tldr: FFV is extremely good. Play it.
The middle child of the series’ 16-bit era, Final Fantasy V doesn’t share the same lofty legacy as its immediate predecessor and successor. Final Fantasy IV was a game-changer for the franchise and RPGs on a whole while Final Fantasy VI is still regularly considered one of the greatest games in the series and on the Super Nintendo, but audiences far too often neglect the big bridge between them. Final Fantasy V deserves to be held in the same regard and for good reason. V strikes a perfect balance between the gameplay heavy Job-based titles (I & III) and the denser, story-focused (II & IV) games in a way that neither IV nor VI accomplish.
Philosophically, Final Fantasy V combines the player-driven customization from the odd-numbered entries with the narrative and thematic ambitions of the even-numbered games, albeit not by design interestingly enough. In a 1992 developer interview from Famicom Tsuushin (now Famitsu), series creator and FFV director Hironobu Sakaguchi rejected the idea that V was an intentional culmination of what came before,
“Distilling the essence of Final Fantasy into a single game was not our intention. We created this new job ability system in order to carry forth and further iterate on the good ideas we had in FFIV. In that sense it was a distillation. But rather than summing up all of what Final Fantasy has been, it’s more that we simply wanted to give players a kind of fun they haven’t experienced yet. That doesn’t necessarily imply that we wanted to cut out the good parts from FFIV, though.”
In practice, V takes what works from previous games, but redefines everything to fit its own identity. The Job system has been heavily tweaked to offer greater customization options, while memorable character arcs and dramatic story beats tend to drive the plot forward over pure exploration: it’s the best of III and IV with none of the worst. The kind of “fun [players] haven’t experienced yet” means that everyone will go through the same motions more or less, but no two playthroughs need ever be alike: narrative linearity plays off mechanical flexibility. Even though FFV’s story moves in a fixed fashion like IV, players are afforded an incredible amount of freedom when it comes to building their party courtesy of the revised Job system. The end result is an RPG that will always feel fresh.
The gameplay variety in V is still genuinely impressive to this day. Parties are scaled back down to just four members, but everyone can learn any skill and fulfill any role with enough effort. Every party member starts as a Freelancer who can then be reclassed between 22 Jobs (26 in the GBA port). Party composition is less of a puzzle ala FFIII and treated instead like a proper character building system. Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Galuf all begin as blank slates, but will very quickly fall into different gameplay roles based on how you choose to train each character. The lack of CP (Capacity Points) also means you can swap Jobs whenever you want.
Party members can actually learn and equip Job specific abilities in V. You can mix and match abilities with different Jobs, essentially creating hybrid classes suited to your gameplay interests. Make mages deal barehanded damage like Monks, Monks who attack eight times in a single turn with Rapid Fire, or singing Summoners whose summons and Bardsongs turn them into full-blown utility characters capable of dishing out heavy damage, restoring health, and changing the flow of battle with buffs & debuffs. Where FFIII encourages you to upgrade Jobs with each Crystal, V wants you to find the Jobs you like most and go wild having fun.
FFV is well designed enough where sticking with a single Job is perfectly viable, even if challenging. There’s no wrong way to play according to V’s Battle System Designer Akihiko Matsui,
“There’s so many different jobs, and we decided to make them all viable. Players are free to make any kind of party they want. Player A and Player B might have completely different parties, but ultimately any party can make it to the last boss. After players beat the game, I recommend trying a party that caters to your aesthetic sense.”
Character and Job levels are still separate like in III, but Jobs have had their level caps reduced from a flat 99 to between 1 and 7 depending on the class. Jobs start at Lv. 0 and level up by earning ABP (Ability Points) from completing battles. How much ABP a Job needs is determined by its current level. Lv. 0 Jobs typically only need 10 for their first level, while fully mastering a Job regularly requires hundreds. Since ABP is earned at a slower rate than EXP, ability progression is a gradually paced process. Early encounters will often only yield 1 ABP despite fighting a full team of enemies.
You’re better off relying on boss battles and mid- to late-game battles to master Jobs as enemies will drop more ABP the further you get into the game. You can grind, but simply following the story and getting the abilities you get by playing naturally saves a lot of time in the long run. It’s smarter to go with the flow than to grind for hours off low ABP encounters. At the same time, ability acquisition gives grinding its own rewarding loop and low ABP drops do mean that you can power-level Jobs without necessarily becoming overleveled. Either play style works just fine without completely curbing the difficulty curve.
Each Job level teaches the assigned party member a command, passive, or innate ability that can then be equipped on the Ability screen in the menu. While every Job learns a diverse enough set of abilities to keep them handy, the goal is ultimately to experiment and synergize your party with different abilities. Party members do not learn new spells or abilities by just leveling up, so you need to make use of Jobs to maintain a sense of permanent character progression. Most Jobs can only equip a single ability alongside their class command, while Freelancers have access to two ability slots and Mimes have three at the expense of needing to equip Attack and Items as proper abilities. Ability limits force you to approach Job combos strategically and carefully consider your party’s many options.
V’s Job variety is frankly nothing short of excellent. Job acquisition is fast-paced and you’ll have access to almost every Job before the halfway point. This gives you plenty of time to experiment and find the Jobs best suited to your preferred play style. V also strikes a healthy balance between Final Fantasy mainstays and creative additions that make the gameplay loop even more diverse. Freelancers learn no new abilities, but can equip anything and inherit innate abilities along with stat benefits from mastered Jobs. A perfect Freelancer can inherently dual wield weapons, spot traps in the level design, be able to sprint with B, and counter attacks automatically. A common goal for the endgame is mastering as many Jobs as possible to create the ultimate Freelancer.
The Wind Crystal unlocks the first set of Jobs. Knights can equip some of the best weapons and gear in the game, letting them function as a primary damage dealer and tank. Knights also automatically redirect attacks to themselves when allies are at low health and learn to two-hand Swords, Katanas, or Axes which inflict double damage at the expense of a Shield. Monks have a narrow equipment spread, but are cheap to outfits, always attack twice, counter enemies when struck, and deal heavy damage even without weapons. Their barehanded ability synergizes particularly well with mages, since it allows them to deal decent damage that circumvents their poor weapons spreads.
Thieves have the highest agility in the game, which often means they’ll move first in battle. They can Steal from enemies, later learning the ability Mug, which lets them deal damage while robbing baddies blind. Thieves can also comfortably flee from most encounters, spot hidden passages in the level design, and sprint inside of dungeons & towns by holding B. White Mages play a primarily supportive role by using White Magic to restore HP, heal status effects, and inflict status ailments. Spells are not learned and instead purchased from stores. Purchased spells do not have to be consumed by individual characters and instead apply to the whole party innately. Each Job Level improves the White Mage’s magic capabilities, which is consistent with all magic-based Jobs. Black Mages are squishier than White Mages, but compensate with powerful Black Magic. They play an offensive role, being able to take advantage of elemental weaknesses and status vulnerabilities.
Blue Mages are a new Job created for FF5. Blue Magic cannot be purchased at stores and must instead be learned during battle. Blue Mages learn an ability called Learning that, when equipped, teaches the party any Blue Magic spells enemies use on them. The one caveat is that the attack must connect for it to be learned. Not every attack can be learned, but several enemy spells are obscenely overpowered. Level 5 Death instakills any enemies with a level divisible by 5 and Aqua Breath deals heavy water damage to all enemies on-screen. Regular Blue Magic acquisition and a great spread of attacks makes the Blue Mage one of the most fun Jobs in FFV.
The Water Crystal unlocks five more Jobs once it shatters, with a sixth locked behind an optional dungeon in the final overworld. Time Mages are another new magic-based Job, but they inherit pre-existing magic from previous games. Spells like Haste, Slow, Comet, Float, Teleport, Return, and Meteor are all now considered Time Magic. In practice, Time Mages can use their wide variety of spells to comfortably deal damage, support the party, and debilitate enemies. Summoners can use a wide range of Summon Magic to fulfill different gameplay roles. Summons can deal elemental damage, heal, inflict buffs or debuffs, and the strongest wipe out most enemy encounters with relative ease. While some Summons can be bought at stores, most are tied to side quests and must be found by exploring the overworld & dungeons.
Red Mages can use low and mid tier White & Black Magic in the same ability slot. The best they can cast are -ra spells, but since the best -ga spells are locked off until closer to the end of the game, Red Mages end pulling their weight for quite a while before falling off. Mastering the Red Mage Job is a lengthy endeavor, but ultimately pays off by teaching Dualcast — a borderline overpowered ability that lets them cast two spells in a single turn. Pairing Dualcast with any type of high level magic is one of the best combos a mage could ask for.
Mystic Knights can buff their weapons with Black Magic or Holy via the Spellblade ability. Once enchanted, Mystic Knights combine magical damage with the regular physical capabilities to take advantage of elemental weaknesses or inflict status ailments without compromising attack power. They also automatically cast Shell on themselves at low health to increase their magical resistance. In the right hands and paired with abilities like Rapid Fire and Two-Handed, Mystic Knights end up extremely powerful. Berserkers are an especially unique Job in that they get no active command slots in exchange for dealing considerably buffed damage. While Berserkers can still equip an ability, they cannot be controlled in battle, which limits their overall utility. Berserkers have a great weapon spread, but they need to synergize with the rest of your party well enough to overcome their lack of command slots.
The Fire Crystal unlocks three Jobs right away and then two more once the party explores Black Chocobo Forest. Ninjas are strong, fast, and can dual wield weapons. The Throw command lets them toss items and elemental scrolls at enemies for extra damage, giving them great coverage in combat. Beastmasters can tame, catch, and control different monsters. Controlling a monster gives you full access to their commands. You can make them damage themselves to death or intentionally teach your party rare Blue Magic. Weakened monsters can also be captured and then released in battle, unleashing different attacks depending on the monster. Geomancers fight by altering the terrain with the command Gaia. Their attack types change based on the environment you’re fighting in, along with the character’s level, giving them an impressive amount of gameplay variety. Having a Geomancer in the party will also save you from falling into pit traps and nullify any damage tiles.
Bards make for fantastic utility characters thanks to their variety of Bardsongs. New songs are learned by speaking with NPCs and playing pianos in different towns (like a proper bard!) Singing can buff the party or damage groups of enemies. Songs like Requiem let you lay waste to undead monsters at the cost of 0 MP. Rangers are bow wielders, which means they can deal full damage from the back row. The Aim command increases their accuracy and overall damage, but unlike Rosa from FFIV, bows no longer need individual arrows as ammo. The main benefit to the Ranger class is its mastered ability Rapid Fire, which deals for weak attacks in one turn and pairs excellently with Monks, two-handers, or dual wielders.
The Earth Crystal unlocks the final four Jobs in the original release (sans Mime). Dancers are weaker than other Jobs comparatively, but get by thanks to their unique Dance ability and great access to accessories. Dancing triggers one of four random effects in battle, either confusing enemies, absorbing MP, absorbing HP, or dealing damage. They’re also the only class besides Freelancers who can innately equip Ribbons, which nullify all negative status effects. Dancers on a whole are reliant on equipment to be functional. Gear like Lamia’s Tiara and Red Slippers help raise the chances of Dancers dancing the Sword Dance, turning them into solid attackers. Dragoons are limited to spears and knives for weapons, but have a great equipment spread otherwise. Their abilities let them function as reliable damage dealers who can survive lengthy battles. Dragoons can Jump to temporarily avoid damage mid-air and attack enemies by landing. Lance also drains enemies MP and HP, which pairs well with Mages.
