting your weight. Team members have long speculated on the true nature of Witwer’s religious devotion – if he really believed, or if he just carried the medal around for show. Watching him now, you have no doubt about the depth of his faith.

“Thank you,” your name rolls off his tongue so smoothly, “it was a gift from my father, on my first day of seminary.” He reaches for his jacket pocket, tucking the medal safely away. “When I woke up in the hospital and asked the staff about it…well, I thought I’d never see it again.”

“Seminary?” You blink down at him, a curious lift to you mouth. “You went to seminary? Should…do I need to start calling you Father Witwer?”

“No,” his answer is soft, “I only went for three years. Never ordained.”

“And now you’re a homicide cop?”

He hums thoughtfully, leaning back against his chair. “I’m sure you can connect the dots, detective.”

“I’m sure I can, too, chief.” It’s not hard to piece together. “Someone close to you. Mother or father? A significant other?”

“Father.”

Well, that certainly explains the significance of the medal.

The urge to hug him tugs at you. To stroke the hair on the nape of his neck. To press gentle kisses to the two moles on his left cheek. To taste them on your tongue. But you keep it all well in check. You’re a professional.

All hints of vulnerability recede from his face, tucked away under the self-sure intelligence that you’ve always known from him. His hand ghosts over the pocket containing the medal, as if to reassure himself it’s still there. “Thank you, again. I’m obviously moved by the gesture, but, I have to say…,” he looks up at you with a smoldering, teasing grin that you know will haunt your fantasies, “removing evidence from a crime scene is rather reckless of you.”

“Technically, not a crime scene. Maybe if one of you had died…but then I’d be buried up to my neck in paperwork and unable to see anything.” His lips pull to an amused smile to match yours. The intensity of his stare makes you feel like the only person in the whole building. “So, thank you for not dying.”

“You’re welcome.” He turns back to his computer with a soft, teasing chuckle. “Anything to make your job easier.”

X

Before you know it, it’s that time of year again. Performance evaluations. Time to sit at your computer and write up assessments of everyone’s job performance. Fortunately, you only have to do nine write-ups.

You’ve long lost track of the hour as your fingers move over the keyboard in a steady clacking rhythm. You paused for food at one point, and the sun has disappeared under the horizon. The city lights shine in through the windows and the office is blessedly quiet. It’s always far better to write up evaluations without Johnson’s gabbing or Vasut’s snooping.

But finally, you put the finishing touches on the last evaluation. You allow yourself a sigh of relief as you lean back against your chair. A yawn hinges your jaw and you roll your shoulders. The price of deskwork catching up to you. That, and a bullet to the shoulder several years ago. You brace a hand against the bone, slowly rolling the joint to work out the stiffness.

You stand up as your computer powers down and you notice flickering light behind the partially closed blinds in Witwer’s office. Of course, the man is still here. He’s probably wrapping up the last of his evaluations, too. Neither of you are procrastinators by any means, but determining who gets promotions and who stays behind is best considered in solitude.

Slinging your suit jacket loosely over a shoulder, bag in your other hand, you start for his office. The soft sound of clicking keys filters out the open door and you don’t bother to mask your footsteps. His back is turned to his office, facing his computer – the only other source of light is a dim, under-cabinet light. The white of his dress shirt is stark against the dark fabric of his chair, and you can just see the curve of his black braces disappearing over his shoulders. Such an old-fashioned accessory, but it suits him.

You lean against the doorframe, waiting. He knows you’re there.

His fingers continue typing, but his voice carries, rough from disuse and the late hour. “If you’re hoping to sneak a peek at your evaluation, you’re too late.”

“I already know what you said about me, anyway.”

He hums softly with an undercurrent of amusement. “And what’s that?”

“That I’m the best you’ve got, and they should give me your job.”

He hums again, mouse clicking as the windows on his screen minimize. The department logo sits against a dark background on his desktop, casting deeper shadows about the small room. He spins around in his chair – not unlike a dramatic Bond villain – but he looks so much more appealing. A couple of hairs drift loose over his forehead, fallen free of their usual neat style. His tie is loose at the neck and just the top button of his shirt undone, just enough to expose the hollow of his throat. His rich, dark gaze effortlessly meets yours from behind his wire-frame glasses that have no right to be so flattering.

Would it really be so wrong to straddle him, press him against his chair and tell him everything you’ve imagined in the dark of night?

His mouth quirks with a conspiratorial edge. “Well, I did try to be honest. Told them that you’re the laziest, most incompetent, and deserve to be demoted to archives.”

You raise a brow. “Archives? Low blow, chief.”

He shrugs, unconcerned. “Do the time, earn the respect and maybe – maybe I’ll let you back in my division someday.”

You nearly roll your eyes, but not quite. “Your ambition knows no bounds.”

“Wouldn’t be sitting here if it did.” He reaches down for a desk drawer, resting his elbow on a knee. His back curves in an elegant arc as he rummages, producing a highball and bottle of brown liquid. Brown liquid that most definitely violates office policy.

You watch him pull the cork free and slosh liquid down into the glass. There’s something uncharacteristically relaxed in his movements as he takes a drink and leans back into his chair. You can’t help but watch him.

He takes another sip before glancing back at you, eyes sparking in the low light. “You should join me.”

“Should I, hmm? So that way I can’t report you for an illegal substance on office property without implicating myself?”

“I would never hinder your ability to make a report.” He raises the glass in a cheers as you step closer to the desk. “No, no – this is about celebrating. Another round of performance reviews completed.”

You can’t help but shake your head as you deposit your bag and jacket on the chair opposite his desk before coming around. You perch against the edge of the desk, his chair half a foot away as you raise a hand, letting your fingers idly stroke along the neck of the bottle. You don’t entirely mean it to come across as a suggestive gesture. Or do you? Either way, he notices. He also notices the stretch of your legs, revealed by your pencil skirt, as you cross your ankles. Thank God you’d shaved your legs and decided to wear a skirt today.

Your lips tug to a grin. “Do you have another glass?”

“Fresh out, wouldn’t you know.” His gaze snaps back to yours, color dusting his cheeks as he holds out the glass.

You take it without hesitating, passing it under your nose. The heat of the alcohol burns. “What is it?”

“Irish whiskey.”

“So cliché.” You put the glass to your lips and the liquid scalds all the way down. A cough bubbles unbidden in your throat on the finish and you feel a flush rise in your cheeks. His eyes are on you all the while, assessing – as if he’s just realized something about you.

You take another sip and it doesn’t burn quite so bad this time. There’s just a few drops in the bottom of the glass and you don’t hesitate to knock them back, too, tilting your head and exposing the column of your throat under the collar of your dress shirt. You lick your lips in the aftermath. “You know, I’m really more of a gin girl.”

“Gin?” He watches you set the empty glass on the desk. “So says the woman who drained my glass of whiskey.”

“Well. When in Rome.”

He snorts as he reaches for the bottle. “I think you’ve just offended every Roman architect.” Liquid spills into the glass and he pulls it back for a drink.

You laugh softly. “I’m sure I’m not the first.”

You watch the muscles of his throat work as he takes a long pull. They’re covered in the faintest hint of stubble from the day and you wonder if you could smell aftershave on his skin.

Wordlessly, he hands the glass back to you and you take a drink in silence. A warm pool ignites in your belly as you indulge another taste and he reaches for his glasses, dropping them gently to the desktop. You shift against the edge of the desk, adjusting and brushing your thighs together. The movement catches his attention but he doesn’t let his gaze linger as he takes the highball back. He finishes the last few drops, tongue darting out along the rim.

Liquid heat ignites in your blood. It’s so damn unfair.

He rises from his chair, like he’s made up his mind, and sets the glass down on the desktop. When he doesn’t reach for the bottle, you can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Your gaze drags from the glass up over his torso to his face. Nothing so obvious that he couldn’t overlook it if he wanted. You can’t stop your soft smile as you continue to take him in. “Done celebrating?”

“Maybe not yet.” There’s something new in his gaze, something mischievous and calculating. Hopeful yet cautious. It’s equal parts thrilling and unbelievable. You’d never actually ever considered that he might harbor attraction to you, too.

Your heart skips a beat when he perches on the desk next to you. God, are you really about to cross this line with your boss? His gaze lands on your mouth and there’s nothing subtle to the gleam in his eye. Your breathing quickens as faint traces of his scent reach you - all cedar and spice. Heat surges through your body and your fingers ache to touch him. Your lips ache to taste him.

The air positively crackles as he draws a breath, eyes dark with hunger. “Full disclosure?”

“Full disclosure.” Desire is palpable on your voice.

“When I kiss you, I’m not going to want to stop. Not until I’ve had all of you.”

“When you kiss me?” The words are barely more than a breathy exhale. His arrogance doesn’t come out too often - only when he knows he can’t lose. Yet you still can’t resist the tease as your legs twitch together in need. “You’re so sure I’ll let you.”

The corner of his mouth tugs up almost sheepishly as his gaze sweeps your face and down your neck before settling back to your lips. “Your choice.”

You lean in closer, boldly brushing your nose to his left cheek, letting your lips tease over one of the moles that's haunted you for years. The rushing intake of his breath coils aching desire low in your belly. “Then, what are you waiting for?”

His head turns in a rush and his lips find yours - insistent, heavenly, and so fucking finally perfect.

Time slows and the moments fly. The silk of his tie whispers free from his shirt collar, the metal snaps of his braces swing loose. The leather of his office couch is cool against your bare legs when your skirt bunches up to your hips, but he’s oh-so warm. You cry out at the touch of his body, the press of his skin. The taste and scent of him threaten to drown you, and you need so much more. So does he. Your whimpers are hot breaths into his shoulder and his soft grunts echo in your ear. Your brain and body short-circuit when he strikes home, and he unwinds inside you - the both of you surrendering to everything your body demands of the other.

And he stays with you. Even after you’ve both managed to clean up and redress. Even as you both lay on the couch, pressed together, letting the delirious haze continue to evaporate and sharing another glass of whiskey. Even as the close, inviting intimacy of the couch starts to turn into too many uncomfortable arms, elbows and knees.  

Your fingers dance along the stripe of skin exposed by the top buttons of his shirt that he didn’t bother to close up. The obvious question screams at the front of your mind and you have to ask. “What happens tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” He shifts his left arm, glancing at his watch. “Well, today - when the office opens, I don’t plan to worry about professional entanglements.”

You take a sip of whiskey. “Just like that?”

“You shouldn’t worry, either.”

“No?” You smile at the warm, lingering brush of his fingers as he takes the glass. “So, it’s not a problem that the chief just fucked his second in command on his office couch?”

A rich, smoky chuckle rumbles in his chest. “There’s a couple of things wrong with that statement. But you’ll find out soon enough.”

You try to press for more, but he gives nothing away. The whiskey disappears and you both resign yourself to leaving. It’s significantly less awkward than you thought it would be.

He turns from you in the parking garage and you want to reach out for one last kiss.

But the office opens in four hours.

X

The cryptic words are decoded two days later when a surprise division meeting is held.

Danny Witwer is leaving. He accepted a federal job with a promotion. His last official act as chief was completing performance evaluations. He’ll stay on for a brief transition, but they already have a strong candidate for his successor. More information will be communicated later. Hopefully by the end of this week.

There’s a wickedly smug edge to his grin when he picks you out of the crowd during the announcement.

You want to punch him. You want to slam him against the wall and mercilessly destroy that expression until he’s begging you to let him come. You want to congratulate him. You want to sweep him up and never let him go.

No one really goes back to work after the meeting ends. Everyone’s too atwitter about the replacement - the mysterious candidate. The new chief.

Even you struggle to be productive. When you convince yourself you need a break and stroll past Witwer’s office, he’s not there. You know nothing more about this than anyone else on the floor, and that’s by his design.

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. You know exactly how he feels - how he sounds - when he’s sliding deep inside you. Highly unlikely anyone else on the floor knows that.

Within the next hour, the top brass comes knocking. They lay out the offer in a conference room - head of homicide, complete with Witwer’s full approval and commendation.

Of course, it’s an easy answer.

Your feet barely touch the floor as you float back to your desk, elated and victorious. Was it too early to duck out for a celebratory drink? Sadly, you can’t even ask any of the team to join you. HR needed a few days to square the paperwork, so the big announcement will come at the end of the week.

That’s when you catch sight of those warm, dark eyes under a head of pristine dark hair. The knowledge of your secret lurks in the pride of his gaze, in the set of his mouth. His eyes glance around carefully as you approach but there's no one else in earshot. His voice is soft anyway. “I hear congratulations are in order, chief.”

“Not until Friday officially.” You fail at keeping the obvious excitement from your voice despite your best attempt to hide your smile. “And certainly not while you’re still here.”

“Then, let’s get out of here.” He tilts his head towards the door, an inviting smile brightening his face. “How about drinks and dinner? We both have something to celebrate.”

Of course, you flash back to the night in his office, sharing the celebratory glass of whiskey. No wonder he was so quick to abandon the rules about superior-subordinate relations. Your mouth curves with a playfully suspicious edge. “Is this why I shouldn’t worry about professional entanglements?”

“Because there are none.” His voice drops low as he takes a step closer. “Federal jurisdiction does have limits.” Sparks ignite in your belly at the promising tease in his tone.

You hum softly, considering as you drag your top teeth against your bottom lip. He stares at the movement, hunger in his gaze, and you preen under his attention. “So it won’t matter if you end up in my bed tonight.”

He groans softly, a primal sound that shoots straight to your core. “Not tonight. My dinner invitation, my bed.”

Your mouth falls open to protest, drawing a breath - before he cuts you off.

“Better luck next time, chief.” He winks, the motion full of promise.

Your heart swells as you hold his gaze. “Do your worst, federal man.”

[sonofhistory]

James Spence Monroe

James Monroe first caught Elizabeth Kortright’s eye in 1785 while he was serving as a member of the Continental Congress. The two married on February 16, 1786 at Trinity Church, New York two days after Valentines Day as it is noted in the account books of the church [x]. Ten months later, in December (the exact date in unknown) their first daughter, Eliza Monroe (purposely named after her mother) was born in Virginia. After the birth, Monroe wrote to mentor Thomas Jefferson,

“Mrs. Monroe hath added a daughter to our society, who tho’ noisy, contributes greatly to its amusement.”

When he was away from his new family (though he painfully did not wish to be so) he would inquire in a few letters that were saved between them: “Has she grown any, and is there any perceptible alteration in her?” He called her “a little monkey” and would close them with “Kiss the little babe for me & take care of yourself & of her." This would be their last child for thirteen years. 

It is unknown exactly why James and Elizabeth Monroe did not have anymore children until thirteen years later but it is speculated that Elizabeth was getting pregnant but she was having miscarriages. Although there no record of any miscarriages (or possibly stillbirths), the fact that the couple were able to produce two children after those long years of “hiatus” does prove she was able to have children after the birth Eliza. Another factor that points to this is that Elizabeth had rather fragile health and late onset epilepsy that caused her physical injury. The miscarriages possibly were recorded but as most of Elizabeth’s correspondence was burned by her husband following her death, there is no way to know. 

By 1799 when the Monroes did have another son, James, Elizabeth and little Eliza had already resided all over Europe while Monroe was ambassador to France. In May (exact date unknown) 1799, back in Virginia near Charlottesville, Elizabeth Monroe gave birth to a son, James Spence Monroe and as the father pointed out to Janet Montgomery:

“I was balancing for some time what I should call him, and among the worthies of our country...I should have thought more of the names of Jefferson & Montgomery than any we boast of. But his mother is an old fashioned woman & chose...to follow the old fashioned track of calling him after his father... ” 

The elder James was ecstatic with his son’s birth and because Monroe burnt a lot of his letters before his own death, we have only a summary of what Thomas Jefferson wrote back to Monroe, replying to letter written about the new infant:

“[Thomas] Jefferson presents his compliments to Colo. Monroe, & his sincere congratulations to him & mrs Monroe on the interesting addition to their family. he wishes to know how mrs Monroe & the youngster do; and would be made very happy if he could offer any thing grateful to [mrs] Monroe. rice, pearl barley &c sometimes useful to the sick, she probably has: if not, they are here at her service.”

When James Spence Monroe was born, his father was governor of Virginia. Due to the infants sickly health, Monroe was taking trips every other day from the capital to his home and than back again. He did not want to risk having Elizabeth travel in her still weakened condition and neither did he want his child to be on the road while still sickly. James Jr would never reach sound health in his sixteen months of life. 

By June of 1800, a smallpox outbreak occurred in the town and Monroe wrote to Madison that “[he is] forbidden to inoculate our child on acct. of his teething & having the Hg. cough, my family will probably soon move up the country." Due to the babies teething, James Spence had become sick with whooping cough by mid summer of 1800. In August, the family spent time in the country air of their home in Albemarle, thinking the fresh air would be beneficial to the young boy's health. August 6th, the father wrote to Madison,

“Our child has a fever, did not sleep last night nor on the road. I fear he will not rest to night. We shall have the Dr. with him tomorrow, & his gums lancd as we hope that is the only cause of his present indisposition.”

Teething was becoming so difficult and painful, a surgeon was called to lance his gums to try and alleviate the problem. By August 13th, the symptoms shortly vanished, but J.S. (as he was referred to in Monroe’s letters) was still suffering from a fever.

“I returned from Richmond yesterday (wednesday) and found my child better than when I left him. The dangerous simptoms of the thrush seem to be past, and the hooping cough has nearly left him, so that extreme debility, is his present chief complaint.”

Monroe had to leave to attend to business in Richmond because he was still the governor of Virginia. In the same letter, Monroe noted that the constant rides back and forth between the governors palace and his family home and son’s bedside was taking and toll on James Sr’s health:

“I have been so much worsted by my ride down & back, in the sun, that I can scarcely sit up [today], and my family are not less wearied with the duties which devolve on it in my absence. At present we have no plan but that of ending this state of things.”

The next day on August 14th, the child seemed to be in recovery, Monroe headed back to the capital:

"...since my last my child has had no relapse of his former complaints, but I have recd. a notice which shews I ought to be at Richmd.”

A few times reports were surfacing of a yellow fever outbreak in Norfolk. On August 20th, he arranged for his family to travel to Caroline County to pay a visit to his sister, Elizabeth Buckner, again believing the fresh country air would be good for little James's health. Writing on September 9th that

“Mrs. M. is gone on a visit to my sister Buckner in Caroline, and writes me she and Eliza are well & the child much improved. By moving him abt. he will I hope get the better soon of those diseases of childhood, & recover his strength.”

Monroe had spent much of August traveling between Albemarle County, where his young son was seriously ill, and Richmond, where he and the Council of State took steps to quarantine Norfolk for yellow fever. In Richmond on the afternoon of Saturday, August 30th, Monroe received information that an insurrection by slaves in the surrounding area would strike the city that night. He communicated with the mayors of Richmond and Petersburg and called out militia to protect the capitol building and public stores of arms and ammunition. Heavy rainfall that made roads and bridges impassable forestalled the beginning of the revolt that night, but Monroe soon received information to convince him that the plan for rebellion was still in place. The legislature was not in session, but with the concurrence of the council on Tuesday, September 2nd the governor alerted all Virginia militia regiments and strengthened the guard on key locations in and around the capital city. He also communicated with local civil officials. 

The evening of September 2nd the first group of suspects was brought to Richmond from the vicinity of the Henrico County plantation of Thomas H. Prosser, whose slave Gabriel had been named as the primary leader of the intended revolt. Under Virginia law of more than a century’s standing, the trial of a slave accused of committing a capital offense was to take place without a jury before a court of oyer and terminer assembled for the purpose. According to a 1786 statute, which was a modified version of a bill in the great revision of the state’s law code that Thomas Jefferson and others had drafted some years earlier, a slave could only be condemned to death by unanimous decision of the court of oyer and terminer, and the state would compensate the owner for the value of the executed slave. The first executions for participation in the conspiracy occurred on Friday, September 12th. In the end, twenty-six slaves including Gabriel were hanged. The council agreed to some of the requests from Monroe for pardons or temporary reprieves of condemned men. 

The crisis and anxiety of Gabriel’s Rebellion topped with the stress of his son’s sickness was coming to odds with Monroe whose health worsened in this period. Monroe was receiving constant information from his family on the condition of his son. Elizabeth had taken James Spence and went to Fredricksburg where again they believed ever better air would help. The infant’s illness took a turn for the worse on September 20th and on the 22nd, Monroe was writing to Thomas Jefferson that

“...the dangerous indisposition of my child deprives now of that pleasure. Our Infant is in the utmost danger & I begin to fear that we shall want that consolation wh. I was abt. to offer to the afflicted Mr. & Mrs. Carr.”

James Madison cheerfully wrote Monroe back on September 24th that he and Dolley “are glad to hear that your little son has mended so much, as well as that Mrs. M & the rest of you continue well.” James Spence Monroe was on a rapid decline. On the morning of the 28th, Monroe wrote a letter to the Virginia Counsil State saying he was not going to attend the meeting in the afternoon due to the health of his son. After finishing the letter, Monroe set off down his horse unknown that the night of the 28th would J.S’s last, and it would be the final night they would have with their son. He arrived the in the night when the sun had already set after traveling for miles by horse. James Spence Monroe at the age of only sixteen months died at ten pm on September 28th, 1800. 

The next day, Monroe wrote a letter to the Virginia Counsil State again, repeated the same reason of why he would not be attending, this time his son was not ill, he was dead. Monroe wrote to Madison and in a letter that featured nothing other than what is below:

“An unhappy event has occurr’d which has overwhelmed us with grief. At ten last night our beloved babe departed this life after several days sickness, wh. attended the cuting his eye teeth in the last stage, when we flatter’d ourselves the danger had passed. I cannot give you an idea of the effect this event has produc’d on my family, or of my own affliction in being a partner and spectator of the scene. Many things have occurr’d my friend, in these late years that abated my sensibility to the affrs. of this world, but this has roused me beyond what I thought it was possible I cod. be. Knowing the interest you take in our welfare, I perform a painful task in communicating to you and family this great calamity.”

The father was witness to his own son’s death after months of poor health and worrying that finally came to a close. Above, Monroe believed that he was numb to loss until James Spence died and that he had known no other grief in his life and that he would never recover. Monroe grieved deeply over the loss and his health dipped into a decline due to his constant travel, and Elizabeth's health suffered for many months due to her own grief. Neither James nor Elizabeth ever fully recovered. 

Before departing for ambassadorship in France in 1803, months after the birth of their third and final child, Maria Hester Monroe, Monroe asked his uncle and mentor Joseph Jones to to place a small gravestone over the spot where his child was laid to rest at St. John’s church in Richmond, Virginia. Saying that he wanted “something more permanent than the memory of our estimable friends who tend his deposit there.” He directed that the stone should bare the buried’s initials J.S.M. and nothing else. Sadly, this grave has never been located. 

[wrestlewriting]

Insolence, Pt. 6 [Adam Cole]

Title: Insolence, Part Six of ? (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five)

Characters: Adam Cole/OC(Brenna, because it’s easier for me to write with names in stories)

Genre: Angst. Regret. Resolve.

Length: ~4,200 words

Warnings: Cursing.

Summary/Inspo: Aftermath (n.) - Consequence. Result.

@catie-kaboom @libby-rose-2016 @legitlunatic @valeonmars @barbelly28 @danapotterwwe @alexahood21 @rollinstrash @covergirlcollarbones @thedeboniardevistation

If you want to be added to the tag list, just let your girl know! :)

(This chapter brought to you by the musical stylings of Chris Stapleton.)

I fucked up.

You stared down at your phone as the bar moved across the top of the screen, indicating the message was being sent to Candice. It was late morning, and you were sprawled on your back on your bed in your hotel room, fully dressed for the day and packed to leave. But you didn’t feel ready to do that, given the amount of feelings running through your mind. You had thought about messaging your best friend at home, Lauren, but you felt given Candice was more familiar with Adam, she was the best friend you needed to seek out in this moment. You’d tell Lauren everything later.

When you initially woke up, you had a minor headache, which after some ibuprofen and water was finally soothed. You at first hadn’t lucidly remember last night…and then you had. It all came crashing back down on you. There were some blurry edges around parts of your conversation with Adam, but you clearly remembered all of the actions. Him touching you, you touching him. You initiating the kiss. Him letting you…then stopping you. His words to you.

You don’t want this.

Who was he to tell you what you wanted? You didn’t even know what you wanted! You certainly hadn’t wanted to make up with him only to then make out with him. Yet, here you were, the morning after, all of that having happened. Because in the moment last night, you had in fact wanted to kiss him. Apparently? You still weren’t sure what motivated your actions honestly.

He was just there, being so sweet, and you had been drinking, though you weren’t drunk, and something just made you want to do it. A clouded judgement call because he was kind of pretty? A craving for intimacy that you hadn’t had in months? A stupid decision as a stupid attempt at further reconciliation? Hey Adam, instead of yelling at you, let me put my tongue down your throat, you mocked yourself in your own head. Dumbass.

Your phone ringing brought you back to the present. It didn’t surprise you to see it was Candice calling, and after swiping on the screen, you pressed the object to your ear.

“I fucked up,” you reiterated.

“I got that,” she replied. “What did you do?”

“I kissed Adam.” You figured straight to the point would be best.

“You WHAT?”

“I kissed Adam,” you repeated, before groaning and throwing a hand over your face. For some reason saying it out loud to your best friend brought a new side of realism to the situation.

“You said kissed right? Not killed? Kissed?”

“Yes, Candice, I kissed Adam, OK? Please stop making me say it. It doesn’t feel right saying it,” you emphasized.

“…why?”

“For real? Uh, first off, maybe because, it’s Adam?”

“OK, and…?”

“Candice, you’re fucking with me right?” You couldn’t understand why she was suddenly less shocked by the situation, as though who it had happened with was somehow logical to her. It shouldn’t be. It wasn’t to you.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, yes you kissing Adam is completely unexpected. But you kissing anyone would be unexpected to me right now, to be honest,” she explained.

“It was unexpected to me too,” you assured her, just short of resentfully. “But did it have to be Adam?”

“What led to it?”

You went on to give her a brief summation of the night; dinner where he ignored you, you confronting him, him exploding, which then led to the discussion in his hotel room. Your apologies to each other. The scotch and wine. His cryptic statements to you about being different and also his disclosure to no longer being in a relationship. The TV movie. His reassurance that things would be just fine for the two of you now. Your actions.

By the end, you felt even more confused than you had before. Nothing in your narrative seemed to tell you why you had kissed him. Replaying it back to Candice, you had hoped some part of it would stick out, as if to say ‘yes, THIS is why you did that’. But nothing did. You again told Candice about your lack of understanding of your own actions, especially given the history you had with Adam.

“You guys are comfortable with each other, right? He’s not some stranger. And knowing you, moving on from Evan…it’s not going to be with a stranger. And I’m not saying like you and Adam are going to have a relationship now, but I get why the first person you kissed since Evan was someone like Adam, someone you know. It’s like he’s…safe, I guess?” Candice words made sense you supposed, but they didn’t bring you as much relief as you had hoped.

“Whyyyyy did I push to reconcile with him?” You bemoaned, closing your eyes. “I should have just let him ignore me and ignored him back. But no, I had to have answers and now here we are, no better off than before!”

“I dunno, I think kissing someone is better than punching them.”

“That’s because you’re pure and innocent and kinky things don’t matter to you.”

“OK, but…not what I meant by that,” Candice giggled.

“Seriously, I punched him a few months ago. He was one of the people I wanted to see least up until, shit, until last night practically,” you realized. “Why the hell did kissing him make sense to me last night? I wasn’t that drunk, I know I wasn’t.”

“Well…he’s not exactly the most unattractive man in the world,” your friend highlighted. “And you had been drinking, however little or much, so you weren’t 100% on the defense. And you guys were being all emotional and close and ya know, it’s really not as far-fetched as you think it is. He’s pretty much the only guy I can think of in our lives where it’s not like it would be incestuous or just weird or wrong for you to kiss.”

“But it IS weird,” you argued. “I feel weird.”

“Do you feel weird because you kissed Adam? Or because you think you aren’t hating what you did overall as much as you should?”

“Both?” You were guessing, at best. “I mean, I know I can move on from Evan, logically I’m sure I will, but I hadn’t plan to at this point.”

“I don’t think you can plan those kinds of things, hon,” Candice replied, her tone gentle. “You can’t just be like ‘OK, and on this Tuesday is the day I will no longer miss my husband and I will start being interested in someone else’.”

“I know that,” you sighed. “I just mean…I kind of, I guess, had it in my head that it’d be at least a year before I even contemplated it? Like, I still miss him, every day. Because the most random things make me think of him. And who he was to me, that can’t just be replaced. It just…I don’t hurt the same, but it aches a lot.”

“Of course it does. That’s part of the healing process. It doesn’t happen just over night, and I’m sure for years to come, you’ll still have that ache in some ways. But Brenna, telling yourself you have a timeline to handle your grief and move on, that’s just setting yourself up to fail.”

You knew she was right, deep in your soul you knew it, but it didn’t feel OK to you entirely. How could you justify being with a man for nine years, and moving on from him in under one? Granted, it was now 11 months ago you’d lost him, but even so. It wasn’t a year.

“And again, it’s not like you slept with Adam last night. You kissed him. That’s pretty low-level stuff right there honestly. Not saying that if you had slept with him it would be make you the devil, but just kissing him definitely doesn’t make you the devil,” Candice guaranteed.

“How do I face him after this, Candice? Like seriously. We’ve been at each other’s throats for weeks,” you pointed out.

“Not last night you weren’t. You were at each other’s mouths.” You could hear the smirking pride on her face in her voice.

“You’re not cute,” you declared coolly.