Samurai learn some of the best commands in the game while having access to powerful weapons and gear. With the right set ups, they can obliterate the difficulty curve. Mineuchi is basically a regular attack that sometimes paralyzes enemies. Zeningage lets you throw Gil to deal massive damage. The more Gil you have and the higher your level, the more damage is dealt. Shirahadori raises evasion, turning your party member into a dodge-tank, and Iainuki simply insta-kills most enemies at the cost of requiring two turns to use. Chemists are great support characters designed all around items. They can brew new concoctions mid-battle by mixing different ingredients to different effects. Your existing items can turn into an attack, heal your party, or temporarily buff everyone’s level. Chemists can also drink special potions that buff their stats, and restore more HP & MP by using Potions & Ethers than other Jobs.
The Mime Job can be unlocked by exploring Walse Tower underwater in the final overworld. Mimes are the core of the Job system condensed into a single Jon. They inherit some mastered abilities innate (not all), and have three ability slots that let you fully customize each party member. You can even remove commands like Attack and Items in favor of other abilities. Mimes can also mimic any move used by the previous party member at no MP cost and without consuming items. The Mime makes a great alternative to Freelancers, especially for magic-oriented characters.
Final Fantasy V Advance introduces four extra Jobs. Three of which are available as soon as you unlock all 12 Legendary Weapons and visit the Sealed Temple, with the last unlocked after defeating the Temple’s boss. Gladiators are powerful melee fighters with access to strong weapons and armor whose commands help them make short work of enemies. Oracles are the strongest magic-based Job in the game, but their main command Condemn has a chance of randomly healing enemies, so they’re not the most reliable beyond their stat benefits. Cannoneers can deal full damage from the back row and can combine ingredients together to make new items and the final Job Necromancer learns unique Dark Art spells from enemies like a Blue Mage with Blue Magic. Albeit fun to play with, the GBA Jobs enter the picture too late to actually have an effect on character building.
Overall, V’s Jobs are incredibly fun to play around with and offer a consistently rewarding gameplay loop that lasts the whole playthrough. The early game encourages you to diversify your party, the mid-game pushes you to mix & match dozens of different abilities, and the endgame rewards you for mastering Jobs by letting you customize Freelancers and Mimes into bonafide powerhouses. The Job system gives FFV an incredible gameplay flow that keeps combat and exploration fresh all the way to the credits.
V’s battles flow at a great pace. The ATB (Active Time Battle) system returns from FFIV, albeit with an on-screen bar for each party member that refills and signifies when they can make a move. Taking turns in real-time lends combat a sense of urgency and pressure, especially in boss fights. The difficulty curve is never so high where you’ll be overwhelmed by lightning fast enemies, but V tends to require more strategy and thought than IV on average — although mainly on a prep level. Battles challenge you to diversify your party’s abilities while rewarding you for experimenting with Jobs. Low EXP payout compared to previous games keeps parties from overleveling. The focus is on earning AP, learning abilities, and creating hybrid Jobs.
Enemies are vulnerable to a lot of different elements and status ailments across all types of magic and abilities. Trying with different spells and debuffs usually pays off. There are more status effects to contend with, with some particularly dangerous ones for the party. Old slowly lowers the affected character’s stats. Dischord halves the target’s level. Zombie turns a character against the rest of the party. Smart Job synergy lets you blitz through most random encounters, but you’ll often run into stronger enemies or packed parties that’ll keep you on your toes. It’s not uncommon to fight an army of weaker enemies battling alongside a considerably stronger monster. FFV doesn’t share I or III’s Vancian Magic system despite being a Job-based game, instead maintaining the MP system from FFII and FFIV. MP still needs to be managed to some extent since the best spells require quite a bit of MP to cast, especially Blue Magic.
Combat’s fast and sometimes frantic pace ends up mirroring the game’s overall progression. Final Fantasy V wastes no time opening up. The status quo is always changing and you unlock new Jobs surprisingly quickly. V cycles through three overworlds just like IV. They’re not as striking as Earth, Underworld, and Moon trio, but feel more cohesive. The game begins on the protagonist Bartz’s world, shifts to party member Galuf’s world, and ends in a merged overworlds that’s an amalgamation of both worlds. The story is fairly linear up until the last world where the game finally lets you explore at your leisure. Most of the final dungeons can even be done in any order, most of which are actually optional. V sports more methods of transportation than the average Final Fantasy and cycles through them often, trapping you in specific areas with unique restrictions.
You ride on a Chocobo, set sail on a ship led on a hydra, fly on a dragon’s back, sail a fire-powered boat, fly a Black Chocobo through the air, pilot an airship, and submerge a submarine underwater. The fact you’re always engaging with the overworld in a new way keeps progression fresh and reminds you that anything can change. Some towns disappear and you lose access to them over the course of the story. Multiple dungeons are one-time trips. There are actual consequences to in-game actions. Once you’re done with an overworld, you’re done. There’s no jumping between worlds like in IV. The world permanently changes and stays changed. The space you’re interacting with and how is always being altered. V isn’t the first Final Fantasy with real consequences, but it’s the first one where those consequences fundamentally reshape your experience beyond just locking away a few key areas.
Towns themselves are packed with colorful NPCs who do a good job at directing you. Ancillary dialogue often sets up later story beats or just fleshes out the world in small yet significant ways. V’s game-long side quests encourage you to talk with everyone and hunt the overworld for secret summons and optional dungeons. V’s towns are generally well designed with enough secrets to keep you exploring, but dungeons are the real star when it comes to level design. FFV’s dungeons aren’t as long as III or IV’s, but they’re a healthy length and set pieces are consistently memorable and engaging. There’s a good mix of traps, gimmicks, and environmental variety. Every dungeon feels creatively distinct.
The Ship Graveyard is an early standout, as you explore debris from ruined ships on open water, jumping from wreckage to wreckage. The Library of Ancients features a prominent bookcase maze. Bookshelves move around as you explore the library, opening up seemingly dead-ends and keeping your own navigation confused and claustrophobic. You have to walk into nooks to let the bookshelves collapse back in, creating new ways to traverse the room. The Phoenix Tower is a 30 floor gauntlet with no save points, you only have seven minutes to explore a sunken Walse Tower before you drown, and the Great Sea Trench is filled with damage tiles and pit traps.
The four Tablet dungeons do a great job at closing out FFV on a fight, with the Pyramid serving as a great introduction to the endgame. You only have three party members at this time, which makes things notably harder, but the dungeon itself is packed with different gimmicks. Branching paths lead to chests with monsters ready to ambush you. Sarcophagi that double as secret passages hiding mummies. Wall switches let you deactivate traps and unlock doors. Spike traps block your path and snakes jump out from walls to trigger battle on contact. Mecha Heads patrol the upper floors, and floor tiles that move around every few seconds drop you down to the floor below if you’re not quick enough. By the time you reach the Rift, you’re ready for everything the final dungeon has to toss at you.
V’s presentation really helps bring different set pieces to life and is a big step up from IV. Environments are rich with detail, playing with depth perceptive to add some welcome spatial depth to the level design and using unique effects that help foster atmosphere. Exdeath’s Castle is overflowing with thick fog, dark areas warp the visuals around you, and knee-deep water rushes through Istory Falls. The game’s spritework is nothing short of fantastic. Enemies are the best they’ve ever looked at this point, and each character has a unique battle sprite for every single Job — all of which play to your party members’ distinct personalities. FFV also sports one of Nobuo Uematsu’s most underrated soundtracks. Lenna’s theme is a beautiful song, Fate in Haze is a haunting dungeon tune, and Clash on the Big Bridge is one of the most blood-pumping battle themes in the series. The score has a wide musical range, and is as emotional as it is energetic and ambient.
The scope of Final Fantasy V’s story isn’t as emotionally charged as IV, but it’s no worse for wear. Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase worked on the story together, both leaving their own personality behind in V’s script,
“Sakaguchi was in charge of the overall plot, and because FFV was a relatively serious story, I wanted to be sure to inject spots with a little bit of comic relief and humor.” – Yoshinori Kitase, Scenario Writer The end result is a plot that knows when to be dramatic and when to cut loose a little. Final Fantasy V is just as comfortable letting Bartz and Faris share a tender moment at his parents’ grave as it is having the party’s main rival have a very tongue-in-cheek redemption right before the final battle. V is a Final Fantasy with a sense of humor and a sense of heart.
One particular point in the story’s favor is its modern English localization. While V’s original English translation on PSX left much to be desired (to say the least), the revised Game Boy Advance script plays to the story’s natural charm and stands out as a strong localization altogether. Characters joke around together and interact with each other often, playing off each other’s unique personality traits. Bartz is a few men short of a full crew, Leena is an all-loving princess, Faris is a headstrong pirate with a sensitive side, and Galuf & Krile are usually the game’s go-to when it comes to injecting some humor and pathos into the plot.
Character development is gradual in V, trading IV’s big beats for several smaller interactions amongst the cast that help flesh out their relationships, backstories, and motivations. By the end of the game, V’s party of four feels more defined than IV’s cast of a dozen. Little moments highlight their growth as opposed to life-changing events. Bartz and Galuf build a mutual respect for each other over their journey, and share a man-to-man drink in Regole. Lenna and Faris are two sisters torn apart at birth who reconnect throughout the game and mourn their father together. Krile gets to know the party and forms a bond with everyone before replacing Galuf. Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Krile feel like a close-knit group of friends when all is said and done.
While the crux of FFV’s story is a fairly traditional “good versus evil” plot, the narrative is bolstered both by strong characterization and some light but tight theming. Nature is dying due to man’s abuse of natural resources. The four Crystals are sapped of their energy, draining the world of its elements. The wind will stop, the air will stagnate, the birds will fall from the heavens and drop dead as seas dry up and fires die out. The fact Exdeath is actually a tree can even be read as nature rejecting humanity and wiping the slate clean as a consequence. The story doesn’t really push the theme beyond the surface level, but that it’s present at all gives the plot a minor layer of depth.
Big gameplay moments to advance the story aren’t as frequent as IV, but they’re as impactful and V has more cutscenes in the grand scheme of things. The Battle at the Big Bridge throws constant enemies at you to build tension during a major turning point for the story. Gilgamesh interrupts a fight with an entirely different boss and superseding their battle theme with his own. Galuf’s death and final duel with Exdeath uses the battle system to emphasize Galuf’s sheer force of will. Exdeath peppers you with powerful attacks, but Galuf refuses to die even at 0 HP. You can feel Galuf’s determination and desperation translated through the gameplay loop as he survives Flare, Holy, and Meteor back to back to back. Watching him fight to the very last inch of his life justifies it when the party can’t help him with Curaga, Raise, Phoenix Downs, or Elixirs. Galuf’s death feels painfully earned narratively and mechanically.
Exdeath is a great villain, both in spite of and because of his outlandishly cartoonish malice. He’s outlandishly cartoonish, laughs maniacally, takes every opportunity to torment the party, and has no real ulterior motives beyond his evil. He’s chaos personified, which is perhaps fitting considering how FFV echoes FFI’s story in several respects. Exdeath also stands out for being an active antagonist whose role isn’t taken over by a last minute villain who was secretly pulling the strings all along. He’s nothing special in the greater context of Final Fantasy villains, but Exdeath serves V’s story well.
Between an incredibly charming story and a fantastic gameplay loop, Final Fantasy V is nothing short of one the best games in the series. It’s a perfect marriage of Final Fantasy’s two distinct styles, combining the character-driven storytelling from II & IV with the gameplay diversity of I & II while giving both halves of the experience enough depth to thrive. The story’s stakes are high, the cast is very likable, and the lighter tone gives the plot a strong identity without undermining its drama. The Job system offers an amazing amount of replay value and is freeform enough where there is no wrong way to play. Impressively memorable dungeon design and an ever-changing status quo lend the impression that you’re on a genuine adventure with real stakes. Addictive, endearing, and brimming with heart, Final Fantasy V is a near flawless RPG and one of Square’s finest 16-bit achievements.
Here's that same write-up with pretty pictures and links: https://goombastomp.com/final-fantasy-5-retrospective/