“I’m adorable,” she argued cheerfully, before becoming serious again. “Bren, listen to me, I know Adam. He’s a downright jackass to a lot of people, and he means it. And he’s been a jackass to you, but he never meant it. He wanted to make things right with you for a while, and yea, maybe he’s gone about it the wrong way, but then so have you. You both have done things that haven’t been the smartest or the best or whatever. But this kiss? I can promise you, this isn’t going to be the final straw for you guys.”

“How do you know?”

“Because, you both want to be in each other’s lives too much. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have spent all this time fighting and what not.”

You were vaguely upset at how much sense Candice was making now. You couldn’t argue her point. Clearly you cared about Adam, about his friendship, or else, she was right, you wouldn’t keep confronting him and fighting him and demanding explanations. If you didn’t care at all, after that first confrontation, you would have left well enough alone.

“Maybe all this fighting was just foreplay for you both?” Candice considered, causing you to roll your eyes.

“…I take back my earlier ‘innocent’ comment about you.”

“Oh, shut up. And also, Joey Ryan, kind of one of my best friends. I know things that I cannot un-know thanks to him,” Candice stated, and you could envision her shuddering, making you laugh.

“Yea, he’s a wealth of filthy knowledge,” you agreed. “Also, the internet. Scary place, yo.”

“For real,” your friend giggled with concurrence. “Look, just, don’t work yourself up, OK? This will be fine.”

“I don’t believe you, but sure,” you responded. “I guess I should just go face him and get it over with.”

“Stop acting like you’re going to your death,” Candice chided. “Just, please take this piece of advice: do go face him and don’t let this not get talked about. That’s how you guys got yourselves in this mess to start.”

“Yea…communication, not our strong point.”

“Oh, yea, no,” she agreed quickly. “Definitely not.”

After saying your goodbyes to Candice, you laid on your bed for a moment longer, trying to feel at all settled in the situation. But you didn’t. So you supposed it was just best to get on with it.

You grabbed up your bags, and checked out of the hotel, before getting in to a cab. The Briscoes had offered to wait for you, but you had sent them on their way earlier. It was nothing against them necessarily; you just wanted as much time to think and be and plan by yourself as possible.

The cab got you to the venue much quicker than you had anticipated. After paying and getting your items out, you walked in to the venue with your suitcase rolling behind you. Finding the girls’ locker room was easy enough, and you set your stuff in a corner. Taking your phone from your purse, you took in a deep breath, and set out to find Adam.

It didn’t take you too long to navigate the backstage area. You passed many people you knew, saying quick greetings to them, but continuing on your way. When you didn’t locate him, you wandered out in to the actual arena part of the building. And sure enough he was standing around in a group, talking and laughing amongst themselves.

You watched Adam for a moment, knowing this was what you had to do, no matter how worried or nervous or scared you were. Doing your best to have your head held high, you walked over to the group. Greetings were exchanged amongst all of you, with some brief chit chat and smiles. You gently set your hand on Adam’s arm, causing his blue eyes to come to yours for the first time since you had walked up.

“Can I talk to you?”

“Yea.” His response was short, curt, and led to you both, without further words, walking away from the group. You walked side by side with him, though you were the one leading the two of you along. You wound your way through the hallways, further back in to the event center, until you saw an empty room that didn’t look like it would be occupied any time soon. You walked in, Adam following, shutting the door after himself.

There wasn’t much in the room, a longer table, a couple of scattered chairs. You didn’t feel like sitting, too wired with emotions. You kept a few feet between yourself and Adam, who had taken to leaning back against the wall beside the door. He was regarding you, his face without expression, which didn’t help you feel any better either. You couldn’t read anything about him in that moment; was he just as unsettled by last night as you were? Did he not care at all?

“What’s up?”

That was his opening question? You started to realize that maybe he wasn’t bothered by last night like you were. Maybe he didn’t even remember it? Oh god, did he not remember it? Were you the only one who knew what had transgressed between the two of you? Should you just not say anything then?

“I just…wanted to talk about last night,” you explained, a noticeable lack of conviction in your tone.

“Alcohol is a hell of a thing, Bren. It’s OK. And I know you didn’t truly…want to do that with me last night, it was just a thing that happened.”

So he did remember. That was good to know. But you couldn’t help but get irked at the fact that he was, once again, telling you what you wanted. What right did he have in doing that? Why did he get to make judgement calls on your behalf now at all times?

“Can you please stop telling me what I want? I’m sick of you thinking you know what’s best for me.”

“I’m right though!” He argued back, stepping away from the wall, so he was standing upright, though there was still distance between you both.

“How the hell can you know that?” You challenged, your hands going to your hips.

“Because I know you,” Adam said. “And I know that right now, this isn’t what you need with me.”

After his statement, he appeared to deflate some, the angry tension leaving his posture. You watched on curiously, his words not making much sense. Need with him? You observed him as he ran a hand over the top of his hair, before crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed to close in on himself in this stance.

“How?” You inquired again, but this time with your voice having lost most of its own heated edge. “What does that even mean?”

“How many years have we known each other?” He countered, switching the topic quickly.

“I don’t know. Five? Six?”

“And that whole time, you were always with Evan. From the day I met you, you were in a relationship with Evan. We all knew it, everyone, and it just…it put you in this…different category for all of us. We could only see you as friend, or little sister, or whatever. It took away any of that confusion or choice in the matter.”

There was that word again. Different. Different. Why were you always so different to him?

“Adam…I don’t understand…”

“Come on Bren, yes you do,” he argued, practically pleading with you, his arms dropping to his sides. “You’re not new to this business, world we live in. You know how it plays out with women around here a lot of the times. But you…you got to transcend all of that bullshit. We didn’t have to try to figure you out, how’d you be. It was obvious you were just here for wrestling, and making friends and family. No one could try to sleep with you or any of that shit either because it just wasn’t an option.”

“OK? Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, no, of course not,” Adam insisted. “But that was…then.”

You knew you had to ask what he meant, but you dreaded doing so. This conversation had taken such a sharp turn. He had clearly come prepared to speak with you, had gotten his thoughts in order. And you had a feeling you knew where this was headed, but you weren’t positive, and you definitely weren’t ready to handle it if you were right. You wanted to be wrong, didn’t want any more inconsistency around the two of you. Taking a shallow breath, you pushed on, because ignoring things was what got you in this chaos in the first place basically. You had promised Candice after all.

“…and now?”

“Now…you’re my friend, Brenna. … But for some fucking stupid reason, I can’t just keep you in that box the same way anymore,” he said, sounding mad at himself about this. “Without Evan…that wall, that distance we’ve always had to have just because…is gone. And now you’re not… Look, I told you before, you’re not just one of the guys, Bren. You never were really, and you’re just…definitely not now.”

Your head was spinning, you felt jittery all over. Had he really just told you that? What was he really trying to say? What was going on right now? You weren’t prepared for this conversation. You had come to him, thinking you just needed to smooth over some weirdness from a kiss, laugh it off, move on. You hadn’t even at all entertained the idea that this discussion would go so off the rails for you.

“I don’t like this, this lack of control I have with you. That’s not me. I’m always in charge, I always have a plan,” he declared, appearing to take your silence as a need for more clarification. “But with you…I never know what I’m doing, what you’re doing. It bugs the hell out of me that the second I see you, I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

“To be fair, neither do I really,” you spoke quietly, and a smile twitched on his face.

“I figured as much,” he replied.

You chewed at your lip, finding it harder and harder to keep looking at him, wanting more than anything to just hide into yourself right now. This was just too much. You had no idea what to say. You still weren’t even fully understanding his intent at this point either. It was a bit ambiguous whatever his aim was in telling you all this.

“I’m not trying to come at you and overwhelm you,” Adam stated, seemingly not oblivious to your body language and reaction. “And I’m also not saying I have some like, long-standing unrequited crush on you. Anything that this is, it’s because of recent events. So what I’m saying is, when it comes to you and being just your friend, this is new territory for me and I don’t know what to do because everything is just so different now.”

“Stop saying different,” you requested, your distaste growing for that word more and more each time it was used. It didn’t tell you anything concrete, it just made you more unsure each time. And that was getting on your nerves.

“I’m sorry? I don’t know what else to call it though. Because that’s what it is,” he explained. “You, your world, you in my world, anything between us…it’s different now. We can’t pretend it’s not.”

“I know it’s not,” you asserted. “Believe me, I’m well aware my entire life isn’t what it was a year ago.”

“Then you have to understand, in some way, why I’m having a hard time figuring you, us, out,” Adam reasoned.

“I mean, yea, sure. It’s not like last night, the last few weeks, haven’t confused me and made me question everything too. But I just…I didn’t think it ran as deep as it apparently does,” you said, uncertain and dazed.

“Things changed in Atlanta for me,” he admitted, looking at you, almost with guilt. “Before that too, to some extent. The way you are to me…I don’t know. I’m not sure how to be around you anymore. You weren’t a part of my life for so many months, and then you were, and it’s just been…crazy. And kissing you last night…”

“Do you regret it?” Your question cut him off, and his face changed to one of surprise. He clearly wasn’t thinking you were going to ask him that.

“…Yes? …No? I mean, I know I should…” He trailed off, just watching you, almost helpless in his inability to give you a direct answer.

“…but you don’t.” You finished for him, your voice a whisper. You didn’t know why his words, these words, affected you so much more than the others. You thought you regretted the kiss, in some ways at least. You had to. It hadn’t been premeditated. It hadn’t been an idea you had until it happened. It certainly had not been a part of your life plan.

“Not entirely.”

His admission made your heart rate increase more than it was already was. You had not expected any of this. You had expected Adam to be on the same page as you, slightly puzzled and weirded out, and just trying to move past last night’s events. You had not expected it to mean anything to him, beyond a drunken-at-best mistake. You certainly hadn’t expected him to have any type of muddled feelings for you that weren’t exclusively of the friend variety.

“I liked kissing you,” he murmured, causing your breath to catch even further. “I hadn’t wanted to stop it last night.”

“…you did though?”

“Because I had to,” Adam stressed. He sighed, looking down to the ground for a moment, before taking in a breath of his own, and looking back up to you. “We haven’t been able to, not once, be together without something…eventful happening lately. You…no matter that it’s been almost a year, you’re still in a lot of ways getting over Evan, I know that. And I can’t…both of those aren’t things I can ignore.”

He paused, his gaze gentle as he looked you over. It took all your resolve to look back at him. You were uncomfortable; not because of what he was telling you necessarily, but because this situation was so surprising and so foreign. He was right in saying that since you had accosted him in December, things hadn’t been calm in the least.

“I just…I had to stop it last night,” he reaffirmed. “What I think of you, whatever that is, I can’t let that be important right now. I’ll figure it out myself. But while doing that, I’m not going to let you put yourself in a position for more problems to handle. You don’t need that.”

Despite him telling you want you needed again, this time it didn’t rub you the wrong way like it usually did. Somewhere in you, you appreciated his sentiments actually. You appreciated he was cognizant of your on-going healing heartbreak. He was trying to look out for your best interest, and was putting your mental wellbeing above his in a way. Despite his own confusion, desire, wants, what have you, he was putting yours first.

“Look, let’s just, try to be the friends we have been literally fighting to be for weeks now, OK? We’ll just hang out, be around each other, let things settle down a bit. I think that’s what we need right now.”

“Yea…OK,” you agreed, halfheartedly. You knew he had a valid point, that things had been nothing but chaos for the two of you for weeks. And whatever feelings he was having for you now, he hadn’t anticipated he’d have. You hadn’t anticipated you’d kiss him either. There was just too much emotion, too much confusion, in every interaction you had with each other lately. Maybe some respectable distance would do you both good.

“You know, this has been hard on me too. The whole, category, box, whatever, thing,” you disclosed. “In a different way than you, but it’s still changed. I mean, I was always the advice giver, the person that people trusted to keep their secrets and take care of them, and that it was OK to be human with me without judgement. And then with everything that happened…roles got reversed in a lot of ways. I was the one people had to take care of.  It wasn’t easy for me to accept that.”

“I know,” he assured you sympathetically. “We all just…have a lot to come to terms with, I guess. But we’ll get here, Bren.”

“I hope so.” And you really did. You had come much too far in the past eleven months for it all to go to hell now. Even though you hadn’t predicted you’d be here in this situation with Adam, you knew all you could do now was see it through. However it turned out though, that was very much up for debate.

Y’all please don’t hate me!! It’s not the end, I promise. I’ve got a handful of chapters still planned at this point. But it’ll all depend on how the writing goes. Sometimes it takes me places I didn’t plan honestly. :)

UPDATED: Part Seven is up.

[newseveryhourly]

Well, there is lots going on in Flynn World.The president’s former national-security advisor, Michael Flynn, is obviously elated that, on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit granted his petition for a writ of mandamus -- i.e., it instructed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case against him. I have a column about the ruling up on the homepage.As reported by NR’s Zachary Evans, moreover, Flynn defense lawyer Sidney Powell has filed an intriguing supplement the defense’s concurrence in the Justice Department’s dismissal motion. The supplement, also filed on Wednesday, includes notes said to have been handwritten by Peter Strzok, then a top FBI counterintelligence agent (and, of course, later fired for sundry misconduct).It is being widely reported that the notes concern a now infamous White House meeting about Flynn that took place on January 5, 2017. (I began writing about that meeting as soon as we learned about it in early 2018, and it is central to my book about the Trump–Russia investigation, Ball of Collusion). The meeting included the top political and law-enforcement leadership of the Obama administration -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, national-security advisor Susan Rice, deputy attorney general Sally Yates, and FBI director James Comey -- notwithstanding the insistence of Obama apologists that the administration did not permit law enforcement to be influenced by politics. (I would counter that mixing the two was the administration’s M-O).I suspect the Strzok notes are about the January 5 meeting, too. There is, however, confusion on this point.The short supplement Ms. Powell filed states that Strzok’s notes are “believed to be of January 4, 2017” (emphasis added). Now, Powell received these notes from the Justice Department as part of its continuing review of the Flynn case (which was prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff). Obviously, she is privy to more information about the case than we are, and we do not know what, if anything, DOJ told her about the provenance of the notes. That said, I am skeptical about the January 4 dating.If it’s right, that would mean there were two meetings involving the same five people regarding the same subject matter on consecutive days. It seems highly unlikely to me that President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with Rice, met with Comey and Yates on both January 4 and 5. Plus, in connection with its motion to dismiss Flynn case, the government has previously disclosed FBI interviews of former deputy AG Yates and Mary McCord, formerly the chief of DOJ’s National Security Division. Both of them indicated that Yates did not know until January 5 that the FBI had intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. That was a somewhat embarrassing admission for them to make, so I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt it. (Yates should have been briefed before the White House meeting by McCord, who had been alerted by the FBI’s then-deputy director, Andrew McCabe, on January 3. Perhaps McCord did not realize Yates was going to the White House on the morning of January 5; she had scheduled a briefing for Yates that afternoon. As a result, Yates first learned about the Flynn–Kislyak calls when Comey and Obama discussed them in her presence at the White House meeting.)Another peculiar thing: We have no basis to believe Strzok was present at the January 5 White House pow-wow -- at least the follow-on meeting involving the five top-tier officials, several rungs above Strzok.On that score, note that there were really two meetings on January 5. The first was for the chiefs of four intelligence agencies -- FBI, CIA, NSA, and ODNI -- to brief the president (presumably, along with his Veep and national security advisor) on their report assessing Russia’s interference in the 2020 election. The second was the follow-on meeting, involving only Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey. There were several more people in attendance at the first January 5 meeting. Strzok was deeply involved in the assessment report. I don’t know how much staff the intel chiefs brought along to make their presentation to Obama, so I suppose it’s possible Strzok was there, but I’ve never heard that before. Plus, Strzok’s notes appear to refer to the follow-on meeting, involving only the five highest ranking officials.It is more likely, then, that Strzok’s notes were taken when someone later briefed him about the White House meeting that Strzok did not attend. I am hypothesizing here, of course, but if I’m right, we should bear in mind that the notes would reflect, at best, a second-hand account. That would not make them inaccurate, necessarily, but it’s worth bearing in mind.The difference between January 4 and 5 is significant, and not just because it is unlikely that there were two meetings involving the five major players. January 4 is the date of the “closing memo” the FBI had completed to shut down its case on Flynn due to lack of evidence that he was a clandestine agent of Russia.In addition to that memo, the Justice Department previously disclosed to Powell important texts from that day. On the afternoon of January 4, Strzok texted the Flynn case agent (believed to be Joe Pientka, though the name is redacted in the disclosure) and was relieved to learn that the Flynn case (“Crossfire Razor”) had not yet been formally closed in the bureau’s files, even though nearly all the steps necessary to do so (including getting Comey’s approval) had been taken.Strzok promptly reported that the case remained open to Lisa Page, McCabe’s counsel (and Strzok’s paramour). She replied, “phew . . . . But yeah, that’s amazing that he’s still open. Good I guess.” Strzok’s agreed: “Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us.Strzok subsequently told Pientka, “7th floor involved” -- meaning the FBI’s top hierarchy, Comey and McCabe. The issue at the time was that the bureau “need[ed] to decide to what to do with” Flynn with respect to “the [redacted].” I suspect what’s redacted is a reference to the Flynn–Kislyak communications the FBI had intercepted. Pientka said, “I heard that might be the case yesterday [i.e., January 3]. Did DD [i.e., Deputy Director McCabe] send that material over?” As noted above, we know McCabe had become aware of the Flynn–Kislyak calls on January 3 because that’s when he informed DOJ’s McCord about them.To recap: In the January 4 texts, Strzok observed that the FBI’s brass was trying to figure out what to do about the new Flynn information (i.e., the intercepted Kislyak calls) and expressing relief that the case was still open -- i.e., the bureau would not have to come up with a reason to either reopen the case or start a new case, neither of which could have been justified by the non-incriminatory substance of Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. The newly revealed notes attributed to Strzok contain no reference to Obama, the Justice Department, or any White House meeting. It is likely, therefore, that on January 4, Strzok and others at the FBI were preparing for Comey’s scheduled briefing of Obama the following morning. It is improbable that Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey had a meeting on January 4, and then met again on January 5.Now, onto what Strzok’s notes actually say. If I am right that they reflect what he was told about the January 5 meeting, which he did not attend, they don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.The handwritten notes appear in our Zachary Evans’s report, linked above. What follows is a rendering of what Strzok’s chicken-scratch says, based on my discussion with others knowledgeable about the case and my own perusal. The notes refer to people by initials, so let me first interpret those: “NSA” is National Security Advisor Rice; “D” is Director Comey; “DAG” is Deputy Attorney General Yates; “VP” is Vice President Biden; and “P” is President Obama. There is also a reference that looks like “Apple” -- I am not convinced that “Apple” is what it says, nor do I know to whom or what it refers. Where I’ve added explanatory observations, my initials -- “ACM” appear in the brackets.Here is what the notes say:> NSA-D-DAG: Flynn cuts. Other countries [ACM: I’m not confident in “countries”]> > D-DAG: Lean forward on unless [ACM: all of it is hard to make out, and I’m not confident in “unless”]> > VP: “Logan Act”> > P: These are unusual times> > VP: I’ve been [ACM: there’s a scratch out] on the intel committee for ten years and I never> > P: Make sure you look at things and have the right people on it [ACM: “over” instead of “at” has also been suggested to me, but it looks like “at”.]> > P: Is there anything I shouldn’t be telling transition team?> > D: Flynn -> Kislyak calls but appear legit> > Apple — Happy New Year. Yeah right.Not very enlightening. “Flynn cuts” refers to summaries of communications intercepted under FISA. The notes suggest that Biden may have been a more active participant in the discussion than previously revealed. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone: The former vice president is a garrulous sort. In any event, his reference to the Logan Act, in quotes, could well mean that he was repeating something someone else had already said rather than making a suggestion on his own. (McCord’s interview indicated that the absurd notion of prosecuting Flynn under the Logan Act may have originated in the ODNI, and it may have been developed in discussions between the ODNI and FBI. The Justice Department appears to have been skeptical about it, at least internally.)I do think that there is significance in Strzok’s notation of Comey acknowledging that the Flynn–Kislyak calls appeared legitimate. Strzok was a high-ranking FBI official who (a) had contact with Comey, (b) was in regular communication with McCabe’s office, and (c) worked closely with other bureau people who had regular access to Comey and McCabe. As a result, he was in a position to know Comey’s (and the FBI’s) take on the Flynn–Kislyak calls. Furthermore, as I observed above, the FBI was very relieved that the Flynn case had not been closed in their filing system. That only makes sense if they suddenly wanted to continue the investigation despite the lack of a valid reason for doing so. If the bureau had believed the Flynn–Kislyak calls were incriminating, the agents would not have cared whether the case had been formally closed because they’d know they had well-founded reasons to reopen it.That said, it is not a revelation that Comey knew there was nothing illegitimate about the incoming national security advisor’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. We already knew, from New York Times reporting, that the FBI had told “Obama advisers” that there was no evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo in the Flynn–Kislyak calls. And we already knew from Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017, “Note to File” email that Comey told Obama there was “no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak[.]”Consequently, if Strzok was accurately reporting his own or some other bureau official’s recollection that Comey said the Flynn–Kislyak calls “appear legit,” that confirms other accounts previously disclosed.In a nutshell, Strzok’s notes are significant in what they confirm, but they probably do not reveal anything new.

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[bigbirdgladiator]

Well, there is lots going on in Flynn World.The president’s former national-security advisor, Michael Flynn, is obviously elated that, on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit granted his petition for a writ of mandamus -- i.e., it instructed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case against him. I have a column about the ruling up on the homepage.As reported by NR’s Zachary Evans, moreover, Flynn defense lawyer Sidney Powell has filed an intriguing supplement the defense’s concurrence in the Justice Department’s dismissal motion. The supplement, also filed on Wednesday, includes notes said to have been handwritten by Peter Strzok, then a top FBI counterintelligence agent (and, of course, later fired for sundry misconduct).It is being widely reported that the notes concern a now infamous White House meeting about Flynn that took place on January 5, 2017. (I began writing about that meeting as soon as we learned about it in early 2018, and it is central to my book about the Trump–Russia investigation, Ball of Collusion). The meeting included the top political and law-enforcement leadership of the Obama administration -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, national-security advisor Susan Rice, deputy attorney general Sally Yates, and FBI director James Comey -- notwithstanding the insistence of Obama apologists that the administration did not permit law enforcement to be influenced by politics. (I would counter that mixing the two was the administration’s M-O).I suspect the Strzok notes are about the January 5 meeting, too. There is, however, confusion on this point.The short supplement Ms. Powell filed states that Strzok’s notes are “believed to be of January 4, 2017” (emphasis added). Now, Powell received these notes from the Justice Department as part of its continuing review of the Flynn case (which was prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff). Obviously, she is privy to more information about the case than we are, and we do not know what, if anything, DOJ told her about the provenance of the notes. That said, I am skeptical about the January 4 dating.If it’s right, that would mean there were two meetings involving the same five people regarding the same subject matter on consecutive days. It seems highly unlikely to me that President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with Rice, met with Comey and Yates on both January 4 and 5. Plus, in connection with its motion to dismiss Flynn case, the government has previously disclosed FBI interviews of former deputy AG Yates and Mary McCord, formerly the chief of DOJ’s National Security Division. Both of them indicated that Yates did not know until January 5 that the FBI had intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. That was a somewhat embarrassing admission for them to make, so I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt it. (Yates should have been briefed before the White House meeting by McCord, who had been alerted by the FBI’s then-deputy director, Andrew McCabe, on January 3. Perhaps McCord did not realize Yates was going to the White House on the morning of January 5; she had scheduled a briefing for Yates that afternoon. As a result, Yates first learned about the Flynn–Kislyak calls when Comey and Obama discussed them in her presence at the White House meeting.)Another peculiar thing: We have no basis to believe Strzok was present at the January 5 White House pow-wow -- at least the follow-on meeting involving the five top-tier officials, several rungs above Strzok.On that score, note that there were really two meetings on January 5. The first was for the chiefs of four intelligence agencies -- FBI, CIA, NSA, and ODNI -- to brief the president (presumably, along with his Veep and national security advisor) on their report assessing Russia’s interference in the 2020 election. The second was the follow-on meeting, involving only Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey. There were several more people in attendance at the first January 5 meeting. Strzok was deeply involved in the assessment report. I don’t know how much staff the intel chiefs brought along to make their presentation to Obama, so I suppose it’s possible Strzok was there, but I’ve never heard that before. Plus, Strzok’s notes appear to refer to the follow-on meeting, involving only the five highest ranking officials.It is more likely, then, that Strzok’s notes were taken when someone later briefed him about the White House meeting that Strzok did not attend. I am hypothesizing here, of course, but if I’m right, we should bear in mind that the notes would reflect, at best, a second-hand account. That would not make them inaccurate, necessarily, but it’s worth bearing in mind.The difference between January 4 and 5 is significant, and not just because it is unlikely that there were two meetings involving the five major players. January 4 is the date of the “closing memo” the FBI had completed to shut down its case on Flynn due to lack of evidence that he was a clandestine agent of Russia.In addition to that memo, the Justice Department previously disclosed to Powell important texts from that day. On the afternoon of January 4, Strzok texted the Flynn case agent (believed to be Joe Pientka, though the name is redacted in the disclosure) and was relieved to learn that the Flynn case (“Crossfire Razor”) had not yet been formally closed in the bureau’s files, even though nearly all the steps necessary to do so (including getting Comey’s approval) had been taken.Strzok promptly reported that the case remained open to Lisa Page, McCabe’s counsel (and Strzok’s paramour). She replied, “phew . . . . But yeah, that’s amazing that he’s still open. Good I guess.” Strzok’s agreed: “Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us.Strzok subsequently told Pientka, “7th floor involved” -- meaning the FBI’s top hierarchy, Comey and McCabe. The issue at the time was that the bureau “need[ed] to decide to what to do with” Flynn with respect to “the [redacted].” I suspect what’s redacted is a reference to the Flynn–Kislyak communications the FBI had intercepted. Pientka said, “I heard that might be the case yesterday [i.e., January 3]. Did DD [i.e., Deputy Director McCabe] send that material over?” As noted above, we know McCabe had become aware of the Flynn–Kislyak calls on January 3 because that’s when he informed DOJ’s McCord about them.To recap: In the January 4 texts, Strzok observed that the FBI’s brass was trying to figure out what to do about the new Flynn information (i.e., the intercepted Kislyak calls) and expressing relief that the case was still open -- i.e., the bureau would not have to come up with a reason to either reopen the case or start a new case, neither of which could have been justified by the non-incriminatory substance of Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. The newly revealed notes attributed to Strzok contain no reference to Obama, the Justice Department, or any White House meeting. It is likely, therefore, that on January 4, Strzok and others at the FBI were preparing for Comey’s scheduled briefing of Obama the following morning. It is improbable that Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey had a meeting on January 4, and then met again on January 5.Now, onto what Strzok’s notes actually say. If I am right that they reflect what he was told about the January 5 meeting, which he did not attend, they don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.The handwritten notes appear in our Zachary Evans’s report, linked above. What follows is a rendering of what Strzok’s chicken-scratch says, based on my discussion with others knowledgeable about the case and my own perusal. The notes refer to people by initials, so let me first interpret those: “NSA” is National Security Advisor Rice; “D” is Director Comey; “DAG” is Deputy Attorney General Yates; “VP” is Vice President Biden; and “P” is President Obama. There is also a reference that looks like “Apple” -- I am not convinced that “Apple” is what it says, nor do I know to whom or what it refers. Where I’ve added explanatory observations, my initials -- “ACM” appear in the brackets.Here is what the notes say:> NSA-D-DAG: Flynn cuts. Other countries [ACM: I’m not confident in “countries”]> > D-DAG: Lean forward on unless [ACM: all of it is hard to make out, and I’m not confident in “unless”]> > VP: “Logan Act”> > P: These are unusual times> > VP: I’ve been [ACM: there’s a scratch out] on the intel committee for ten years and I never> > P: Make sure you look at things and have the right people on it [ACM: “over” instead of “at” has also been suggested to me, but it looks like “at”.]> > P: Is there anything I shouldn’t be telling transition team?> > D: Flynn -> Kislyak calls but appear legit> > Apple — Happy New Year. Yeah right.Not very enlightening. “Flynn cuts” refers to summaries of communications intercepted under FISA. The notes suggest that Biden may have been a more active participant in the discussion than previously revealed. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone: The former vice president is a garrulous sort. In any event, his reference to the Logan Act, in quotes, could well mean that he was repeating something someone else had already said rather than making a suggestion on his own. (McCord’s interview indicated that the absurd notion of prosecuting Flynn under the Logan Act may have originated in the ODNI, and it may have been developed in discussions between the ODNI and FBI. The Justice Department appears to have been skeptical about it, at least internally.)I do think that there is significance in Strzok’s notation of Comey acknowledging that the Flynn–Kislyak calls appeared legitimate. Strzok was a high-ranking FBI official who (a) had contact with Comey, (b) was in regular communication with McCabe’s office, and (c) worked closely with other bureau people who had regular access to Comey and McCabe. As a result, he was in a position to know Comey’s (and the FBI’s) take on the Flynn–Kislyak calls. Furthermore, as I observed above, the FBI was very relieved that the Flynn case had not been closed in their filing system. That only makes sense if they suddenly wanted to continue the investigation despite the lack of a valid reason for doing so. If the bureau had believed the Flynn–Kislyak calls were incriminating, the agents would not have cared whether the case had been formally closed because they’d know they had well-founded reasons to reopen it.That said, it is not a revelation that Comey knew there was nothing illegitimate about the incoming national security advisor’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. We already knew, from New York Times reporting, that the FBI had told “Obama advisers” that there was no evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo in the Flynn–Kislyak calls. And we already knew from Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017, “Note to File” email that Comey told Obama there was “no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak[.]”Consequently, if Strzok was accurately reporting his own or some other bureau official’s recollection that Comey said the Flynn–Kislyak calls “appear legit,” that confirms other accounts previously disclosed.In a nutshell, Strzok’s notes are significant in what they confirm, but they probably do not reveal anything new.