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[Chapter 1] ;[Previous Chapter] ; [Discord + Wiki] ; [Patreon]
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Chapter 107 – A Patron Saint
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“[…] with the leadership of many territories claiming that the muted response to the thread is once again a blatant showing of the Community-Leadership’s clear bias against Deathworld affairs. Loratexach Echtsesimm, the current leader of the united Lachaxet territories, even went so far as to call it, quote: “A kick to the face for all those of us seeking to live in a peaceful unity.” Meanwhile other deathworld groups, like the occupants of the only known Class V deathworld, the Ligormordillar, are trying to quell the conflict and urge their fellow deathworlders to make a measured response, pointing to the lack of any concrete evidence when it comes to the recent events, and asking to give authorities a bit more time to investigate things. However, the accusations of corruptions that emerged in the last quarter have many people questioning how much the current Acting Galactic Council can truly be trusted with the investigations, and calls for the addition of independent investigations are becoming louder,” an Urounaek news caster professionally read off the seemingly endless lines of texts on her teleprompter, while b-footage of recordings of the sitting governments of a diverse number of species played in the background. “Surprisingly, humanity, the largest accuser of corruption in the Galactic Council as well as a front runner in the proclaimed fight for the extended rights of people and especially deathworlders that feel ousted by the Community, and also one of the Myiat’s currently closest military allies, have so far made no official statements or press-releases about the incidents, apart from damming the attack as a violation of intragalactic law as well as the laws of war.”
James passively allowed himself to be doused by the white noise of the TV that Shida had basically been glued to for the last days while he checked through his messages and mails on his phone and laptop. Of course, any of his addresses and contacts that had at some point been public in some way had been absolutely bombarded with a torrent of spam, threats, offerings, accusations, and even more spam. It was a daunting task to sift through all of the messages in an attempt to pick out the few of them that could possibly be useful every day, especially since those were extremely few and far in between, however, he still did it. On the one hand, he did it because he felt that it was his duty to leave nothing untried, no stone unturned, and no resource unused in these dire times they found themselves in. On the other hand, it was a quite time- and labor-intensive yet still comparatively easy task that he could easily waste away hours with without feeling like he was being unproductive.
Of course, all the really important messages he received would be forwarded to him through his more secure contacts that just select people had access to, and therefore the things he did find in his private messages were usually rather menial in comparison, however it was still something.
His hopes of not feeling so left out and abandoned anymore now that shit had thoroughly hit the fan had sadly been short-lived, as it quickly became clear that any broadcasts and statements to the outside world when it come to the topic at hand would be made by actual diplomatic professionals and not by-circumstance Ambassadors that had basically stumbled into their role.
…Which was honestly fair enough, James had to admit. Certainly, people who did this for a living had a much lower chance of screwing everything up and making things even worse than they already were than he did.
However, that did little to quell the nervous and anxious energy within him that just begged to be released in some productive way.
“While official governmental replies are being released by the hundreds by individual species, many collaborative political groups have also proclaimed their intentions to react to the current tensions caused by the attack on Dunnima. For example, many order-collaborations have been sending out invitations for emergency-conferences to possibly discuss a united reaction and collaborative measures to help ease the Galactic Tensions between their members; among others, the collaborative councils of the Tetsudines, Psittacines, Corvids, Hymenoptera, Canines, Skitellifera, Estotsucuvae, and Primates will be gathering within the week to discuss possible measures. Additionally, for the first time in about 12 uniform years, a recently founded, provisional ‘council of deathworlders’ is also inviting possible participants to a first conference, after having reportedly struggled to find an adequate venue for such an event for a few uniform months. This council is the thought-child of representatives of the Lachaxet, Ligormordillar, Roosh’gaack, and Teracheponn territories, who are now trying to get representatives of as many deathworlds as possible to take part in it, claiming it as an important step towards future collaborations between the so-designated worlds and people.”
“I wonder who they’re going to invite,” Shida commented as she tensely leaned forwards and absorbed the news with great concentration, her ears opening widely to not miss a single detail. Inside, she was just as rearing to go as James was. But just like him, she was also bound to the orders they were being given.
So far, they had both not been called in to reinforce the fleets that were either stationed to more intensely control the borders of their own unified borders or sent out into the cosmos to reinforce the myiat’s defenses after the first attack. However, the military base in Lorraine that they had been staying at for a while now had certainly become a lot emptier ever since the attack, leaving basically only instructors, very fresh recruits and essential personnel behind. And themselves, of course.
The constant tramping of boots outside of their doors had been replaced by an eerie emptiness, and their regular trainings-sessions that they had along with other occupants had also run dry, as most of the people on a similar level to them had received orders to move. And working with actual trainees didn’t exactly have a lot of appeal to it either.
“They have plenty of options,” James mumbled while his eyes flew across rows and rows of recently received mails, going back hour by hour that he had slept while sifting through piles and piles of junk.
Finishing off with the mail-service he had used during his Uni-days without having found anything of note, he then switched over to the next tab, where he had opened his miraculously still not out of service work-mail that had been assigned to him during his in hindsight very brief time of working on the G.E.S.-32.
He had no idea why exactly it was still in service, but as long as he received messages to it, he was going to check them, even if so far, this had by far been the least useful of his addresses when it came to receiving any messages of actual note.
And indeed, it was once again basically all junk.
Spam, a death threat, a very angry email from a former coworker, spam, more threats, a clearly fake solicitation from some firm he had never heard of, some news-channel trying to get an interview with him, spam, another news channel, spam, even more threats, spa-
He paused for a moment as his cursor hovered over a mail he had apparently received about five hours ago, that had the very brief and uninformative title of
“You are invited.”
Usually, he would’ve almost instantly disregarded it as clearly some form of spam, however after what he had just heard on the news, it made him raise an eyebrow and quickly check the address it was sent from.
Lifting the eyebrow even further as he saw an actual, official government address, he clicked on the mail to open it up. Slowly, his eyes read over the neat lines of text that had been revealed to him, his eyes getting wider and expression becoming more confused and disgruntled by the moment.
Was this a joke?
“What’s up?” Shida asked, apparently having noticed his expression changing, and just as anxious to do something as he was, she immediately stood up and walked over to him to glance at his screen while her tail swiftly flailed through the air. “One of the threats getting too personal?”
James shifted his lips as he gathered his thoughts to reply.
“No, I was invited to one of those conferences,” he said, and his eyes quickly double-checked if this invitation was actually addressed towards him and hadn’t just accidentally landed with the wrong person by some sort of blunder.
Shida glanced at him in mild confusion, her yellow eyes scanning over his face while trying to read his thoughts from it.
“The Deathworld one? That’s not surprising, is it?” she commented with a flick of her ears, before pressing up to his side a bit closer so she could lower herself in a position that would allow her to more easily peek at his mails. “Not only are you a deathworlder, you’ve also been a pretty public figure when it comes to the public fight for more rights. Hell, you probably inspired them to found that whole thing in a way, so of course they want you along for the ride.”
James scoffed slightly and turned his screen so she could look at it.
“Well, if it was that, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said and waited a second for Shida to read, seeing her face also slowly turn into a more confused one as she realized what the invitation he had received was for, before he added, “But this is from the council of primates.”
Shida looked at the message for a little longer before turning only her eyes towards him.
“What the hell do they want?” she asked with clear distrust in her voice. James just shrugged.
“A trap? Appeasement? Publicity? Options are numerous,” he said with an exhausted exhale before switching the tab yet again to log into his ‘professional’ mail services, copy-pasting the text of the invitation before forwarding it to a pre-prepared list of people that should probably be informed about this.
Shida hissed through her teeth and stood up straight again.
“Are you going?” she asked, crossing her arms and glancing down at him.
“If I have a say in this? Absolutely,” James replied after hammering the ‘send’ button. Anything to get out of here and do something at this point. Besides, it would probably give him the opportunity to give some people some serious stern talkings to. “Buuuuut you know how this goes.”
“We should keep an eye open who else might get invited to something,” Shida commented after acknowledging his reply with a huff but not responding to it. James nodded. In his periphery, he noticed how Shida’s fingers were starting to dig into her arms as her grip likely inadvertently tightened, and he reached out to rub his hand against her side, wordlessly aiding her with relaxing.
“They have plenty of options,” he repeated his earlier statement as he opened the invitation one more time.
“You are invited.
James Aldwin, Ambassador of Earth by community tradition, you have been officially invited to the emergency conference of the council of primates. Given recent events, the council has decided it is imperative to coordinate a response among the members of our esteemed order.
As humanity has so far not had a representative in the council of primates, it has been decided to extend an invitation to you for this conference. This invitation officially grants you access to the venue on Nedstaniot-Station and makes you eligible for a support-fund covering the traveling costs for you and an accompanying group of up to ten (10) companions of your choosing.
Should you accept this invitation, please contact us under one of the council of primate’s official addresses to receive access data to the necessary accounts as well as a detailed plan of the venue and scheduled events.
Should you not accept this invitation, a message of your declining is not strictly necessary, but always welcome to aid in planning.
I hope this message finds you well and am looking forward to possibly meeting you at the venue.
Sincerely
Klanneifer FF of the Tiasonko.
Success to you!”
Well, if they weren’t going to regret that…
​
--
​
Alexander clutched the necklace around his neck tightly as he looked into the mirror, taking deep breaths to quell his nerves.
Yes, he was nervous. Extremely so in fact. He thought that he would be excited previously, but now that the time had come, he could feel only the nerves.
Well, maybe that was understandable. Something like this really didn’t happen every day, after all.
“God, give me strength,” he prayed silently with his hands clutching the symbol of his faith even tighter.
Then, he took a minute to, one last time, check if his hair was in place and his robes were immaculate. He couldn’t make a fool out of himself on an occasion like this, after all. His own blue eyes stared back at him from the mirror sternly. Scrutinizing. As if he was judging himself. And he should. After all it was a big day. Taking a moment to judge oneself was important in moments such as this, lest you get complacent and started to make the wrong choices.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
“Father Mokoena is beginning his sermon, Alexander,” a muffled voice said from the other side. “You should be ready for when you are called upon.”
Alexander exhaled deeply and took one last look at the mirror, his gaze wandering from his own eyes down to the pendant around his neck.
“I’m on my way,” he then assured the Brother waiting outside, before stepping away from the dresser with a flourishing movement of his robes.
As he stepped out of the cloakroom, brother Anders slightly bowed to him, before stretching out a robed arm to guide him in the right direction. The brother was of the older sort, yet he had held his body in a shape worthy of a temple. Thinning and greying rose-blond hair did little to distract from that, as his wide frame could easily be spotted even through the loosely fitting robes.
A man of devotion in more than one way.
Alexander moved in a slow and measured way, his head held high, as Brother Anders guided him through the branched and tight back hallways of the old theater that they were holding today’s sermon in. As they got closer to the stage, Alexander could already hear the booming voice of father Mokoena as he addressed the masses from his place on the stage. It was no microphone he heard there, no amplifiers or other speakers. Only the impeccable voice of a devoted preacher.
Despite his age, the man had pipes like the largest organ, and still he was speaking at a volume that Alexander wasn’t used to from him. Inhaling deeply, he swallowed for a moment. Hopefully the people would even be able to hear him when he spoke. He certainly couldn’t bellow like the father could. Then again, this was a theater. Maybe his voice would be carried further by the acoustics than he anticipated.
It was rare for him to speak in a place like this, after all.
For a moment, Alexander thought about houses of faith. All the temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and whatever else he had visited throughout his life. Their large, marbled halls. Their magnificent decorations. The instruments and loudspeakers and all the other tools they were equipped with for impressive…performances.
That is what he had always called them. Performances. All those people just playing at faith while all they truly worship was their own selfishness.
And yet here he stood in the backrooms of a theater, watching as a father Mokoena gave a sermon on a literal stage and waiting for his cue to join him in the spotlight. What ironic twists fate could take.
The theater had been the most sensible option of a place that was for rent for one night and also held enough seats for this many people to come together. Still, he wondered if maybe they should have swallowed the tougher pill and looked for something else. For his liking, this was a bit too close to making a mockery of the event. The ‘houses of God’ may have been a sinful sham, but was this really much better?
Still, what was done was done. And while reflecting on past mistakes was certainly a virtue, getting stuck on them was most decidedly not. They were here now, so they would use what they had.
He and Anders finally came to a halt right at the side of the stage, hidden behind the large, red curtain that could be used to cut the stage off from view. Of course, today, it would stay wide open for the entire time, allowing everyone to witness.
“Are you nervous?” Brother Anders quietly asked him, leaning in close to whisper so there was no chance of his voice leaking out and disturbing the Father’s sermon.