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[weopenviews]

Well, there is lots going on in Flynn World.The president’s former national-security advisor, Michael Flynn, is obviously elated that, on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit granted his petition for a writ of mandamus -- i.e., it instructed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case against him. I have a column about the ruling up on the homepage.As reported by NR’s Zachary Evans, moreover, Flynn defense lawyer Sidney Powell has filed an intriguing supplement the defense’s concurrence in the Justice Department’s dismissal motion. The supplement, also filed on Wednesday, includes notes said to have been handwritten by Peter Strzok, then a top FBI counterintelligence agent (and, of course, later fired for sundry misconduct).It is being widely reported that the notes concern a now infamous White House meeting about Flynn that took place on January 5, 2017. (I began writing about that meeting as soon as we learned about it in early 2018, and it is central to my book about the Trump–Russia investigation, Ball of Collusion). The meeting included the top political and law-enforcement leadership of the Obama administration -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, national-security advisor Susan Rice, deputy attorney general Sally Yates, and FBI director James Comey -- notwithstanding the insistence of Obama apologists that the administration did not permit law enforcement to be influenced by politics. (I would counter that mixing the two was the administration’s M-O).I suspect the Strzok notes are about the January 5 meeting, too. There is, however, confusion on this point.The short supplement Ms. Powell filed states that Strzok’s notes are “believed to be of January 4, 2017” (emphasis added). Now, Powell received these notes from the Justice Department as part of its continuing review of the Flynn case (which was prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff). Obviously, she is privy to more information about the case than we are, and we do not know what, if anything, DOJ told her about the provenance of the notes. That said, I am skeptical about the January 4 dating.If it’s right, that would mean there were two meetings involving the same five people regarding the same subject matter on consecutive days. It seems highly unlikely to me that President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with Rice, met with Comey and Yates on both January 4 and 5. Plus, in connection with its motion to dismiss Flynn case, the government has previously disclosed FBI interviews of former deputy AG Yates and Mary McCord, formerly the chief of DOJ’s National Security Division. Both of them indicated that Yates did not know until January 5 that the FBI had intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. That was a somewhat embarrassing admission for them to make, so I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt it. (Yates should have been briefed before the White House meeting by McCord, who had been alerted by the FBI’s then-deputy director, Andrew McCabe, on January 3. Perhaps McCord did not realize Yates was going to the White House on the morning of January 5; she had scheduled a briefing for Yates that afternoon. As a result, Yates first learned about the Flynn–Kislyak calls when Comey and Obama discussed them in her presence at the White House meeting.)Another peculiar thing: We have no basis to believe Strzok was present at the January 5 White House pow-wow -- at least the follow-on meeting involving the five top-tier officials, several rungs above Strzok.On that score, note that there were really two meetings on January 5. The first was for the chiefs of four intelligence agencies -- FBI, CIA, NSA, and ODNI -- to brief the president (presumably, along with his Veep and national security advisor) on their report assessing Russia’s interference in the 2020 election. The second was the follow-on meeting, involving only Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey. There were several more people in attendance at the first January 5 meeting. Strzok was deeply involved in the assessment report. I don’t know how much staff the intel chiefs brought along to make their presentation to Obama, so I suppose it’s possible Strzok was there, but I’ve never heard that before. Plus, Strzok’s notes appear to refer to the follow-on meeting, involving only the five highest ranking officials.It is more likely, then, that Strzok’s notes were taken when someone later briefed him about the White House meeting that Strzok did not attend. I am hypothesizing here, of course, but if I’m right, we should bear in mind that the notes would reflect, at best, a second-hand account. That would not make them inaccurate, necessarily, but it’s worth bearing in mind.The difference between January 4 and 5 is significant, and not just because it is unlikely that there were two meetings involving the five major players. January 4 is the date of the “closing memo” the FBI had completed to shut down its case on Flynn due to lack of evidence that he was a clandestine agent of Russia.In addition to that memo, the Justice Department previously disclosed to Powell important texts from that day. On the afternoon of January 4, Strzok texted the Flynn case agent (believed to be Joe Pientka, though the name is redacted in the disclosure) and was relieved to learn that the Flynn case (“Crossfire Razor”) had not yet been formally closed in the bureau’s files, even though nearly all the steps necessary to do so (including getting Comey’s approval) had been taken.Strzok promptly reported that the case remained open to Lisa Page, McCabe’s counsel (and Strzok’s paramour). She replied, “phew . . . . But yeah, that’s amazing that he’s still open. Good I guess.” Strzok’s agreed: “Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us.Strzok subsequently told Pientka, “7th floor involved” -- meaning the FBI’s top hierarchy, Comey and McCabe. The issue at the time was that the bureau “need[ed] to decide to what to do with” Flynn with respect to “the [redacted].” I suspect what’s redacted is a reference to the Flynn–Kislyak communications the FBI had intercepted. Pientka said, “I heard that might be the case yesterday [i.e., January 3]. Did DD [i.e., Deputy Director McCabe] send that material over?” As noted above, we know McCabe had become aware of the Flynn–Kislyak calls on January 3 because that’s when he informed DOJ’s McCord about them.To recap: In the January 4 texts, Strzok observed that the FBI’s brass was trying to figure out what to do about the new Flynn information (i.e., the intercepted Kislyak calls) and expressing relief that the case was still open -- i.e., the bureau would not have to come up with a reason to either reopen the case or start a new case, neither of which could have been justified by the non-incriminatory substance of Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. The newly revealed notes attributed to Strzok contain no reference to Obama, the Justice Department, or any White House meeting. It is likely, therefore, that on January 4, Strzok and others at the FBI were preparing for Comey’s scheduled briefing of Obama the following morning. It is improbable that Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey had a meeting on January 4, and then met again on January 5.Now, onto what Strzok’s notes actually say. If I am right that they reflect what he was told about the January 5 meeting, which he did not attend, they don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.The handwritten notes appear in our Zachary Evans’s report, linked above. What follows is a rendering of what Strzok’s chicken-scratch says, based on my discussion with others knowledgeable about the case and my own perusal. The notes refer to people by initials, so let me first interpret those: “NSA” is National Security Advisor Rice; “D” is Director Comey; “DAG” is Deputy Attorney General Yates; “VP” is Vice President Biden; and “P” is President Obama. There is also a reference that looks like “Apple” -- I am not convinced that “Apple” is what it says, nor do I know to whom or what it refers. Where I’ve added explanatory observations, my initials -- “ACM” appear in the brackets.Here is what the notes say:> NSA-D-DAG: Flynn cuts. Other countries [ACM: I’m not confident in “countries”]> > D-DAG: Lean forward on unless [ACM: all of it is hard to make out, and I’m not confident in “unless”]> > VP: “Logan Act”> > P: These are unusual times> > VP: I’ve been [ACM: there’s a scratch out] on the intel committee for ten years and I never> > P: Make sure you look at things and have the right people on it [ACM: “over” instead of “at” has also been suggested to me, but it looks like “at”.]> > P: Is there anything I shouldn’t be telling transition team?> > D: Flynn -> Kislyak calls but appear legit> > Apple — Happy New Year. Yeah right.Not very enlightening. “Flynn cuts” refers to summaries of communications intercepted under FISA. The notes suggest that Biden may have been a more active participant in the discussion than previously revealed. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone: The former vice president is a garrulous sort. In any event, his reference to the Logan Act, in quotes, could well mean that he was repeating something someone else had already said rather than making a suggestion on his own. (McCord’s interview indicated that the absurd notion of prosecuting Flynn under the Logan Act may have originated in the ODNI, and it may have been developed in discussions between the ODNI and FBI. The Justice Department appears to have been skeptical about it, at least internally.)I do think that there is significance in Strzok’s notation of Comey acknowledging that the Flynn–Kislyak calls appeared legitimate. Strzok was a high-ranking FBI official who (a) had contact with Comey, (b) was in regular communication with McCabe’s office, and (c) worked closely with other bureau people who had regular access to Comey and McCabe. As a result, he was in a position to know Comey’s (and the FBI’s) take on the Flynn–Kislyak calls. Furthermore, as I observed above, the FBI was very relieved that the Flynn case had not been closed in their filing system. That only makes sense if they suddenly wanted to continue the investigation despite the lack of a valid reason for doing so. If the bureau had believed the Flynn–Kislyak calls were incriminating, the agents would not have cared whether the case had been formally closed because they’d know they had well-founded reasons to reopen it.That said, it is not a revelation that Comey knew there was nothing illegitimate about the incoming national security advisor’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. We already knew, from New York Times reporting, that the FBI had told “Obama advisers” that there was no evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo in the Flynn–Kislyak calls. And we already knew from Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017, “Note to File” email that Comey told Obama there was “no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak[.]”Consequently, if Strzok was accurately reporting his own or some other bureau official’s recollection that Comey said the Flynn–Kislyak calls “appear legit,” that confirms other accounts previously disclosed.In a nutshell, Strzok’s notes are significant in what they confirm, but they probably do not reveal anything new.

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[saadullah-faisal-world]

Well, there is lots going on in Flynn World.The president’s former national-security advisor, Michael Flynn, is obviously elated that, on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit granted his petition for a writ of mandamus -- i.e., it instructed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case against him. I have a column about the ruling up on the homepage.As reported by NR’s Zachary Evans, moreover, Flynn defense lawyer Sidney Powell has filed an intriguing supplement the defense’s concurrence in the Justice Department’s dismissal motion. The supplement, also filed on Wednesday, includes notes said to have been handwritten by Peter Strzok, then a top FBI counterintelligence agent (and, of course, later fired for sundry misconduct).It is being widely reported that the notes concern a now infamous White House meeting about Flynn that took place on January 5, 2017. (I began writing about that meeting as soon as we learned about it in early 2018, and it is central to my book about the Trump–Russia investigation, Ball of Collusion). The meeting included the top political and law-enforcement leadership of the Obama administration -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, national-security advisor Susan Rice, deputy attorney general Sally Yates, and FBI director James Comey -- notwithstanding the insistence of Obama apologists that the administration did not permit law enforcement to be influenced by politics. (I would counter that mixing the two was the administration’s M-O).I suspect the Strzok notes are about the January 5 meeting, too. There is, however, confusion on this point.The short supplement Ms. Powell filed states that Strzok’s notes are “believed to be of January 4, 2017” (emphasis added). Now, Powell received these notes from the Justice Department as part of its continuing review of the Flynn case (which was prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff). Obviously, she is privy to more information about the case than we are, and we do not know what, if anything, DOJ told her about the provenance of the notes. That said, I am skeptical about the January 4 dating.If it’s right, that would mean there were two meetings involving the same five people regarding the same subject matter on consecutive days. It seems highly unlikely to me that President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with Rice, met with Comey and Yates on both January 4 and 5. Plus, in connection with its motion to dismiss Flynn case, the government has previously disclosed FBI interviews of former deputy AG Yates and Mary McCord, formerly the chief of DOJ’s National Security Division. Both of them indicated that Yates did not know until January 5 that the FBI had intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. That was a somewhat embarrassing admission for them to make, so I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt it. (Yates should have been briefed before the White House meeting by McCord, who had been alerted by the FBI’s then-deputy director, Andrew McCabe, on January 3. Perhaps McCord did not realize Yates was going to the White House on the morning of January 5; she had scheduled a briefing for Yates that afternoon. As a result, Yates first learned about the Flynn–Kislyak calls when Comey and Obama discussed them in her presence at the White House meeting.)Another peculiar thing: We have no basis to believe Strzok was present at the January 5 White House pow-wow -- at least the follow-on meeting involving the five top-tier officials, several rungs above Strzok.On that score, note that there were really two meetings on January 5. The first was for the chiefs of four intelligence agencies -- FBI, CIA, NSA, and ODNI -- to brief the president (presumably, along with his Veep and national security advisor) on their report assessing Russia’s interference in the 2020 election. The second was the follow-on meeting, involving only Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey. There were several more people in attendance at the first January 5 meeting. Strzok was deeply involved in the assessment report. I don’t know how much staff the intel chiefs brought along to make their presentation to Obama, so I suppose it’s possible Strzok was there, but I’ve never heard that before. Plus, Strzok’s notes appear to refer to the follow-on meeting, involving only the five highest ranking officials.It is more likely, then, that Strzok’s notes were taken when someone later briefed him about the White House meeting that Strzok did not attend. I am hypothesizing here, of course, but if I’m right, we should bear in mind that the notes would reflect, at best, a second-hand account. That would not make them inaccurate, necessarily, but it’s worth bearing in mind.The difference between January 4 and 5 is significant, and not just because it is unlikely that there were two meetings involving the five major players. January 4 is the date of the “closing memo” the FBI had completed to shut down its case on Flynn due to lack of evidence that he was a clandestine agent of Russia.In addition to that memo, the Justice Department previously disclosed to Powell important texts from that day. On the afternoon of January 4, Strzok texted the Flynn case agent (believed to be Joe Pientka, though the name is redacted in the disclosure) and was relieved to learn that the Flynn case (“Crossfire Razor”) had not yet been formally closed in the bureau’s files, even though nearly all the steps necessary to do so (including getting Comey’s approval) had been taken.Strzok promptly reported that the case remained open to Lisa Page, McCabe’s counsel (and Strzok’s paramour). She replied, “phew . . . . But yeah, that’s amazing that he’s still open. Good I guess.” Strzok’s agreed: “Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us.Strzok subsequently told Pientka, “7th floor involved” -- meaning the FBI’s top hierarchy, Comey and McCabe. The issue at the time was that the bureau “need[ed] to decide to what to do with” Flynn with respect to “the [redacted].” I suspect what’s redacted is a reference to the Flynn–Kislyak communications the FBI had intercepted. Pientka said, “I heard that might be the case yesterday [i.e., January 3]. Did DD [i.e., Deputy Director McCabe] send that material over?” As noted above, we know McCabe had become aware of the Flynn–Kislyak calls on January 3 because that’s when he informed DOJ’s McCord about them.To recap: In the January 4 texts, Strzok observed that the FBI’s brass was trying to figure out what to do about the new Flynn information (i.e., the intercepted Kislyak calls) and expressing relief that the case was still open -- i.e., the bureau would not have to come up with a reason to either reopen the case or start a new case, neither of which could have been justified by the non-incriminatory substance of Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. The newly revealed notes attributed to Strzok contain no reference to Obama, the Justice Department, or any White House meeting. It is likely, therefore, that on January 4, Strzok and others at the FBI were preparing for Comey’s scheduled briefing of Obama the following morning. It is improbable that Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey had a meeting on January 4, and then met again on January 5.Now, onto what Strzok’s notes actually say. If I am right that they reflect what he was told about the January 5 meeting, which he did not attend, they don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.The handwritten notes appear in our Zachary Evans’s report, linked above. What follows is a rendering of what Strzok’s chicken-scratch says, based on my discussion with others knowledgeable about the case and my own perusal. The notes refer to people by initials, so let me first interpret those: “NSA” is National Security Advisor Rice; “D” is Director Comey; “DAG” is Deputy Attorney General Yates; “VP” is Vice President Biden; and “P” is President Obama. There is also a reference that looks like “Apple” -- I am not convinced that “Apple” is what it says, nor do I know to whom or what it refers. Where I’ve added explanatory observations, my initials -- “ACM” appear in the brackets.Here is what the notes say:> NSA-D-DAG: Flynn cuts. Other countries [ACM: I’m not confident in “countries”]> > D-DAG: Lean forward on unless [ACM: all of it is hard to make out, and I’m not confident in “unless”]> > VP: “Logan Act”> > P: These are unusual times> > VP: I’ve been [ACM: there’s a scratch out] on the intel committee for ten years and I never> > P: Make sure you look at things and have the right people on it [ACM: “over” instead of “at” has also been suggested to me, but it looks like “at”.]> > P: Is there anything I shouldn’t be telling transition team?> > D: Flynn -> Kislyak calls but appear legit> > Apple — Happy New Year. Yeah right.Not very enlightening. “Flynn cuts” refers to summaries of communications intercepted under FISA. The notes suggest that Biden may have been a more active participant in the discussion than previously revealed. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone: The former vice president is a garrulous sort. In any event, his reference to the Logan Act, in quotes, could well mean that he was repeating something someone else had already said rather than making a suggestion on his own. (McCord’s interview indicated that the absurd notion of prosecuting Flynn under the Logan Act may have originated in the ODNI, and it may have been developed in discussions between the ODNI and FBI. The Justice Department appears to have been skeptical about it, at least internally.)I do think that there is significance in Strzok’s notation of Comey acknowledging that the Flynn–Kislyak calls appeared legitimate. Strzok was a high-ranking FBI official who (a) had contact with Comey, (b) was in regular communication with McCabe’s office, and (c) worked closely with other bureau people who had regular access to Comey and McCabe. As a result, he was in a position to know Comey’s (and the FBI’s) take on the Flynn–Kislyak calls. Furthermore, as I observed above, the FBI was very relieved that the Flynn case had not been closed in their filing system. That only makes sense if they suddenly wanted to continue the investigation despite the lack of a valid reason for doing so. If the bureau had believed the Flynn–Kislyak calls were incriminating, the agents would not have cared whether the case had been formally closed because they’d know they had well-founded reasons to reopen it.That said, it is not a revelation that Comey knew there was nothing illegitimate about the incoming national security advisor’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. We already knew, from New York Times reporting, that the FBI had told “Obama advisers” that there was no evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo in the Flynn–Kislyak calls. And we already knew from Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017, “Note to File” email that Comey told Obama there was “no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak[.]”Consequently, if Strzok was accurately reporting his own or some other bureau official’s recollection that Comey said the Flynn–Kislyak calls “appear legit,” that confirms other accounts previously disclosed.In a nutshell, Strzok’s notes are significant in what they confirm, but they probably do not reveal anything new.