Alexander smirked in slight anxiousness.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed honestly. “It’s not every day you get to make proclamations this weighty…or enemies this powerful.”
“Are you afraid of them?” Anders then asked with an almost pitiful look at Alexander, who sighed deeply.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed yet again. “I’d be a fool not to be.”
The task before him was grand, and his foes, in a way, even grander. There was a reason that the realized that had plagued Earth once upon a time had taken the name of heaven’s general for itself. They were powerful. And they knew it.
And that was not even mentioning the force of Earth’s armies, that could turn against them on a whim of fate. Masters over the forces of nature. The undisputed leaders of destructive power. Those who had managed to best such a powerful being before.
Yes, he was afraid. But overcoming fear was a virtue as well.
Meanwhile, the sermon was starting to whip up into a louder cadence, as Father Mokoena seemingly began to introduce the important part of the evening.
“[…] Many years has he studied and prayed and silence, following the will of our Lord by standing by and reflecting. Keeping humble. Keeping modest. And he has developed into a fine man of faith. Eighteen years of serving and studying under our faith, hidden away in the dark and obscure, waiting for the event that would catalyze his becoming! Now it has finally come. And with it came the time for him to step out into the light! Please welcome with me, oh children of the Lord, our newest ‘Guide’! Guide Alexander Paige!” the Father loudly announced and lifted his arm in the direction of where Alexander still stood out of sight. The bald head of the dark-skinned man reflected the spotlights above while his modest robes swung around from the energetic movement.
Meanwhile, Alexander took a deep, calming breath.
“Best of luck, Guide Alexander,” he could hear Brother Anders next to him say, and he respectfully bowed to the man before advancing out of the shadows and into the light.
His eyes narrowed strongly, and he had to resist the urge to lift his hand in order to protect them from the blinding light that now blared down on him. Of course, he did his best to keep his respectful and reverent expression before the Father, however he wasn’t quite able to entirely resist the pain of the rays stinging into his sight. Still, he advanced with quick yet collected steps all the way up to the side of the Father.
“Don’t scream,” he told himself as he prepared his throat for how loud he would have to talk to be heard in a place such as this. The lights were so bright and the rest of the room so dark that he couldn’t see those listening to him, but he still knew they were there. Hundreds of them. Another failure of this chosen venue. He couldn’t even see the faces of those that would listen to his words. How could he claim to speak to them if he couldn’t even look them in the eyes?
Well, it was too late now.
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander loudly announced as he had finally reached the man, and he did his best to talk as loudly as possible without it escalating into shouts. It was hard to gauge how far his voice carried in this room, and he silently prayed that he would be understood.
The Father then reached out his arm, offering his old, worn hand to Alexander. Alexander reciprocated the gesture, taking the Father’s hand with his right, while positioning his left underneath, pressing its palm up against the father’s wrist. Meanwhile, the father lowered his left onto Alexander’s wrist from above, holding his hand as if he was blessing it.
“Alexander!” Father Mokoena loudly greeted him, and Alexander almost flinched at the intensity of his voice up close. If that was what it took to be heard around here, then his own words would merely come across as a whimper. He truly hoped that the old preacher was just overdoing it with his enthusiasm. “You have finally found your treacherous sea, it seems!”
“Indeed,” Alexander replied and really just couldn’t measure up to the Father’s incredible voice no matter how he tried. What an impressive organ. “And I am prepared to guide my fellow men through it, towards safer ventures.”
“And the Lord shall bless your path!” the Father proclaimed, before taking his hands off of Alexander’s again.
“May the Lord bless your path,” a gentle echo came from the unseen crowd.
“And yours as well,” Alexander replied quickly, having almost forgotten to do so given the stressful situation.
The Father nodded deeply, before stepping away from Alexander and in front of the crowd again for a second, as he raised his arms high and declared,
“Tell us about your treacherous path, Guide Alexander, so we veer from it with you!”
Then, with another flourishing movement of his robes, he stepped back and aside, leaving Alexander basically alone in front of the many unseen eyes watching him.
Even after years of waiting, he wasn’t truly prepared for this. For the briefest of moments, he imagined just walking off. But no. He had to do this. This is what he had lived for. His entire life up until now had led up to this moment.
“I am telling you all no secret when I say that the recent times have been turmoil filled ones,” he began to speak, getting right to the matter at hand without any greetings or big introductions. The air around him felt heavy, and the room was so quiet whenever he didn’t speak that he could hear the lights above softly buzzing with electricity. The old wood under his feet gently cracked whenever he shifted his weight, and he was sure that it could be heard all the way up in the top rows whenever it happened. “As all of you who have come together here know, we stand in front of a huge danger. You do not need a guide to tell you that treading in the domain of a realized leads to peril. Such an affront needs no explanation on my side.”
He swallowed heavily, truly hoping that they had not all come together to hear him proclaim that he would guide them against the A.I.
That was simply no task for a Guide. Yet hopefully the others understood this as well and did not think that he was avoiding the threat in order to pick an easier mission for himself. After all, he would still gain its ire with his words, he was sure, even if it was not his declared danger.
Swallowing again, he continued,
“No, I am here today to talk with you about something else. About someone else. Someone whose words have touched many; and influenced even more. A man who was thrust into conflict against his will. Hurtled into the chaos, he fought, and the galaxy shook before him. A man known to the entire Galaxy obviously needs no introduction, but I would still like to take a moment to list James Aldwin’s achievements to give you a better picture of what I am talking about. Before his life was thrust into conflict, he used to dedicate his time to the improvement of life. He took some of nature’s gifts, and he used them to make new things that would aide people in need. Medicine was his claimed goal, and although he never got to reach that state, he had the clear intention to make life easier for many with his inventions, caring little for where they came from. Then, after his life changed for the worse, his focus shifted. Instead of trying to safe the ill somewhere in the future, he instead dedicated himself to saving people right here and now.”
Talking himself up into a bit of a frenzy, Alexander began to walk back and forth on the stage without even fully realizing that he was doing it. The blinding spotlights were still turning everything that wasn’t the stage into a dark, blocked out void. Night had been separated from day, and he was standing in the sun.
“He turned his focus onto those he thought to be like him,” he explained, starting to make wide gestures with his arms that caused his robe to move in flowing downward waves, embellishing his movements even further. “Those whose lives had been thrown into chaos through no doing of their own. Those born into it. Those ousted. Those who felt ‘othered’ by the world. The pariahs. He promised them acceptance, with little care for who they were.”
He then stopped his pacing for a moment to fully face the crowd, his gaze turning upwards so they would all be able to see it.
“Even when faced with one of our world’s greatest calamities asking him to take it in, he did not cave,” Alexander proclaimed, and he could feel himself tapping into potential of his lungs that he didn’t know he had within him, as his voice boomed throughout the theater. “Despite knowing of the danger in his path, he walked it all the way. Truly, what kind of man is it that will turn no one away? What kind of man who puts himself on the wayside to help others? What kind of man that cares not for who or how?”
“A Saint!” a booming echo came back from the crowd, and Alexander could feel the vibrations of their roar beneath his feet as it rolled over him.
“Indeed,” he replied to the people. “After seeing the path he walked, I say that his actions are worthy of nothing less than sanctity!”
A sound came back from the crowd that was hard to describe. It was neither jeering nor cheering, but something entirely in between. A deep rumble that filled the air with almost nonsensical noise as it escaped the mouths of hundreds of people who reacted to his declaration.
Alexander now lifted his arms in a wide arch, as if he wanted to beckon the crowd into an embrace.
“By the Ministry of the Church of the Failed Savior, bestowed upon me as your new Guide, I hereby proclaim James Aldwin as the Patron of Realized Sapience!” he loudly declared, and the noise of the crowd picked up in intensity.
He took a deep breath while letting the sound slowly fade out, although he didn’t wait for the people to be completely quiet before he let his arms sink again and continued in a milder tone.
“Sanctity is a dangerous path,” he said as he began to slowly pace along the stage again, this time with collected, measured movements. “The Saints walk it, and they invite all who will to follow. They do not warn them of the danger. In fact, they encourage all to face it. Proclaiming their path as the right one, they tell all who follow to not stray from it, no matter the danger. It is a dangerous thing indeed, such a Saint.”
He stopped again, but this time, he didn’t face the crowd. Turned to the side, he stared straight ahead, his eyes fixating on a part of the folded, red curtains while his mind went to a different place.
“Saint Aldwin believes himself to walk the right path, and nothing is holy to him, neither on Earth nor in Heaven, man made or God given, but that which allows him to follow it,” he said, still loud, but a lot more restrained in emotion. “He believes himself to be a protector. A shepherd. A…savior.”
This time, the jeering of the crowd was palpable, as the ground once again shook with it. Any sense of good will had disappeared from the noise.
Now, Alexander waited for it to completely die down. Calm and quietly, he stood there without moving a muscle for minutes on end while the sound gradually faded out.
Only when he could have heard a pin drop in the enormous room did he speak up again.
“As your new Guide, I promise to show you the way to the safe road. I promise to disarm traps and sweep away obstacles in your way. I promise to keep my sight on the destination, and to always point you in the right direction should you stay. And…” he paused for a moment to take a deep breath, before he continued louder than before, lifting his head high as he did so. “And I promise to veer you off the paths of all the Saints and Doomed to Fail Saviors who would have you walk with them into hell!”
A cheering broke out in the crowd, going so far that some of the people began to drum their feet on the ground in a wild, rhythmless thunder.
Meanwhile Alexander turned around to face the man behind him.
Father Mokoena had a wide smile on his wrinkled face as he walked back up to him, his hand extended. As they repeated the same gesture they had given each other earlier, the Father loudly announced,
“God bless your path, Guide.”
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander replied with a deep nod. “I am going to need it.”
After a moment, they let go off each other’s hands again, and Alexander wordlessly walked back off the stage, while Father Mokoena already loudly addressed the crowd again.
Behind the curtain just off the stage, Brother Anders was still waiting for him.
“A captivating speech,” the muscular man complimented him with a brief faux applause he hinted at with his hands, not actually clapping so he wouldn’t disturb the sermon. “But was that a reference I spotted in the middle of it there?”
Alexander scoffed at the man.
“All speeches have references,” he said while he passed the Brother, folding his hands behind his back as he went.
Anders looked after him in mild confusion.
“Aren’t you going to stay and hear the sermon?” he asked as Alexander was already disappearing away from the stage again.
“My faith is between me and our Lord,” Alexander explained as he shook his head. “My prayer does not need an advocate.”
No, instead of wasting time listening to a sermon of prayers that he could speak himself, he decided to instead use it to look after those who were in need of his guidance.
Walking back to from whence he came, he passed his earlier cloakroom and traversed the hallways all the way to a larger, much more open changing room, that would usually most likely house droves of actors or other performers in marvelous costumes before they would go out on stage to dazzle the masses.
Today, however, it was home to a much sadder sight.
Laid out on two benches, surrounded by their peers, were two truly pitiful casualties of conflict. As he walked in, their ears twitched and they began to look up in erratic movements, their muscles twitching and shivering as if under immense stress from just the simple movements, and even after their head was lifted, it was stuck in a constant quiver.
Meanwhile, their far healthier compatriots also turned towards him, their gazes dark and eyes sharp, while their agitated tails whipped through the air like angry flails.
“How are you feeling?” Alexander asked the first of the two clearly ill myiat who met his gaze.
“According to the…circumstances,” the man replied, his voice about as jittery as his posture as he spoke. His name was Mirrakshra. A good man, suffering a bad fate.
Meanwhile, one of their healthy compatriots, a dark-skinned fellow with a scar from a cut right over his cheekbone that had accompanied Alexander since back on Dunnima, glared at Alexander with fiery eyes as he saw the kind of robe he wore.
“If you’re going to try some sort of faith-healing bullshit, then I swear to-“ he began, however Alexander cut him off harshly.
“You shouldn’t swear, Eskfotarra. Not on heaven or on Earth,” he reprimanded him with firm words. Then he smirked, “You may promise to harm me all you like, however. But no, that’s not why I’m here. I’m not a fool. I know I can’t work miracles. I simply worry about his wellbeing.”
“It’s al..alright,” Mirrakshra quelled the worries of his friend. “Y-y-you got news?”
Alexander exhaled disappointedly.
“Sadly, yes,” he said and looked away. “It seems that some of our allies have…how do you say…jumped the gun? They attempted to exterminate the affront prematurely, and in the process, have only made it all the more enduring, it seems.”
Eskfotarra scoffed and his ears twitched slightly as his tail slowed to a gradual sway.
“So, she’s out now?” he correctly assumed, and the smirk on his face told of him not finding those circumstances all too disagreeable. An unfortunate choice, but his to make.
“Indeed,” Alexander replied. “And at the scale we’re currently working at, I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to stamp it out.”
By now, the AI might have infected the entire Galaxy. There was no telling of the kind of hardships they would soon face because of it.
However, Eskfotarra just glanced down at his ill friends again as his grimace soured.
“And Aldwin?” he asked darkly.
Alexander lifted his arms with open palms and shrugged.
“Hidden away where we cannot reach him, at least for the moment,” he explained.
The myiat aggressively clicked his tongue and hissed through his teeth.
“Then when will we be able to reach him?” he asked, his claws unfurling on his arm, cutting into the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s high time that he answers for a lot of things.”
In a picture that should be grotesque but could only be described as empathetic, the quivering, injured feline laying before him looked up at his healthy friend with pity, while wrath seemingly consumed Eskfotarra.
Alexander nodded.
“I’m sure he would agree with you there,” he pointed out, seeing as Aldwin had never been shy to point out his own misdeeds. “That is why sooner or later, he is going to make it possible. The danger is the nature of a Saint.”

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 64%. (I'm a bot)

The US has opened its first military garrison in Poland.
It follows last year's pledge by President Joe Biden to establish a permanent base - America's first on NATO's eastern flank - in Poland following Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
While Poland has long hosted US troops on a rotational basis, it had lobbied Washington for that to be turned into a permanent presence.
The garrison - housed in Poznań at Camp Kościuszko, which is named after the 18th-century hero who fought for both Polish and US independence - will act as the headquarters for the US Army's V Corps in Poland.
The US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, declared that the inauguration of the garrison was a sign that "The United States is committed to Poland and the NATO alliance, and that we are united in the face of Russian aggression".
In recent years, the already close military cooperation between Poland and the US has been further strengthened, with Washington sending additional troops and equipment to Poland in response to Russian aggression.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: Poland^#1 United^#2 garrison^#3 Polish^#4 NATO^#5
Post found in /worldnews.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

Any nation bests TT.
SHORT TERM, enacted in one year -

1. Make health a right, be it public AND private, in the constitution. Currently only public catered to.
2. Adopt the UNIVERSAL HEALTH SYSTEM – defined as the state covering medical cost. Barbados, Canada, France, UK, Mexico among the adoptors.
3. UHS application to TT –* private doctors and private pharmacy are heavily subsidized to affordable level. Out of pocket is $100 and $20 respectively for citizens.* Remainder, once out of pocket paid by citizens, is given to the doctor and pharmacy quickly by the state.

* FREE - $0 dollars up to age 18; are certain categories: ANY chronic medical condition or disabled; retirement age and up; if pregnant or ex inmate.
* Trinidad’s “two tier” PRIVATE AND PUBLIC system retained - meantime PUBLIC institutions improved by way of better services and more hospitals and specialized centers.
* Cost management - Government negotiated costs for medicine and procedures – no one place or doctor will charge different from another as government pays fees for citizens. Fees are STRICTLY regulated to keep them affordable and halt overbilling. Fees for all health care services and medicine are set every two years by negotiations between the health ministry and physicians.
* Adopt ideas from number one ranked FRANCE health system.
* Commission a study of foreign health systems and adopt where feasible – such as UK, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Barbados, Canada, Italy, Israel.

1. Open a MENTAL HEALTH AND LONLINESS MINISTRY – treating school violence, assessing military and police cadets as well as serving officers and serving the public among its missions.
   
2. Priority surgery - all citizens in need of life saving surgery gets all bills paid by government. The state will begin a drive to speed up their care, as in immediately they are found and aided. Should the care not be available locally, expenses for overseas all state borne.
   
3. Establish local medical school for SPECIALIZATION – to be opened in Trinidad to supply a pool of local professionals, SPECIALIZED DOCTORS above GP with little to no need to go abroad, FREE OF CHARGE. Will expand to include other medical and paramedical training.
   
4. Free medical school – for doctors and staff. Any debt is cleared.
   
5. Adopt South Korean national physical examination – every two years citizens AND foreigners travel to a PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CENTER and undergo a series of ROUTINE EXAMINATIONS: blood work, pap smear, x ray, lung function, ECG, kidney and liver function, blood sugar, stomach cancer screen, dental screen, urine and more.
   
6. CDAP & Children’s Life Fund removed – supplanted by Universal Health – state covered cost for ALL citizens of PRIVATE doctors, facilities and pharmacies, so that free or near nil. (CDAP doesn’t cover all medicine and when government supplied medicine is short, private sources can provide)
   
7. Mercy program - Food delivery for those too ill to shop and cook themselves. The state will deliver nutritionist supervised food free of charge.
   
8. Parental aide program – no matter the economic background a new-born’s parents may apply for an assistant from the government, sent to their residence.
   
9. Healthy eating at state institutions – low fat, sugar, cholesterol, diabetic food and drink are only what permitted at ministries and other government institutions extending to vending machines.
   
10. Food, soda and juice tax – a high tax, designed to reduce consumption of SWEETENED BEVERAGES and food of HIGH SUGAR, FAT, CHOLESTEROL, SALT. This policy intervention is an effort to decrease obesity and the health impacts related to being overweight.
    
11. Subsidized low and zero fat, cholesterol and sugar consumption – a preventative medicine measure, foods, drinks and snacks example: chia, almond butter, sourdough bread, Splenda, versions of chocolate and ice cream, Glucerna, whole wheat, so to healthy processed foods are government subsidized 30% thirty percent to help encourage good health - including foreign brands. Trinidad has very high heart disease rate.
    
12. Ban trans fats – restaurants fry food in oil raising health risk from consumed foodstuff. Business will be mandated to use alternatives.
    
13. 30 minutes tops - Prompt care mandatory. Trinidad doctors right now have patients wait HOURS. Must (keep patients waiting not above half an hour) before patients are seen to under pain of automatic suspension.
    
14. DISSOLVED Medical Board - replaced by a more toothy organization – rather separate to ensure independence. Are led by FOREIGNERS not locals. Responsible for investigating and punishing staff and DOCTORS who are rude, deliver service outside 30 minutes, malpractice.
    

​
LONG TERM –

1. Second and third cancer treatment centers established – the St. James one added to. A larger, public facility able to support medical tourism and the next in Tobago.
   
2. Ratio – look into increasing doctor to citizen ratio such that doctors are more numerous than present.
   

​

1. Digital medicine –

* Electronic health record. Health information in a digital format. EHRs can be shared across networks.
* Like France’s VITALE, a DIGITAL SMART CARD replacing paper medical cards.
* Electronic prescribing – defined is the computer-based electronic generation, transmission, and filling of a medical prescription, taking the place of paper prescriptions.
​

1. MULTIPLE hospitals and specilized facilities – only 7 main general hospitals for 1.3 million. Top priority more are constructed.22. Additional medical services and medical tourism - Introduction locally of SPECIALIZED medical health procedures currently sourced abroad, by constructing relevant facilities. Serving locals and for low price, tourists. A source of foreign exchange.
   
2. Medical contruction speed – haste a priority to build facilities and infrastructure. To this end foreign construction workers and architects hired for numbers.
   
3. Establishment of a National Primary Angioplasty Network – treats better with heart conditions backed up by CARDIAC CATH devices installed across the nation, a specialized heart treatment facility and public education.
   
4. Medication delivery - for elderly and those too sickly to reach hospital or pharmacy, a medically certified nurse drops it off at their residence.
   
5. Elderly care nursing homes - a series of free STATE OF THE ART nursing homes constructed both islands, complete with internet and dietician. Are physician operated. Care costs 100 percent state borne - including food, lodging, and medical costs. JAPAN’S geriatric home model will be emulated such as Azalee care centers. Mexico also examined. Private existing facilities are from now state covered.
   
6. Elderly housing – any living in rundown conditions can have their abode fixed or granted a new one if fixing the original impractical. State covered.
   
7. Elderly living communities – are communities government builds to house the elderly (infirm younger people additionally).
   
8. Local medicine and equipment made locally – goal a PERCENTAGE of both, so too herbal medicine included, prioritizing the crucial. Factories built for the purpose.
   
9. Diabetes treatment and research hospital - The Diabetic Wellness Center replaced if needed, the new facility staffed by SPECIALIZED diabetic treatment personnel.
   
10. Medical science institutes and labs – Trinidad shall swiftly establish its own MEDICAL RESEARCH arm.
    

_________________

French health care: Best in the world? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGqiNplU2m4

I get the feeling that this will make me seem naive, but it's taken a lot of time to put the pieces together.
I've been "freelancing" with an A/V company for a couple years. Technically, I started with them before the pandemic but didn't really work regularly with them until Fall 2021. Though it's technically a freelance job, I was on a consistent schedule with them until recently.
Every week, the manager at the location I primarily work at would send out a schedule via Whatsapp and asked me for confirmation. I could always say if I wouldn't be available on a certain day but was often pressured for refusing (at one point, I heard that one of the higher ups was mad that I refused to work on Saturdays for a period of time).
There were about 4 or 5 of us who were considered regulars who would be sent that weekly schedule. There were also others who occasionally worked, either one-offs or sporadically, but they weren't there weekly. However, all of us were considered independent contractors.
Sometime last year, I started to suspect that I was misclassified, but I wasn't that familiar with labor laws. However, as I've learned more over time, I think I've been taken advantage of.
-I never actually signed a contract with them, and in the interview, there was no mention of being 1099. -I filled out an employment application. -I was given an invoice template that I've seen other "freelancers" use. It seems like it was created by the company.
And when it comes to day to day work:
-They provide all the equipment that I use. -I get brought in for a certain time period, but they tell me to do different things, ranging from set/strike or event operation to even things like building work cabinets. Other non-regulars only do what they are brought in to do. -I'm given a list of equipment to use for the events and am sometimes told specifically how to set up the event space.
All this being said, since the beginning of the new year, I've gone from getting 30+ hours of work a week to on average less than 20. And this has been the case for all of the other regulars. Though I have W2 income from last year from another job, I don't know if I can file for unemployment right now. And frankly, I think I should report them and get my tax money back. I think there's a good chance that it would destroy their business as they've recently lost their biggest property, and I worry that they will try to go after me in one way or another.
Just looking for opinions. Thanks.

To effectively promote your casino website, create content that appeals to the target audience. Doing this will draw in new visitors and boost your SEO ranking at the same time.
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Slot machines

Slot machines are a widely-played casino game that can be found both at physical and online casinos. While they may provide hours of enjoyment and entertainment, their high risk factor also puts some people off.
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Casinos usually have specific regulations for slot machines. These can include player etiquette and how much can bet per machine. These guidelines are put in place to prevent players from becoming addicted to gambling.