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[orendrasingh]

Well, there is lots going on in Flynn World.The president’s former national-security advisor, Michael Flynn, is obviously elated that, on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit granted his petition for a writ of mandamus -- i.e., it instructed District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case against him. I have a column about the ruling up on the homepage.As reported by NR’s Zachary Evans, moreover, Flynn defense lawyer Sidney Powell has filed an intriguing supplement the defense’s concurrence in the Justice Department’s dismissal motion. The supplement, also filed on Wednesday, includes notes said to have been handwritten by Peter Strzok, then a top FBI counterintelligence agent (and, of course, later fired for sundry misconduct).It is being widely reported that the notes concern a now infamous White House meeting about Flynn that took place on January 5, 2017. (I began writing about that meeting as soon as we learned about it in early 2018, and it is central to my book about the Trump–Russia investigation, Ball of Collusion). The meeting included the top political and law-enforcement leadership of the Obama administration -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, national-security advisor Susan Rice, deputy attorney general Sally Yates, and FBI director James Comey -- notwithstanding the insistence of Obama apologists that the administration did not permit law enforcement to be influenced by politics. (I would counter that mixing the two was the administration’s M-O).I suspect the Strzok notes are about the January 5 meeting, too. There is, however, confusion on this point.The short supplement Ms. Powell filed states that Strzok’s notes are “believed to be of January 4, 2017” (emphasis added). Now, Powell received these notes from the Justice Department as part of its continuing review of the Flynn case (which was prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff). Obviously, she is privy to more information about the case than we are, and we do not know what, if anything, DOJ told her about the provenance of the notes. That said, I am skeptical about the January 4 dating.If it’s right, that would mean there were two meetings involving the same five people regarding the same subject matter on consecutive days. It seems highly unlikely to me that President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with Rice, met with Comey and Yates on both January 4 and 5. Plus, in connection with its motion to dismiss Flynn case, the government has previously disclosed FBI interviews of former deputy AG Yates and Mary McCord, formerly the chief of DOJ’s National Security Division. Both of them indicated that Yates did not know until January 5 that the FBI had intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. That was a somewhat embarrassing admission for them to make, so I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt it. (Yates should have been briefed before the White House meeting by McCord, who had been alerted by the FBI’s then-deputy director, Andrew McCabe, on January 3. Perhaps McCord did not realize Yates was going to the White House on the morning of January 5; she had scheduled a briefing for Yates that afternoon. As a result, Yates first learned about the Flynn–Kislyak calls when Comey and Obama discussed them in her presence at the White House meeting.)Another peculiar thing: We have no basis to believe Strzok was present at the January 5 White House pow-wow -- at least the follow-on meeting involving the five top-tier officials, several rungs above Strzok.On that score, note that there were really two meetings on January 5. The first was for the chiefs of four intelligence agencies -- FBI, CIA, NSA, and ODNI -- to brief the president (presumably, along with his Veep and national security advisor) on their report assessing Russia’s interference in the 2020 election. The second was the follow-on meeting, involving only Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey. There were several more people in attendance at the first January 5 meeting. Strzok was deeply involved in the assessment report. I don’t know how much staff the intel chiefs brought along to make their presentation to Obama, so I suppose it’s possible Strzok was there, but I’ve never heard that before. Plus, Strzok’s notes appear to refer to the follow-on meeting, involving only the five highest ranking officials.It is more likely, then, that Strzok’s notes were taken when someone later briefed him about the White House meeting that Strzok did not attend. I am hypothesizing here, of course, but if I’m right, we should bear in mind that the notes would reflect, at best, a second-hand account. That would not make them inaccurate, necessarily, but it’s worth bearing in mind.The difference between January 4 and 5 is significant, and not just because it is unlikely that there were two meetings involving the five major players. January 4 is the date of the “closing memo” the FBI had completed to shut down its case on Flynn due to lack of evidence that he was a clandestine agent of Russia.In addition to that memo, the Justice Department previously disclosed to Powell important texts from that day. On the afternoon of January 4, Strzok texted the Flynn case agent (believed to be Joe Pientka, though the name is redacted in the disclosure) and was relieved to learn that the Flynn case (“Crossfire Razor”) had not yet been formally closed in the bureau’s files, even though nearly all the steps necessary to do so (including getting Comey’s approval) had been taken.Strzok promptly reported that the case remained open to Lisa Page, McCabe’s counsel (and Strzok’s paramour). She replied, “phew . . . . But yeah, that’s amazing that he’s still open. Good I guess.” Strzok’s agreed: “Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us.Strzok subsequently told Pientka, “7th floor involved” -- meaning the FBI’s top hierarchy, Comey and McCabe. The issue at the time was that the bureau “need[ed] to decide to what to do with” Flynn with respect to “the [redacted].” I suspect what’s redacted is a reference to the Flynn–Kislyak communications the FBI had intercepted. Pientka said, “I heard that might be the case yesterday [i.e., January 3]. Did DD [i.e., Deputy Director McCabe] send that material over?” As noted above, we know McCabe had become aware of the Flynn–Kislyak calls on January 3 because that’s when he informed DOJ’s McCord about them.To recap: In the January 4 texts, Strzok observed that the FBI’s brass was trying to figure out what to do about the new Flynn information (i.e., the intercepted Kislyak calls) and expressing relief that the case was still open -- i.e., the bureau would not have to come up with a reason to either reopen the case or start a new case, neither of which could have been justified by the non-incriminatory substance of Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. The newly revealed notes attributed to Strzok contain no reference to Obama, the Justice Department, or any White House meeting. It is likely, therefore, that on January 4, Strzok and others at the FBI were preparing for Comey’s scheduled briefing of Obama the following morning. It is improbable that Obama, Biden, Rice, Yates, and Comey had a meeting on January 4, and then met again on January 5.Now, onto what Strzok’s notes actually say. If I am right that they reflect what he was told about the January 5 meeting, which he did not attend, they don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.The handwritten notes appear in our Zachary Evans’s report, linked above. What follows is a rendering of what Strzok’s chicken-scratch says, based on my discussion with others knowledgeable about the case and my own perusal. The notes refer to people by initials, so let me first interpret those: “NSA” is National Security Advisor Rice; “D” is Director Comey; “DAG” is Deputy Attorney General Yates; “VP” is Vice President Biden; and “P” is President Obama. There is also a reference that looks like “Apple” -- I am not convinced that “Apple” is what it says, nor do I know to whom or what it refers. Where I’ve added explanatory observations, my initials -- “ACM” appear in the brackets.Here is what the notes say:> NSA-D-DAG: Flynn cuts. Other countries [ACM: I’m not confident in “countries”]> > D-DAG: Lean forward on unless [ACM: all of it is hard to make out, and I’m not confident in “unless”]> > VP: “Logan Act”> > P: These are unusual times> > VP: I’ve been [ACM: there’s a scratch out] on the intel committee for ten years and I never> > P: Make sure you look at things and have the right people on it [ACM: “over” instead of “at” has also been suggested to me, but it looks like “at”.]> > P: Is there anything I shouldn’t be telling transition team?> > D: Flynn -> Kislyak calls but appear legit> > Apple — Happy New Year. Yeah right.Not very enlightening. “Flynn cuts” refers to summaries of communications intercepted under FISA. The notes suggest that Biden may have been a more active participant in the discussion than previously revealed. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone: The former vice president is a garrulous sort. In any event, his reference to the Logan Act, in quotes, could well mean that he was repeating something someone else had already said rather than making a suggestion on his own. (McCord’s interview indicated that the absurd notion of prosecuting Flynn under the Logan Act may have originated in the ODNI, and it may have been developed in discussions between the ODNI and FBI. The Justice Department appears to have been skeptical about it, at least internally.)I do think that there is significance in Strzok’s notation of Comey acknowledging that the Flynn–Kislyak calls appeared legitimate. Strzok was a high-ranking FBI official who (a) had contact with Comey, (b) was in regular communication with McCabe’s office, and (c) worked closely with other bureau people who had regular access to Comey and McCabe. As a result, he was in a position to know Comey’s (and the FBI’s) take on the Flynn–Kislyak calls. Furthermore, as I observed above, the FBI was very relieved that the Flynn case had not been closed in their filing system. That only makes sense if they suddenly wanted to continue the investigation despite the lack of a valid reason for doing so. If the bureau had believed the Flynn–Kislyak calls were incriminating, the agents would not have cared whether the case had been formally closed because they’d know they had well-founded reasons to reopen it.That said, it is not a revelation that Comey knew there was nothing illegitimate about the incoming national security advisor’s discussions with the Russian ambassador. We already knew, from New York Times reporting, that the FBI had told “Obama advisers” that there was no evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo in the Flynn–Kislyak calls. And we already knew from Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017, “Note to File” email that Comey told Obama there was “no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak[.]”Consequently, if Strzok was accurately reporting his own or some other bureau official’s recollection that Comey said the Flynn–Kislyak calls “appear legit,” that confirms other accounts previously disclosed.In a nutshell, Strzok’s notes are significant in what they confirm, but they probably do not reveal anything new.

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[the-master-cylinder]

SUMMARY When a flying saucer reportedly lands in rural Iowa, The Old Man (who runs a secret branch of the CIA), decides to investigate. He goes in person, accompanied by agents Sam (who is the son of The Old Man) and Jarvis, as well as Dr. Mary Sefton, a NASA specialist in alien biology. They find that aliens have indeed landed and are planning to use their mind-control powers to take over the Earth. The aliens are slug-like creatures, and they are attaching themselves to people’s backs, taking control of their victims’ nervous systems, and manipulating those people as puppets.

The slugs spread steadily, and soon attack one of the agents, Sam. Controlling Sam, aliens almost possess the president, too, but are defeated by the agents. Agents then learn they can remove a slug by an electric shock, and free Sam from the possession of a slug. It is soon found out all slugs share a common consciousness, a sort of a group mind.

The aliens quickly reproduce by division, soon controlling not only most of the population of the infested area, but also military personnel sent to the area to fight them.

As agents learn where the aliens’ “hive” is located, they attempt to sneak in, and release Mary, whom aliens captured earlier. Together, they find surviving people whom slugs couldn’t possess. They take one of them, a boy, with them, leaving the hive.

It is soon found out the boy suffered from encephalitis in the past, and that apparently was the reason a slug couldn’t possess him. Biological warfare is adopted, and seemingly all parasites die. During a later inspection of a hive, The Old Man is attacked by the last healthy slug. In a fight on a helicopter, Sam destroys the parasite attached to the body of his father.

DEVELOPMENT Hollywood Pictures, one of the three film divisions at Disney, was interested in making movies different from those made by Touchstone, the other adult aimed Disney branch, and that included more genre films (This has now changed.) executive producer Michael Engelberg, says Elliott always wanted to film The Puppet Masters, so we were set up with him as the executive producer and us as the writers. That’s how we got it: whether that was wise, I really can’t say at this point.

When Terry and I first went in. Elliot explains, we wanted to set the story contemporarily; we didn’t want them to go nude, but to dress down to tank tops and like that, retaining the idea of having to bare as much as you could, but still be able to get actors willing to do it. But because of the development process, there were certain limitations right at the start: we couldn’t do a straight adaptation of the book. The studio executive who said

Yeah! We should buy this book!’ also said. But there should be a spaceship in it Maybe the Puppet Masters could come down to Earth like spores.

Their first draft was close to the novel. but Ricardo Mestres. then-head of Hollywood Pictures, decided he didn’t really like the material. “He wanted a small town be didn’t want the entire country at war. Basically, he wanted the story before Heinlein’s story takes place: he wanted the story of the little town that gets taken first but the takeover is stopped there. I think.” Elliot sighs, we all knew exactly how big a cliche that is.” So their first, faithful-to-the-book draft was discarded.