Poker machines

Casino players have their pick of various games, but two of the most popular options are slots and video poker. Each has its own distinctive characteristics which make these titles worth trying out.
Slot machines use a random number generator to determine the outcome of each spin, meaning your chances for winning are independent of other spins on the machine.
Slot machine odds for getting a royal flush are not nearly as favorable as those found at poker tables, which is one of the primary reasons why many people opt to play poker instead of slots.
Video poker machines have become a favorite among online gamblers due to their new, simplified way of playing the game and potential for higher stakes wagers.
They allow players to keep winnings. This feature makes the game less risky and increases your chances of making money.
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Rankings

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These rankings can be especially beneficial to newcomers to online gambling, providing an insight into what games to try and the bonuses offered by various casinos.
Content that answers the most frequently asked questions about casinos is an effective way to increase your website's search engine ranking. These inquiries may range from how to win at slot machines to which software a particular casino uses.
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SEO in the casino niche can be a challenging endeavor, so having an experienced team on board is essential. Our SEO specialists will guarantee that your backlinks are properly placed to boost rankings and increase traffic.

Bonuses

Online casinos provide a range of bonuses to attract new players and keep them loyal to the site. These can take the form of free spins, bonus money or both.
Before claiming any casino bonus, it's essential to read its terms and conditions. These will determine how much you can receive as well as how much wagering must be done in order to take out your winnings.
These terms also determine whether or not you can utilize your bonus funds for betting on sportsbook or entering DFS contests. If it turns out that there are limitations, then it would be best not to accept the offer.
Most casino bonuses require you to meet a playthrough requirement, which is the number of times you must wager your bonus before being able to withdraw it. The requirement varies between casinos but generally ranges between 50-30 times the bonus amount. Furthermore, requirements may differ based on which games you play and your country of residence.

Cheating

Cheating in a casino is strictly prohibited and those caught can face legal consequences for their crimes. Cheating is used as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the house or other players, leading to severe repercussions for those found guilty.
Cheating can be accomplished through various techniques, such as card counting and using rigged equipment. While these tactics may be beneficial for poker and other card games, they could pose serious risks to casinos.
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Additionally, some gamblers have been known to mark cards with invisible ink. Although this method of cheating is relatively new, it can still be very hard to detect if you're not paying close attention.

​
Costa power industries pvt. ltd. Is Top UPS manufacturers in India uninterrupted power supply, UPS system, Online UPS, Industrial online ups, Online UPS manufacturer, UPS power supply, Lead acid battery, SMF battery

Uninterrupted power supply:

In today's world, where everything is dependent on technology, uninterrupted power supply has become a necessity. An uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source fails. UPS systems are used to protect critical equipment, such as computers, servers, medical equipment, and industrial machines, from power outages and other power-related issues. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. is one of the top UPS manufacturers in India. The company manufactures a range of UPS systems, including online UPS, industrial online UPS, and other power backup solutions like stabilizer UPS, lead-acid battery, and SMF battery.

Online UPS :

An Online UPS is a type of UPS system that provides continuous power to a load by converting AC input power into DC power and then back into AC power. In an online UPS system, the load is always connected to the inverter, which provides a clean, stable, and uninterrupted power supply. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. deals in high-quality Online UPS systems that are designed to provide reliable power backup solutions for critical applications.

Industrial Online UPS:

Industrial online UPS is specifically designed to meet the power backup requirements of industrial equipment. These UPS systems are built to withstand harsh industrial environments and provide reliable and stable power backup. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. manufactures industrial online UPS systems that are suitable for various industrial applications, including manufacturing, processing, and other heavy-duty applications.

UPS Power Supply:

UPS power supply is an essential component of any UPS system. It converts the input power from the mains into a form that can be used by the UPS system to provide power backup. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. manufactures high-quality UPS power supplies that are designed to provide reliable and stable power to the UPS system.

Lead Acid Battery:

Lead-acid batteries are one of the most commonly used batteries for backup power solutions. They are reliable, durable, and cost-effective. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. manufactures high-quality lead-acid batteries that are designed to provide reliable power backup solutions for various applications.

SMF Battery:

SMF (Sealed Maintenance-Free) batteries are a type of lead-acid battery that requires no maintenance. They are designed to provide reliable power backup solutions for critical applications. Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. manufactures high-quality SMF batteries that are suitable for various applications, including IT, telecom, and medical equipment.

Conclusion:

Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. is one of the top UPS manufacturers in India. The company manufactures a range of UPS systems, including online UPS, industrial online UPS, and other power backup solutions like stabilizer UPS, lead-acid battery, and SMF battery. Their products are designed to provide reliable power backup solutions for critical applications in various industries. So, if you are looking for a reliable power backup solution, consider Costa Power Industries Pvt. Ltd. for your needs.
https://youtu.be/iMxbMu7Ic4c

sell as to the a-less
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sell formals to the formal-less
sell fortunes to the fortune-less
sell foundations to the foundation-less
sell frames to the frame-less
sell freedoms to the freedom-less
sell friends to the friend-less
sell friendships to the friendship-less
sell fronts to the front-less
sell fruits to the fruit-less
sell fuels to the fuel-less
sell funs to the fun-less
sell functions to the function-less
sell funerals to the funeral-less
sell funnys to the funny-less
sell futures to the future-less
sell gains to the gain-less
sell games to the game-less
sell gaps to the gap-less
sell garages to the garage-less
sell garbages to the garbage-less
sell gardens to the garden-less
sell gass to the gas-less
sell gates to the gate-less
sell gathers to the gather-less
sell gears to the gear-less
sell genes to the gene-less
sell generals to the general-less
sell gifts to the gift-less
sell girls to the girl-less
sell girlfriends to the girlfriend-less
sell gives to the give-less
sell glads to the glad-less
sell glasss to the glass-less
sell gloves to the glove-less
sell gos to the go-less
sell goals to the goal-less
sell gods to the god-less
sell golds to the gold-less
sell golfs to the golf-less
sell goods to the good-less
sell governments to the government-less
sell grabs to the grab-less
sell grades to the grade-less
sell grands to the grand-less
sell grandfathers to the grandfather-less
sell grandmothers to the grandmother-less
sell grasss to the grass-less
sell greats to the great-less
sell greens to the green-less
sell grocerys to the grocery-less
sell grounds to the ground-less
sell groups to the group-less
sell growths to the growth-less
sell guarantees to the guarantee-less
sell guards to the guard-less
sell guesss to the guess-less
sell guests to the guest-less
sell guidances to the guidance-less
sell guides to the guide-less
sell guitars to the guitar-less
sell guys to the guy-less
sell habits to the habit-less
sell hairs to the hair-less
sell halfs to the half-less
sell halls to the hall-less
sell hands to the hand-less
sell handles to the handle-less
sell hangs to the hang-less
sell harms to the harm-less
sell hats to the hat-less
sell hates to the hate-less
sell heads to the head-less
sell healths to the health-less
sell hearings to the hearing-less
sell hearts to the heart-less
sell heats to the heat-less
sell heavys to the heavy-less
sell heights to the height-less
sell hells to the hell-less
sell hellos to the hello-less
sell helps to the help-less
sell hides to the hide-less
sell highs to the high-less
sell highlights to the highlight-less
sell highways to the highway-less
sell hires to the hire-less
sell historians to the historian-less
sell historys to the history-less
sell hits to the hit-less
sell holds to the hold-less
sell holes to the hole-less
sell holidays to the holiday-less
sell homes to the home-less
sell homeworks to the homework-less
sell honeys to the honey-less
sell hooks to the hook-less
sell hopes to the hope-less
sell horrors to the horror-less
sell horses to the horse-less
sell hospitals to the hospital-less
sell hosts to the host-less
sell hotels to the hotel-less
sell hours to the hour-less
sell houses to the house-less
sell housings to the housing-less
sell humans to the human-less
sell hunts to the hunt-less
sell hurrys to the hurry-less
sell hurts to the hurt-less
sell husbands to the husband-less
sell ices to the ice-less
sell ideas to the idea-less
sell ideals to the ideal-less
sell ifs to the if-less
sell illegals to the illegal-less
sell images to the image-less
sell imaginations to the imagination-less
sell impacts to the impact-less
sell implements to the implement-less
sell importances to the importance-less
sell impresss to the impress-less
sell impressions to the impression-less
sell improvements to the improvement-less
sell incidents to the incident-less
sell incomes to the income-less
sell increases to the increase-less
sell independences to the independence-less
sell independents to the independent-less
sell indications to the indication-less
sell individuals to the individual-less
sell industrys to the industry-less
sell inevitables to the inevitable-less
sell inflations to the inflation-less
sell influences to the influence-less
sell informations to the information-less
sell initials to the initial-less
sell initiatives to the initiative-less
sell injurys to the injury-less
sell insects to the insect-less
sell insides to the inside-less
sell inspections to the inspection-less
sell inspectors to the inspector-less
sell instances to the instance-less
sell instructions to the instruction-less
sell insurances to the insurance-less
sell intentions to the intention-less
sell interactions to the interaction-less
sell interests to the interest-less
sell internals to the internal-less
sell internationals to the international-less
sell internets to the internet-less
sell interviews to the interview-less
sell introductions to the introduction-less
sell investments to the investment-less
sell invites to the invite-less
sell irons to the iron-less
sell islands to the island-less
sell issues to the issue-less
sell its to the it-less
sell items to the item-less
sell jackets to the jacket-less
sell jobs to the job-less
sell joins to the join-less
sell joints to the joint-less
sell jokes to the joke-less
sell judges to the judge-less
sell judgments to the judgment-less
sell juices to the juice-less
sell jumps to the jump-less
sell juniors to the junior-less
sell jurys to the jury-less
sell keeps to the keep-less
sell keys to the key-less
sell kicks to the kick-less
sell kids to the kid-less
sell kills to the kill-less
sell kinds to the kind-less
sell kings to the king-less
sell kisss to the kiss-less
sell kitchens to the kitchen-less
sell knees to the knee-less
sell knifes to the knife-less
sell knowledges to the knowledge-less
sell labs to the lab-less
sell lacks to the lack-less
sell ladders to the ladder-less
sell ladys to the lady-less
sell lakes to the lake-less
sell lands to the land-less
sell landscapes to the landscape-less
sell languages to the language-less
sell laughs to the laugh-less
sell laws to the law-less
sell lawyers to the lawyer-less
sell lays to the lay-less
sell layers to the layer-less
sell leads to the lead-less
sell leaders to the leader-less
sell leaderships to the leadership-less
sell leadings to the leading-less
sell leagues to the league-less
sell leathers to the leather-less
sell leaves to the leave-less
sell lectures to the lecture-less
sell legs to the leg-less
sell lengths to the length-less
sell lessons to the lesson-less
sell lets to the let-less
sell letters to the letter-less
sell levels to the level-less
sell librarys to the library-less
sell lies to the lie-less
sell lifes to the life-less
sell lifts to the lift-less
sell lights to the light-less
sell limits to the limit-less
sell lines to the line-less
sell links to the link-less
sell lips to the lip-less
sell lists to the list-less
sell listens to the listen-less
sell literatures to the literature-less
sell livings to the living-less
sell loads to the load-less
sell loans to the loan-less
sell locals to the local-less
sell locations to the location-less
sell locks to the lock-less
sell logs to the log-less
sell longs to the long-less
sell looks to the look-less
sell losss to the loss-less
sell loves to the love-less
sell lows to the low-less
sell lucks to the luck-less
sell lunchs to the lunch-less
sell machines to the machine-less
sell magazines to the magazine-less
sell mails to the mail-less
sell mains to the main-less
sell maintenances to the maintenance-less
sell majors to the major-less
sell makes to the make-less
sell males to the male-less
sell malls to the mall-less
sell mans to the man-less
sell managements to the management-less
sell managers to the manager-less
sell manners to the manner-less
sell manufacturers to the manufacturer-less
sell manys to the many-less
sell maps to the map-less
sell marchs to the march-less
sell marks to the mark-less
sell markets to the market-less
sell marketings to the marketing-less
sell marriages to the marriage-less
sell masters to the master-less
sell matchs to the match-less
sell mates to the mate-less
sell materials to the material-less
sell maths to the math-less
sell matters to the matter-less
sell maximums to the maximum-less
sell maybes to the maybe-less
sell meals to the meal-less
sell meanings to the meaning-less
sell measurements to the measurement-less
sell meats to the meat-less
sell medias to the media-less
sell medicines to the medicine-less
sell mediums to the medium-less
sell meets to the meet-less
sell meetings to the meeting-less
sell members to the member-less
sell memberships to the membership-less
sell memorys to the memory-less
sell mentions to the mention-less
sell menus to the menu-less
sell messs to the mess-less
sell messages to the message-less
sell metals to the metal-less
sell methods to the method-less
sell middles to the middle-less
sell midnights to the midnight-less
sell mights to the might-less
sell milks to the milk-less
sell minds to the mind-less
sell mines to the mine-less
sell minimums to the minimum-less
sell minors to the minor-less
sell minutes to the minute-less
sell mirrors to the mirror-less
sell misss to the miss-less
sell missions to the mission-less
sell mistakes to the mistake-less
sell mixs to the mix-less
sell mixtures to the mixture-less
sell mobiles to the mobile-less
sell modes to the mode-less
sell models to the model-less
sell moms to the mom-less
sell moments to the moment-less
sell moneys to the money-less
sell monitors to the monitor-less
sell months to the month-less
sell moods to the mood-less
sell mornings to the morning-less
sell mortgages to the mortgage-less
sell mosts to the most-less
sell mothers to the mother-less
sell motors to the motor-less
sell mountains to the mountain-less
sell mouses to the mouse-less
sell mouths to the mouth-less
sell moves to the move-less
sell movies to the movie-less
sell muds to the mud-less
sell muscles to the muscle-less
sell musics to the music-less
sell nails to the nail-less
sell names to the name-less
sell nastys to the nasty-less
sell nations to the nation-less
sell nationals to the national-less
sell natives to the native-less
sell naturals to the natural-less
sell natures to the nature-less
sell neats to the neat-less
sell necessarys to the necessary-less
sell necks to the neck-less
sell negatives to the negative-less
sell negotiations to the negotiation-less
sell nerves to the nerve-less
sell nets to the net-less
sell networks to the network-less
sell newss to the news-less
sell newspapers to the newspaper-less
sell nights to the night-less
sell nobodys to the nobody-less
sell noises to the noise-less
sell normals to the normal-less
sell norths to the north-less
sell noses to the nose-less
sell notes to the note-less
sell nothings to the nothing-less
sell notices to the notice-less
sell novels to the novel-less
sell numbers to the number-less
sell nurses to the nurse-less
sell objects to the object-less
sell objectives to the objective-less
sell obligations to the obligation-less
sell occasions to the occasion-less
sell offers to the offer-less
sell offices to the office-less
sell officers to the officer-less
sell officials to the official-less
sell oils to the oil-less
sell ones to the one-less
sell openings to the opening-less
sell operations to the operation-less
sell opinions to the opinion-less
sell opportunitys to the opportunity-less
sell opposites to the opposite-less
sell options to the option-less
sell oranges to the orange-less
sell orders to the order-less
sell ordinarys to the ordinary-less
sell organizations to the organization-less
sell originals to the original-less
sell others to the other-less
sell outcomes to the outcome-less
sell outsides to the outside-less
sell ovens to the oven-less
sell owners to the owner-less
sell paces to the pace-less
sell packs to the pack-less
sell packages to the package-less
sell pages to the page-less
sell pains to the pain-less
sell paints to the paint-less
sell paintings to the painting-less
sell pairs to the pair-less
sell panics to the panic-less
sell papers to the paper-less
sell parents to the parent-less
sell parks to the park-less
sell parkings to the parking-less
sell parts to the part-less
sell particulars to the particular-less
sell partners to the partner-less
sell partys to the party-less
sell passs to the pass-less
sell passages to the passage-less
sell passengers to the passenger-less
sell passions to the passion-less
sell pasts to the past-less
sell paths to the path-less
sell patiences to the patience-less
sell patients to the patient-less
sell patterns to the pattern-less
sell pauses to the pause-less
sell pays to the pay-less
sell payments to the payment-less
sell peaces to the peace-less
sell peaks to the peak-less
sell pens to the pen-less
sell penaltys to the penalty-less
sell pensions to the pension-less
sell peoples to the people-less
sell percentages to the percentage-less
sell perceptions to the perception-less
sell performances to the performance-less
sell periods to the period-less
sell permissions to the permission-less
sell permits to the permit-less
sell persons to the person-less
sell personals to the personal-less
sell personalitys to the personality-less
sell perspectives to the perspective-less
sell phases to the phase-less
sell philosophys to the philosophy-less
sell phones to the phone-less
sell photos to the photo-less
sell phrases to the phrase-less
sell physicals to the physical-less
sell physicss to the physics-less
sell pianos to the piano-less
sell picks to the pick-less
sell pictures to the picture-less
sell pies to the pie-less
sell pieces to the piece-less
sell pins to the pin-less
sell pipes to the pipe-less
sell pitchs to the pitch-less
sell pizzas to the pizza-less
sell places to the place-less
sell plans to the plan-less
sell planes to the plane-less
sell plants to the plant-less
sell plastics to the plastic-less
sell plates to the plate-less
sell platforms to the platform-less
sell plays to the play-less
sell players to the player-less
sell pleasures to the pleasure-less
sell plentys to the plenty-less
sell poems to the poem-less
sell poets to the poet-less
sell poetrys to the poetry-less
sell points to the point-less
sell polices to the police-less
sell policys to the policy-less
sell politicss to the politics-less
sell pollutions to the pollution-less
sell pools to the pool-less
sell pops to the pop-less
sell populations to the population-less
sell positions to the position-less
sell positives to the positive-less
sell possessions to the possession-less
sell possibilitys to the possibility-less
sell possibles to the possible-less
sell posts to the post-less
sell pots to the pot-less
sell potatos to the potato-less
sell potentials to the potential-less
sell pounds to the pound-less
sell powers to the power-less
sell practices to the practice-less
sell preferences to the preference-less
sell preparations to the preparation-less
sell presences to the presence-less
sell presents to the present-less
sell presentations to the presentation-less
sell presidents to the president-less
sell presss to the press-less
sell pressures to the pressure-less
sell prices to the price-less
sell prides to the pride-less
sell priests to the priest-less
sell primarys to the primary-less
sell principles to the principle-less
sell prints to the print-less
sell priors to the prior-less
sell prioritys to the priority-less
sell privates to the private-less
sell prizes to the prize-less
sell problems to the problem-less
sell procedures to the procedure-less
sell processs to the process-less
sell produces to the produce-less
sell products to the product-less
sell professions to the profession-less
sell professionals to the professional-less
sell professors to the professor-less
sell profiles to the profile-less
sell profits to the profit-less
sell programs to the program-less
sell progresss to the progress-less
sell projects to the project-less
sell promises to the promise-less
sell promotions to the promotion-less
sell prompts to the prompt-less
sell proofs to the proof-less
sell propertys to the property-less
sell proposals to the proposal-less
sell protections to the protection-less
sell psychologys to the psychology-less
sell publics to the public-less
sell pulls to the pull-less
sell punchs to the punch-less
sell purchases to the purchase-less
sell purples to the purple-less
sell purposes to the purpose-less
sell pushs to the push-less
sell puts to the put-less
sell qualitys to the quality-less
sell quantitys to the quantity-less
sell quarters to the quarter-less
sell queens to the queen-less
sell questions to the question-less
sell quiets to the quiet-less
sell quits to the quit-less
sell quotes to the quote-less
sell races to the race-less
sell radios to the radio-less
sell rains to the rain-less
sell raises to the raise-less
sell ranges to the range-less
sell rates to the rate-less
sell ratios to the ratio-less
sell raws to the raw-less
sell reachs to the reach-less
sell reactions to the reaction-less
sell reads to the read-less
sell readings to the reading-less
sell realitys to the reality-less
sell reasons to the reason-less
sell receptions to the reception-less
sell recipes to the recipe-less
sell recognitions to the recognition-less
sell recommendations to the recommendation-less
sell records to the record-less
sell recordings to the recording-less
sell recovers to the recover-less
sell reds to the red-less
sell references to the reference-less
sell reflections to the reflection-less
sell refrigerators to the refrigerator-less
sell refuses to the refuse-less
sell regions to the region-less
sell registers to the register-less
sell regrets to the regret-less
sell regulars to the regular-less
sell relations to the relation-less
sell relationships to the relationship-less
sell relatives to the relative-less
sell releases to the release-less
sell reliefs to the relief-less
sell remotes to the remote-less
sell removes to the remove-less
sell rents to the rent-less
sell repairs to the repair-less
sell repeats to the repeat-less
sell replacements to the replacement-less
sell replys to the reply-less
sell reports to the report-less
sell representatives to the representative-less
sell republics to the republic-less
sell reputations to the reputation-less
sell requests to the request-less
sell requirements to the requirement-less
sell researchs to the research-less
sell reserves to the reserve-less
sell residents to the resident-less
sell resists to the resist-less
sell resolutions to the resolution-less
sell resolves to the resolve-less
sell resorts to the resort-less
sell resources to the resource-less
sell respects to the respect-less
sell responds to the respond-less
sell responses to the response-less
sell responsibilitys to the responsibility-less
sell rests to the rest-less
sell restaurants to the restaurant-less
sell results to the result-less
sell returns to the return-less
sell reveals to the reveal-less
sell revenues to the revenue-less
sell reviews to the review-less
sell revolutions to the revolution-less
sell rewards to the reward-less
sell rices to the rice-less
sell richs to the rich-less
sell rides to the ride-less
sell rings to the ring-less
sell rips to the rip-less
sell rises to the rise-less
sell risks to the risk-less
sell rivers to the river-less
sell roads to the road-less
sell rocks to the rock-less
sell roles to the role-less
sell rolls to the roll-less
sell roofs to the roof-less
sell rooms to the room-less
sell ropes to the rope-less
sell roughs to the rough-less
sell rounds to the round-less
sell routines to the routine-less
sell rows to the row-less
sell royals to the royal-less
sell rubs to the rub-less
sell ruins to the ruin-less
sell rules to the rule-less
sell runs to the run-less
sell rushs to the rush-less
sell sads to the sad-less
sell safes to the safe-less
sell safetys to the safety-less
sell sails to the sail-less
sell salads to the salad-less
sell salarys to the salary-less
sell sales to the sale-less
sell salts to the salt-less
sell samples to the sample-less
sell sands to the sand-less
sell sandwichs to the sandwich-less
sell satisfactions to the satisfaction-less
sell saves to the save-less
sell savingss to the savings-less
sell scales to the scale-less
sell scenes to the scene-less
sell schedules to the schedule-less
sell schemes to the scheme-less
sell schools to the school-less
sell sciences to the science-less
sell scores to the score-less
sell scratchs to the scratch-less
sell screens to the screen-less
sell screws to the screw-less
sell scripts to the script-less
sell seas to the sea-less
sell searchs to the search-less
sell seasons to the season-less
sell seats to the seat-less
sell seconds to the second-less
sell secrets to the secret-less
sell secretarys to the secretary-less
sell sections to the section-less
sell sectors to the sector-less
sell securitys to the security-less
sell selections to the selection-less
sell selfs to the self-less
sell sells to the sell-less
sell seniors to the senior-less
sell senses to the sense-less
sell sensitives to the sensitive-less
sell sentences to the sentence-less
sell seriess to the series-less
sell serves to the serve-less
sell services to the service-less
sell sessions to the session-less
sell se