The studio decided that the slugs would somehow come to Earth on the space shuttle. and wind up on an Air Force base. Terry and I were off the project at that point.” Elliot explains, Michael Engelberel was still a friend of ours, and he was stuck in this horrible situation. He’s a Heinlein fan; he wants The Puppet Masters up on screen. But in Hollywood movies are an act of compromise. The more power you have, the less you have to compromise and Michael was only a first-time executive producer.”

Hollywood Pictures liked the Air Force base idea, and paid Elliott and Rossio to write that script. “When we were halfway through with it.” Elliot goes on. “We heard about the new Warner Bros. Body Snatchers (1993) movie, which is set on an Army base. We turned in the script, and Engelberg went to Michael Eisner (the head of Disneyl and said that he thought a huge mistake was being made. If people go see The Puppet Masters, they don’t want to see a movie set on an Air Force base: they want to see the Midwest in a state of siege Eisner agreed.”

So Ted and I sat down and wrote what eventually became known as the ‘B-version’ of THE PUPPET MASTERS: a shuttle astronaut becomes slug-ridden on a satellite repair mission. The shuttle makes an emergency landing at White Sands, New Mexico. The slugs start spreading, eventually taking over the base. (We consoled ourselves that at least the monsters were the same, and we got to play out many of the same story beats that were in Heinlein’s novel.)

We turned the draft in and the reaction was positive. So now the project was back on track. And to be fair to Ricardo, the new screenplay did indeed read more ‘like a movie,’ i.e., something that could be filmed on a realistic budget. So everyone was happy — Except Engelberg.

So using political machinations worthy of the Old Man himself (favors were called, strings at high levels were pulled) Engelberg engineered this result: Hollywood Pictures would go back to the book (and our first script) and develop the original story concurrently with the B-version. Whichever next draft turned out the best would be the film that would be made.

Also, because the B-version was treated as a separate screenplay, we still owed them a re-write. So Ted and I were asked to revise the original story (which was the story we preferred anyway). Ricardo assigned new writers (James Bonny & Richard Finney) to the ‘B-version.’

They also got a director, Dan Petrie, Jr. which shows which version Ricardo was backing. (For our B-version research, Ted and I had to violate national security and sneak away from an air museum tour at March Air Force Base. In contrast, Petrie and his writers received special passes to Edwards Air Force base and got to watch the shuttle land.)

So now Elliott and Rossio were asked to write a third script, this time basing it much more closely on the novel. Meanwhile.” Ellion continues, “the Air Force base version was assigned a director and two new writers. This put us in a strange situation We were writing the adaptation of the novel. while they were adapting our own Air Force base storyline, so we were in competition with ourselves. The way Hollywood works, that movie could have been made. Welcome to the labyrinthine world of Hollywood screenwriting.

“Their version Rassic adds. “was supported by the studio and had a director while ours Wits just a rewrite under the direction of the executive producer a person who should get a lot of credit, Engelberg really fought a battle to stay as true to the original novel as the film could be. I think that for anybody who appreciates science fiction or movies, you should know that a lot of what’s good about the finished film is directly a result of lus efforts.” The Air Force base version was eventually dropped. largely due to Engelberg’s efforts, and the Elliott-Rossio draft, rewritten by Goyer, was chosen.

Director Stewart Orme brought in Neil Pervis & Rob Wade and, with principal photography weeks away, a new script was commissioned, to be written under Stewart’s direction. Writing screenplays under these rushed conditions goes a long way toward explaining the generally mediocre quality of films.

Enter Jeffrey Katzenberg. He read the shooting script and didn’t like it. It wasn’t the same movie he’d given a green light to. Katzenberg ordered principal photography moved back a month, and, in a rare move for a studio head, ordered the director to go back to a previous draft — the Goyer revision of our script. David Goyer was re-hired and he and Stewart worked to bring Heinlein’s original story to the screen. And that’s the draft that eventually got shot.

The British-born Orme has made a name for himself directing music videos for the likes of Phil Collins. Whitney Houston and Genesis, but he’s also had the opportunity to dabble in darker fare. For British television, he’s helmed mysteries, psychological dramas and thrillers. As he dug into his feature film debut, Heinlein’s space slugs eventually had a strong pull on the director-but initially, he wasn’t sure that he and The Puppet Masters were right for each other.

“I was looking for a project, and I’ve always been a big fan of the classic sci-fi films, but I wasn’t sure about this one at first,” he admits. “What finally interested me was the way the characters related to the story. I wanted to try to do a film that wasn’t just about the monsters. It’s more about the people who are affected by the monsters. The Puppet Masters is essentially an action/ science fiction film, but at the same time there are some interesting psychological twists. I tried to bring a chiller edge in. My favorite material to work with is psychological thrillers-what’s going on in people’s heads. That’s what I tended to emphasize in this story.”

For those who’ve read the novel, they are several sequences left out. The first two made it into the film in some form, I think. The third got pared away by the development process, for no good reason that I can remember.

1.) Investigating the fake spaceship and the fake news broadcast.

2.) Sam gets taken by the slugs, goes over to their side.

3.) Sam sits down in Mary’s place for the slug interview.

4.) Sam goes into slug-infested Kansas City, takes place at night, and doesn’t have near the impact it should have had. In the book (and our script) Sam notices a swimming pool closed for the summer’ and other details that tell him Kansas City is overrun. People are going about their business, controlled by the slugs. It had that twisted normalcy of excellent horror. In the film, it’s just a war scene.

5.) The President takes off his clothes in front of Congress sequence was cut by Ricardo.

6.) The ape, Satan, gets slug-ridden sequence was pared down due to budget

7.) Sam and the Old Man go into the alien spaceship.

No spaceship meant no spaceship for Sam and the Old Man to go into. No throat-tightening claustrophobia, no slugs swimming in fluid, no victims hanging in suspended animation. And that’s a damn shame.

So of the seven great sequences of the book, maybe two and a half of them got up on screen in some form. Not a very impressive score, and it was a horrendous fight to get even that. I’ve come to believe that making a film is like a massive version of throwing a dinner party you invite a lot of people and hope that it turns out good, but you can’t really control it. And after everyone has left and you’ve got this big mess, you wonder if all the work was worth it, why you went to all the trouble.

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Orme admits that it was sometimes a daunting task to create a film from such a well-respected source. “It will be interesting to see what Heinlein’s biggest fans have to say about it all,” he says. “It’s the usual problem when you’re faced with adapting a book-what do you keep in and what do you leave out? Hopefully, what you try to do is retain the spirit of the original. Heinlein’s work always goes over and above the particular plot of his stories, and that’s what you have to get a sense of. I think we did get it, but I’m sure die-hard Heinlein fans will be disappointed that something or other got left out.”

The book is set in 2007, more or less, 50 years after it was written,” said Engelberg. “To do that in the movie would mean that we would have to create an entire society complete with physical appearance of clothing styles, which is really a distraction from what the story is about. It’s fine to do in a book. You know, Heinlein doesn’t describe what people are wearing, ever. We have to actually design that for a movie. Flying cars are expensive. And, I don’t really think that a flying car adds as much to a picture as its cost would penalize us. It’s not a significantly different story just because it takes place in present day.”

Also gone are the little elf-like creatures, the Androgynes, who were the slug’s hosts, arriving along with the ship they built that brought them all to Earth. They’ve been replaced with an almost womb-like creature that literally imbeds itself into a parking structure, where it starts breeding new slugs for the ensuing earth invasion. It’s just a biological thing that has come to earth,” said art director James Hegedus.

A number of other changes to the script took place as the result of the art department working with storyboards, the writers and the effects crews. The art director, James Hegedus,  felt that even though the script was very specific and visual, that there were a lot of things that the story suggested that weren’t written down. With the help of Joe Griffith, story boards were used to brainstorm ideas to help bring about more exciting scenes.

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“Scenes that began to be developed early on were how the creature might behave,” explained Hegedus. “By storyboarding those in advance it suggested ideas of what the creature might do. Also, the creature suggested things after it was built that weren’t visualized earlier.

The New York back lot of Paramount, built for the short lived but critically acclaimed BROOKLYN BRIDGE television series, served as Ambrose, Iowa. In order to get the feel of the rural farmlands, the production went on location to Fresno, California for two weeks. According to Winter, this was done largely to lessen the cost of moving the entire production to lowa and to take advantage of the small-town architecture and a very unique governmental building.

“They have a great city hall!” said Winter. “It looks like a spaceship, it’s wonderful!” Orme mirrored Winter’s enthusiasm for Fresno’s city hall. “It was a real find, because it looked as if it had been designed by aliens,” said Orme. “It really does look almost like a space ship. The man who runs or manages it was a Robert Heinlein fan. So, we were able to persuade him that we should take over the whole place and use the roof, the inside and the underneath.”

Orme was excited about working with an American film icon like Donald Sutherland, even though initially he had some apprehensions. “Most of the films I’ve made have been out of England, where casting is not as high a profile as here.” said Orme. “Working with somebody who’s done 40 or 50 movies, and obviously (Sutherland) brings that experience, it’s slightly nerve-wracking. You spend the first day or so, even if you’ve met beforehand and talked through the scenes, which we had, sort of testing.

“My apprehension was that sometimes he’s been fantastic and sometimes he’s been not quite so good.”

But, Orme found Sutherland to be very charming, an actor who knew and respected his craft. “He was incredibly professional,” said Orme, “no sense at all that this was one of a number of films. He was completely focused on what he was doing. He made the other actors more professional. He kept the crew on their toes. And, for me, he was more than I ever thought he would be. He’s very dignified on screen. He’s got great presence. He looks better than he ever did, I think. It was a joy. And, I think that he enjoyed it, which is the other thing I wouldn’t have thought he might have done. You know, he might have treated it like, ‘Here’s a genre film, I’ve done it before, I’ll just coast through it.’ But, not at all. I think, he had a really good time.”

Still undecided was whether Disney would use Heinlein’s original title on the film or change it to avoid confusion with Full Moon’s PUPPET MASTER series of direct-to video horrors. “Some of us feel more strongly about it than others and for different reasons. There is the obvious connection with the original material, which leads you toward saying it should be called the same as (Robert Heinlein’s book. Then, there’s the fact that it isn’t, like most films, the book transferred to the screen. There have been a number of changes. So, there’s the disadvantage that people will say, “You’re calling it Robert Heinlein’s THE PUPPET MASTERS and it’s not.’ But the reason for wanting to say his name with it, is to differentiate it from some of these other things.”

Unfortunately no one’s yet been able to think of a better title for the film. “I think one of the difficulties is that we haven’t come up with a really good alternative,” said Orme. “I think if there was a cracking title sort of sitting here waiting for us to battle with then we would have probably gotten further down the line.”

Orme noted there have been a few other titles tossed about but none that would really give you goose pimples on a warm day. “There were the obvious things like DOMINION and some were quite interested in calling it WONG—at least I was. Also, THE STRANGERS. A lot of these titles sound like other titles. For better or worse, we’re (stuck) with THE PUPPET MASTERS.”

Ultimately the discussion comes around to the issue of whether or not people are that familiar with Heinlein and his catalog of books. Orme was more than willing to admit that he wasn’t really aware of Heinlein until recently. “I have to confess I was never a great reader of science fiction, said Orme. “I think I was more interested in the films that have arisen in that era.” The Disney marketing executives felt that there were enough Heinlein fans out there that they should attach his name to the title treatment.

Stripped of much of its science fiction props, it is difficult to say how the fans of Heinlein will react to the contemporary feel of the movie. And although it can be said that the true essence of the book was always that the horror of slavery can only be defeated by those who possess, as Heinlein wrote, “the willingness to do sudden battle, anywhere, anytime, and with utter recklessness,” you just can’t help thinking, “No nudity in the OSCI offices?

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The Brain Eaters (1958) American International Pictures released the Corinthian Productions film The Brain Eaters. This low-budget en leave was directed by Bruno Ve Sota written by Gordon Urquhart and produced by Ed Nelson, who also starred. Roger Corman was involved, but his name is not in the credit. Small, furry parasites from the center of the Earth arrive in a metallic cone inhabited by a bearded Leonard Nimoy and begin a plan of world conquest by attaching themselves to the backs of people’s necks and controlling their actions.Readers of science fiction will probably have recognized the central idea…as that of Robert A. Heinlein’s scary The Puppet Masters (1951). That novel was set slightly in the future, and the creatures that possessed people were slug like aliens from Titan. The storyline differed, but the idea of parasites riding on human shoulders and controlling their actions is clearly from Heinlein’s novel.

This wasn’t lost an Heinlein, and he sued for plagiarism, asking for damages of $150,000, claiming that The Brain Eaters was based on his novel The Puppet Masters. Corman insisted that he was unfamiliar with Heinlein’s work, both while reading the script and during the film’s production. He did, however, see the obvious comparisons once he read the novel, so he settled out of court for $5,000 and agreed to Heinlein’s demand that he receive no screen credit, as he found the film “wanting”. This lawsuit halted actor John Payne’s intention of producing a film based on Heinlein’s novel.

THE SLUGS As Heinlein’s creatures were brought to life in the course of adapting the book, a scientific approach was taken. In working out the nature and appearance of the slugs, Engelberg put some of his medical background to use in working out a plausible biology for them.

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“Stuart asked me one day how the slugs travel when they’re not on a host,” he recalls. “I explained that they encyst themselves. They curl up in a little ball with a hard shell. and become like a spore. They could last forever that way. I was just making it up as I went along, but Stuart asked me to write it down. I wrote a short dissertation on the life cycle and habits of the slugs. In the picture, we do show the slugs in their encysted form, and you see them open up into their stingray form. It’s nice. I feel like I made a contribution to Heinlein’s story.”

Cannom’s shop built a variety of radio-controlled and cable-controlled slugs for the film. Molded from the same kind of soft silicone used in breast implants, the parasites have a shockingly lifelike appearance. “The creatures are amazing.” says Goyer. “They really look alive. I have a copy of some test shots that I’ve shown people, and the unanimous reaction is almost complete revulsion,” he laughs.

That revulsion was aided by Arbogast’s mechanical FX, which include the tangle of gigantic alien tentacles that hold victims in place within the mothership. Buena Vista Visual Effects, under the supervision of Peter Montgomery, completed the illusion by both subtracting from and adding to alien shots. Cables and puppetry rods that were visible on camera were covered up optically, and the slugs’ attack probes were added through computer animation.

“The difficult area was always how this thing was going to look,” says director Orme. “The main problem was that the creatures are small, and how do you make something small scary? I didn’t want to repeat spidery things running across the floor or bursting out of people’s chests. I wanted something frightening and elegant in its own way. because these are supposed to be very intelligent creatures that are good at what they do. Cannom’s outfit did a great job with what is essentially a piece of plastic. I thought we’d have to keep the cameras off them because they would look fake. but even on set, you could examine the slugs pretty closely and still get the creeps.”

The aliens ended up getting more screen time than originally planned, but Orme also wanted to make sure that the audience’s imagination remained engaged, and that he didn’t diminish the mystery of the sto giving too much away. “I thought about the Quatermass films,” he says. “The power of those films had much more to do with what you didn’t see.

CAST/CREW Directed Stuart Orme

Produced Ralph Winter

Screenplay Ted Elliott Terry Rossio David S. Goyer

Based on The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

Donald Sutherland as Andrew Nivens (The Old Man) Eric Thal as Sam Nivens Julie Warner as Mary Sefton Keith David as Alex Holland Will Patton as Dr. Graves Richard Belzer as Jarvis Tom Mason as President Douglas Yaphet Kotto as Ressler Sam Anderson as Culbertson Patrick McCormack as Gidding Marshall Bell as General Morgan Nicholas Cascone as Greenberg Bruce Jarchow as Barnes

Special Effects Department Greg Cannom         special makeup effects Ann Masterson        makeup department head Keith VanderLaan  makeup effects supervisor: Cannom Creations

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Starlog#208 Fangoria#138 Cinefantastique v25n06-v26n01

The Puppet Masters (1994) Retrospective SUMMARY When a flying saucer reportedly lands in rural Iowa, The Old Man (who runs a secret branch of the CIA), decides to investigate.

[unnamedjournals]

Let’s Try This Again.

For the very few people who actually used to follow this page and the one or two that have followed since I dropped off the map, I’m not dead yet. Keeping a journal only when I wasn’t doing well wasn’t the plan, for the record. I could explain but to be honest I don’t remember all that clearly why I stopped except that I know it was probably a lot of reasons. I didn’t feel like it was helping, I couldn’t make time or energy, forgot over and over and over and fuck it, whatever. 

It’s been almost two years? Over two? I don’t know, I didn’t do the math before I started writing and now I can’t scroll to check the date and time on the last entry. Doesn’t matter. 

Good hell a lot’s happened and changed since then. 

Let’s see... uh. 

A lot of this happened concurrently and intermingled but I’ll do my best to make heads and tails of it. 

Broke up with the guy I was dating in previous entries. Found out a whole lot about him recently. I was upset when he ended it but now I see I dodged a bullet.

Briefly (like a week) dated another guy, things happened, we tried to be friends for about a year and change after it but more things happened and long story short he’s not allowed to be around me at game anymore. A story for a different time. It’s a doozy.

I quit the delivery job. I didn’t feel safe driving under that much stress with the zoning out thing. Still do that by the way, it’s actually gotten worse. As it happens there was a panic attack about that just two hours ago, fancy that. I’ll come back to that though.

Started LARPing a hell of a lot more, kinda took over my weekends for a while there and I had to cut back some. I’ve played some really awesome roles though.

Turns out I’m bi? Happy Pride Month everyone. Yeah figured that out mid 2017, dated a fantastic woman for three months. Didn’t work out by no ones fault, but the only thing I regret is how poorly I handled the end of it. She was the first time I’d fallen in love, and it ended way too quickly for me, and I made a right mess of it. I’ve been meaning to apologize for the last year, but again, that’s a story for a different time.

Oh right, on the zoning out bullshit. I went to a neurologist. Two actually because the first was a sexist sociopath. So the first sent me to get a 15 minute EEG (brain wave scan) that came back saying I had Partial Complex Seizures. He then made some very sexist comments and I left. The second neurologist said he agreed with seizures but based on all my symptoms it sounded more like Absence Seizures. Buuuuuut he wanted to do another EEG to be sure, this time for 24 hours. I had to wear a shit ton of wires taped onto my head all attached to a box that I brought home and carried with me everything. Kinda cool, kinda sucky. But I did it, and even had two episodes during it that I marked down the time and what I was doing. Test came back totally clean. No sign of seizures at all. Doc said he was at a loss because I made a perfect story for Absence Seizures but completely lack the neurology so there wasn’t really anything he could do. I did just last month get diagnosed with ADHD though so that’s probably a good portion of where it started. 

I finally let go of a person in my life who was doing more harm than good. She got married yesterday. I wasn’t there. Eventually I will stop being bitter about the things that went wrong, and eventually I will stop thinking about how she is or how things might have been different if I could have stood up for myself better. Not today apparently, but eventually maybe.

I began paying attention to politics. Gonna stop there on that one, but long story short there is a part of me that now hates my father for the words that come out of his mouth.

I dropped the community college classes I was taking because I was too depressed to manage. And then started again the next semester because I thought I found a career option. Switched that career path twice before deciding to just get my associates and work from there. I only went for two semesters, but at least I didn’t drop half way through this time. I stopped going for a year, absolutely positive that I would never go back. I was just going to start working full time and build a career on experience. Didn’t really work. I’m now signed up for fall classes in apparel construction to eventually lead into a career in costume design with specialties in historical fashion and LGBTQ+ fashion needs. But there’s some emotional shit in the way, because of course there is. More on that soon, probably its own entry.

Started a new relationship after I had time to heal from the previous. We were both nervous about dating again after the hurt from our lasts and we thought we would take it slow. Slow didn’t really happen. It’s been a year and seven months yesterday, and in that time we’ve said I love you more times than I can count, we’ve fought for each other, we’ve fought with each other, we’ve cried together, we’ve laughed for hours, they moved in with me and my parents, we’ve made big plans, we’ve made small plans, we’ve lost and changed plans, they moved out of my parents house, we’ve put our relationship on the line, and we’ve nearly broken. The last few months especially have been messy. Even a summary would need it’s own entry. 

A little over a year ago I started having persistent and ever worsening pain all over my body. Every part of it. Even there, wherever you just thought of. My primary care doc sent me to a rheumatologist, and last June I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. And again by second opinion in November. For the unfamiliar, fibro is hard to pin down as a diagnosis because for so long it wasn’t really a “real” condition. It was doctors going, “Well it’s not arthritis and it’s not lupus, so I don’t know what to do but I have to tell the patient something.” And a lot of times, it still is that. But it is actually a condition with characteristics. Think of it as the whole nervous system is in fucking overdrive. Some days are better or worse than others, and where on your body can shift around, but I don’t know that I’ve had a single day in the last year and change that I wasn’t in pain somewhere to some degree. I’ve been to more doctor appointments in the last year than I think I’ve had in my life leading up to this. It’s terrible and comes with a million other symptoms. Like migraines. I get migraines now. Mostly from auditory overload, but bright light can add to it. And guess what else comes with it. It’s commonly called Fibro Fog, which is problems with concentration and memory loss. Remember how I said the zoning out thing was getting worse? Yeah. Fucking great. So I’ve got ADHD, depression, anxiety, and now fucking chronic pain all doing the strong arm clasped hand meme of making me forget shit left and right. And my shoulder and fingers have been hurting from typing but I can’t stop or I won’t have the nerve to finish and post this. 

I turned 21 the other week. Great. Finally. Moving on.

The Crash finally hit. 

I spent the first year constantly worried it would, but somewhere along the way things actually started looking good. Like not 100% of the time, but like even when outside things were bad I didn’t want to die because of it. I was handling the curve balls and enjoying life and taking a step forward every day. I didn’t always know where that step was going but I was taking one and I was damn proud of myself. And then last week. Yike. Trigger warning imminent, skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to read about thoughts of suicide. Last week was the first time in so long, so, so long, that I imagined my own death in detail. That I came up with a plan. That I imagined carrying it out. How far down this spiral I would have to go before I killed myself. How I would feel if I got there and made that decision. And I’ve thought on it multiple times since then. I won’t describe it now, but I will say that it’s a new plan than I had before. I’ve always picked my plans on the likelihood of them working and what damage would be left with my body if I failed, but also clean up for whoever would find me. The current idea is a trade off. Worse in the way of clean up but better success chance I think and the same in the way of damage in the case of failure. (I wonder if it’s weird that I’m so clinical about this.) I haven’t said these words out loud yet to anyone. 

My mom and partner know I’m more depressed than I’ve been in a long time, so much so that I’ve considered looking at anti-depressants, but not the full extent. I want to talk to my therapist first but getting a hold of her for the phone check in last week didn’t work. Turned into phone tag. My next in person appointment is Thursday but I’m going to leave a message for her tomorrow asking if we can scoot it up because I don’t know that I can make it that long. 

Uhh. Yeah. I think that covers the recap. Fucking hell, it’s been a wild ride. 

1:44AM Sunday, June 16, 2019

[ricardobayer884-blog]

5 The 4 Most Highly effective Types Of Creative Thinking.

Having actually been a self-development instructor for many years I have come to the final thought that when checking out the many life abilities that humans must master so as to mould for themselves a wonderful, satisfying and also creative lifestyle, sped up knowing skills are possibly one of the most important of all. Conceptualizing, idea association and also (shudder) thinking outside package have actually regularly felt a little company and artificial to me. I have actually never ever truly used them on my own, and also after dealing with dozens musicians and also creatives over the final 14 years, I've come upon loads of various other artistic specialists that don't use all of them. In a current Baseball article, an evaluation has actually been actually brought in in between the best well-known games of the world none other than yet Baseball and also cricket. Overview to Creative Presuming through R. Harris coming from VirtualSalt - This web page reviews important as well as imaginative reasoning and covers the myths from creativity. A lot of analysts will assert that creative thinkers do not merely appear different compared to the rest people, they actually are actually other. There are actually lots of sensible techniques to modify the way you respond to the thought and feelings you possess, coming from regular confirmations to even more extensive workouts that examine as well as deconstruct excess views you store about on your own. They require practically different approaches considering that creative creating and also expository creating possess basically various objectives and perspectives. These strategies oblige the mergance from a variety of suggestions to spark off brand-new thoughts as well as processes. When you start to place your hairs as well as bits from assuming together towards making a whole tale that would be appealing as well as purposeful, that opportunity. The main thing that analysts have actually discovered with especially creative folks is actually that they often re-conceptualize the issue more frequently in comparison to their less creative versions. Now you may be starting to observe your own creative abilities ... as well as because we all possess brilliant potential in some (or even possibly several) styles. Read further to observe 3 main reasons an improvement in the setting will certainly help to stimulate your thinking procedure and also rouse your creative thinking. Critical and innovative thinking may be motivated concurrently via activities that integrate main reason, technology, creative imagination and reasoning; for example, concentrating on a subject in a sensible, rational technique for time, figuring out opposing insurance claims, weighing documentation, thinking through feasible solutions, and afterwards, observing musing and probably a ruptured from artistic energy, developing cutting-edge as well as considered reactions. Schedule Conversations for well-liked books Showpiece and Scumble showcased at BookFest are actually right now readily available to proactively take care of plagiarism and also copyright challenges along with analysis composing physical exercises for upper elementary pupils. For with being actually innovative in the job they do, kids demonstrate their understanding of this right now critical topic in the course of study. The idea is based on the review that your subconscious thoughts possesses greatly even more assuming ability than you carry out consciously, you just must utilize some little bit of gambit to pass details as well as directions to as well as off these pair of portion of your mind. Utilize any type of regarded limits as one more technique to compel you to be imaginative and also team up with just what you have. Therefore, lots of musicians have actually envied this just-waking-up time frame to improve their creativity. Certainly, certainly not everybody that plays activities can examining the whole working. The first difficulty to imagination is the absence of clear objectives as well as goals, jotted down, accompanied by specified, composed plans of action. Any type of grownup that is actually involved with kids (moms and dads, teachers, Scout leaders) can help little ones raise their ingenuity skills. Prior layout knowledge is certainly not required, just enthusiasm to focus on issues in a collaborative innovative environment. Famous surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, was understood for making use of the hypnopompic condition to help him produce imaginative concepts. Goldman's study showed ten knowledges that supported the growth of critical thinking: Household upbringing/education; standard work knowledges; becoming a CEO; being mentored; being tested by an essential coworker; keeping track of results/benchmarking; carrying out critical planning; spearheading a major development campaign; coping with a threat to business survival; as well as vicarious adventures. Your creative thinking will definitely additionally bring about find out whether the performance from a task is actually boosted by creating the position of the one performing comfy, by much better lights, through better seating, by using much better devices and also resources and so on When you possess your black hat on, step out of your imaginative self, and also consider your work off the standpoint of a publisher or an author. Check out essays, write-ups, or books on creative thinking and also you will certainly much more than as soon as you will review that you could increase your creative thinking and also create originalities by reviewing journals that you definitely would not normally read. An innovative concern solver will definitely find new services, instead of just recognizing as well as applying the most suitable conventional remedy. Nonetheless, that is true to mention that some are much more imaginative compared to others - all of it hinges on the selected artistic channel, the cleverness, understanding as well as capability of the person( s). This is actually helpful during that this permits room for the imaginative side from you to area and also is at times valuable for issue fixing too. Her general recognition, her understanding and also her moment are targeted and also she is actually given a selection from techniques that are going to help her enhance one or even all these. It is as a result vital to do exactly what we can to assist and protect activate our imagination method. Some of the best amazing traits of the imaginative is the capability to become a nonconformist. The much better you come to be at inventing innovative methods to resolve the unavoidable as well as inevitable problems of life and also work, as well as making successful selections, the much more productive you will definitely be actually. It goes without saying this though there is still one huge mistaken belief which is actually the skill-sets from a business person are not shown however occur normally. B) Home entertainment - much more than anything, individuals patronise creative works for their home entertainment worth. Getting away from organized or even disciplined settings helps to free the thinking procedure and additional completely take advantage of the possibility from your mind. A very famous performer pal the moment informed me that his vital and imaginative effectiveness happened when he eventually ceased trying to make popular music like every person else." The secret, he murmured, resides in generating art that may MERELY arise from you. I regularly inquire non-professional article writers just what they are assuming when they sit at the computer keyboard to compose their text. Important and also innovative thinking methods are a necessary part in each finding out place, nevertheless they are certainly not imitated in the information summaries or even achievement criteria for each. Preschoolers and also toddlers need to have support, opportunity and time to create these lifestyle abilities as well as they know better through 'trying" when they have nothing to worry or fear concerning and all their intelligence and also ingenuity is actually hired to the full. Creative thinking skill-sets are actually as a lot regarding perspective and positive self-image as about ability. If you have any type of questions concerning where and the best ways to use yellow pages uk wiki (stay with me), you could call us at the web site. The relaxed state you experience alongside the workout enables the mind to extra effortlessly take advantage of its own innovative sources. The MA Creative Thinking has actually given me the opportunity to additional develop my research and also study skills which has actually been actually straight beneficial to my functioning life. There are a lot of examples you may attempt absolutely free to examine the kind of vital thinking evaluation test are going to be most appropriate to your Company. Certainly not just do you intend to make on your own more powerful creatively at every juncture, that remains in your best interests to help improve the innovative performance from your total team. This finishes in a critical examine a specialist part of Creative Thinking, where you start to argue for, and comment on, the merits and also weak point from other institutions from presumed on a specialist element of Imagination: for example, procedures for the evaluation imagination. So our experts are actually just capable to value those innovative ideas that are actually indeed reasonable in knowledge. Desire to direct a finger at a particular emphasis as well as to ask for association of ideas.