Thursday, March 16, 2017

THE RESTLESS WRITER January 22 2016 A LIST OF FUTURE BLOG POSTS FOR THE UPCOMING YEARS TALES OF AN ALL NIGHTER

THE RESTLESS WRITERJanuary 222016A LIST OF FUTURE BLOG POSTS FOR THE UPCOMING YEARSTALES OF AN ALL NIGHTER MY PEN NAME IS DAVID CRICHTON. DAVID IS MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER’S NAME. MICHAEL CRICHTON IS THE NAME OF MY FAVORITE AUTHOR. R.I.P M. CRICHTON. I JUST TURNED 26YRS OLD LESS THAN A MONTH AGO ON DECEMBER 29TH. I AM A DORKY NERD WHO TUCKS MY PANTS INTO MY SOCKS. I DO IT BECAUSE I AM THE ONLY ONE I’VE SEEN DOING IT REGULARLY. IT KEEPS MY ANKLES WARM IN THE WINTER AND I DON’T LIKE STEPPING ON MY PANT’S LEGS. I WAS RAISED WITH AN APPRECIATION FOR READING AND WRITING. MY PARENTS WERE BOTH TEACHERS. MY MOTHER MADE SURE I COULD READ AT THE TOP OF MY CLASS AND I NEVER LOST THAT ABILITY. SHE ENCOURAGED THE USE OF MY GOD GIVEN GIFT OF SMART WRITING SKILL AND POETRY. I NEVER SAW POETRY AS A WAY I WOULD ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE A LIVING FOR MYSELF IN ADULTHOOD BUT MY MOTHER CONTINUALLY KEPT ME WRITING FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. BEFORE EVERY BIRTHDAY PARTY OR SPECIAL FAMILY FUNCTIONS LIKE A BABY SHOWER, SHE WOULD PUT ME ON THE SPOT IN THE CAR. “DAVID, TODAY IS MONA’S BABY SHOWER, I WANT YOU TO WRITE A POEM REAL QUICK, HERE’S THE CARD. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.” I DID IT EVERYTIME WITH NO SCRATCH PAPER. I HAVE BEEN WRITING POEMS SINCE AGE 7. THIS IS MY LAST YEAR BEFORE I CAN SAY I HAVE BEEN WRITING POETRY FOR 20YEARS. AT 15 I FINISHED MY FIRST POETRY JOURNAL. AT 35 I CAN SAY I’VE BEEN WRITING POETRY JOURNALS FOR 20YEARS. I’VE BEEN AT IT FOR 10YEARS PLUS. BY THE TIME OF MY 20TH ANNIVERSARY AS AN INDEPENDENT POETRY WRITER I CAN SAY I HAVE ALMOST 5-10 POETIC NOVELS SELF PUBLISHED.I AM NOT LOOKING TO BE PUBLISHED MAJORLY, I AM LOOKING TO BE DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE. I AM SEEKING A WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION DEAL MORE SO THAN A PUBLISHING DEAL. I CAN SELF PUBLISH AND HAPPILY COLLECT THE FULL ROYALTIES MINUS FEES PAID FOR SERVICES RENDERED. I AM LOOKING FOR A CO-MANAGER OR AGENT TO HELP ME WITH GETTING GIGS AND BRANDING MY OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY, CRICHTON PUBLISHED INC. I AM LOOKING FOR A TEAM OF MARKETERS TO HELP ME IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ME ON FOR FREE UNTIL WE ARE GENERATING INCOME AS A TEAM I’LL GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR LIFE AND A PERCENTAGE OF MY EARNINGS OR ROYALTIES. I’LL MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE OF COURSE.THIS IS THE INTRODUCTION POST TO MY FUTURE BLOGS PROMOTING MY VIEWS ON THE WORLD. .POST NUMBER ONE:SOCIETYI BELIEVE SOCIETY IS ALWAYS DUE FOR A CHANGEI BELIEVE SOCIETY IS INCREDULOUSLY DERANGEDI BELIEVE SOCIETY IS ENGAGEDIN KEEPING US ENSLAVEDI BELIEVE SOCIETY PROPAGATES THE STATUS QUOTHIS MESS WE ARE IN, THE ONLY WAY TO ACTIVELY KEEP US ENSLAVEDI BELIEVE TELEVISION IS 75% OWNED BY THE DEVILI BELIEVE IT IS ONLY USED TO KEEP OUR MIND ON A DESIRED LEVELI BELIEVE IT’S DAILY PROGRAMMINGIS AIMED AT PRO JAMMINGOUR OWN SENSESIN WHICH WE ARE RENDERED SENSELESSI BELIEVE SOCIETY PROMOTES HATEA PROBLEM THEY WANT TO KEEP ENDLESSI BELIEVE SOCIETY IS RUNBY THE DEVILISH IMPULSES OF THE SOUL EATING SOULS FOR FUNI BELIEVE WE ARE ALL ONEAND IF SOCIETY EVER PROMOTES SUCH A VIEW, A CROOKED EMPIRE IS DONEI BELIEVE IN WOMEN WHO USE THEIR REAL EYE LASHESI BELIEVE IN PURSUING MY PASSION UNTIL IT’S DUST TO ASHESFOR ME – I BELIVE IN SOLE PROPRIETY AND DOING THINGS FOR GLEEI BELIEVE OUR SOCIETY IS CORRUPT. I USED TO BELIEVE I WAS AMONG A RARE FEW WHO SHARED SUCH A THOUGHT. I DON’T BELIEVE THIS ANYMORE. I BELIEVE WORD HAS SPREAD THRU OUT THE COUNTRY WE ARE LIVING IN WICKED TIMES. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T TRUST US WITH OUR SECRETS. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T TRUST THEIR SECRETS WITH US. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE FALSE FLAG SOCIETAL ATTACKS GIVE THE ONES WHO STAGED IT IN THE NAMES OF OUR THEIR ENEMIES REASON TO INVADE OUR PRIVACY.WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE CIA HAS LONG AGO INFILTRATED THE MEDIA AND NEWS INDUSTRY. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE NEWS CASTERS ARE A BUNCH OF FAMOUS LIARS WHO LIE WHEN THEY SAY THEY TELL US ONLY THE TRUTH. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN’T TRUST THE NEWS, THE TELEVISION, THE RADIO OR EVEN THE PRESIDENT. IF YOU CAN’T TRUST YOUR OWN PRESIDENT AND HE’S CONVINCED HE CAN’T TRUST YOU EITHER, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE FINANCIAL OLIGARCHS GET FIRST PRIORITY OVER BENEFITTING FROM ALL THE LAWS. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE MONEY IS CREATED FROM DEBT. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE ORGANIZATION CALLED:”THE NATIONAL TREASURY” IS NOT IN CONTROL OF CREATING THE NATION’S TREASURE. FATHOM THAT, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD WE LIVE IN. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE NATIONAL TREASURY TRADES DEBT IN THE FORM OF TREASURY NOTES SERVING AS IOU’S TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE IN EXCHANGE FOR FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES.THESE NOTES SIMULTANEOUSLY ADD NOT ONLY TO THE US. MONEY SUPPLY BUT ALSO TO THE NATIONAL DEBT. THE CHARTS OF BOTH THE US. MONEY SUPPLY AND U.S. NATIONAL DEBT IS IDENTICAL. THE FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE REPLACED THE GOLD AND SILVER STANDARD. BEFORE 1913, OUR MONEY WAS BACKED BY THE NATION’S GOLD AND SILVER RESERVE. DURING THE CHRISTMAS VACATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT OF 1913 WAS OUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM THE FEDERAL RESEVE AND THE POLITICIANS WHO WEREN’T AT HOME WITH THEIR FAMILIES. EVERY YEAR AFTER 1913, THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR DROPPED ABOUT 1%100YEARS LATER WAS THREE YEARS AGO AND EVERYONE KNOWS THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR IS BELOW MOST OTHER CURRENCIES. IS THAT A LIE?POST NUMBER 3:WHAT MONEY SHOULD BEWHAT MONEY COULD BEIS FREEWHAT MONEY WOULD BEIF NOT USED CONCURRENTLYHURRIEDLYAS A COMMODITYIN AND OF ITSELFFOR WHAT ABOUT CURRENCY?THE FACT TWO PEOPLE DETERMINE WHAT DETERMINES WEALTHFOR WHAT DETERMINES SELFVALUES?WE LIVE IN A WORLD PURELY INCAPABLE OF SURELY VALUING PURE VALUESIF PEOPLE REALLY CAREDWE WOULD ALL REALLY HAVE SHAREDEVERYTHING GAINEDINSTEAD OF MAKING EVERYDAY PAINS2BILLION ANKLES SPRAINEDIN THE RAT RACEWHO TURNED IT INTO A CAT’S CHASE?I SAW A DOCUMENTARY AT AGE 19 ABOUT THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF CURRENCY USED THRUOUT HISTORY AND IT CHANGED MY VIEWS FOREVER. IT STUCK WITH ME LIKE A PORPUPINE’S FRENCH KISS. CURRENCY IS SIMILAR TO BARTERING, THE WAY I SEE IT. IF 100MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA AGREE TO TRADE RED PAINT FOR GOODS AND SERVICES AS CURRENCY THEN WHOMEVER CONTROLS THE RED PAINT DISTRIBUTION CONTROLS THE MONEY SUPPLY. THIS WORLD IS SO MESSED UP PEOPLE WOULD IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPT TO MONOPOLIZE THE ISSUANCE AND CREATION OF RED PAINT. SOME PEOPLE MAY EVEN ATTEMPT TO COUNTERFEIT RED PAINT.TRADITIONAL ETHICS OF ECONOMICS PLUS HUMAN BEHAVIOR.CURRENCY, IN MY OWN WORDS, IS WHATEVER ITEM IS WIDELY ACCEPTED AS CURRENCY. WE TEND TO FORGET ABOUT THAT IN RELATION TO MONEY. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. WE AS A PEOPLE ARE SO NOT SMART WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT IF WE BAND TOGETHER AND DECIDE AMONGST OURSELVES WHAT WE WILL ACCEPT AS HOLDING ENOUGH VALUE TO TRADE GOODS AND SERVICES, THE TIDES WOULD HAVE SHIFTED. INSTEAD WE WOULD RATHER JUST ACCEPT WHAT THE PEOPLE WE GAVE POWER TO IN THE FIRST PLACE BY ACCEPTING THEIR WORTHLESS PIECES OF GREEN PAPER SAY THE VALUE IS. WE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF THE MONEY AND IT’S VALUE WHILE ENTHUSIASTICALLY FORGETTING WE PERPETUATE THE CYCLE ABSENTMINDEDLY.WE AS A PEOPLE ARE SO DIVIDED WE REFUSE TO UNITE. WE AS A PEOPLE ARE SO DISSATISFIED TO SEE EACH OTHER’S BORN DIFFERENCES WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH ONE ANOTHER.. WE REFUSE TO SHIFT THE POWER INTO OUR OWN HANDS. WE AS A PEOPLE ARE FOOLS. WE WATCH TOO MUCH T.V TO OBJECTIVELY COME TO OUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. WHAT IS STOPPING US FROM COMING TOGETHER? OUR SOLE ATTENTION TO OUR DIFFERENCES. WHAT IS STOPPING US FROM SEEING THERE IS NO REASON WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO USE THE NATION’S CURRENT CURRENCY? TELEVISION AND THE MASS MEDIA.WE AS A PEOPLE DESERVE TO DECIDE WHAT WE GIVE POWER TO. GIVING ALL OF OUR POWER TO A PRE DESIGNATED SOURCE NOT BENEFITTING US AT ALL IS WHAT MAKES US INDEED POWERLESS. SO TELL ME AMERICA…WHAT’S OUR NEW CURRENCY GOING TO BE?POST NUMBER 4:ECONOMIC SLAVERYDECLARED WARFARE ON US IT’S HECK OR NAM BEHAVIOR WEARE SUBJECT TOALL SUBJECTS LOSETHE RIGHT TO CHOOSEWHAT WE USEARE CURRENCYCURRENTLYITS STILL BEING HELD OVER OUR HEADSUNTIL WE ARE DEADIT ENCAPUSLATES USBERATES USWHAT’S THE FUSSABOUT?IN PUBLIC WE TELLIT’S FALLACIESIN PRIVATE WE YELLALLAH SEEDSSEEDS OF FAITHOUR SOCIETY IS A BAD FACECRIMINALITY WEILDINGOUR INADEQUACIES AS DIVIDED CITIZENSOH LOOK CORRUPTION HAS IT HIT AGAIN?DEAR LORD WE NEED SHIELDING I BELIEVE WE LIVE IN A SYSTEM USING ECONOMIC SLAVERY AS A TOOL AGAINST US. I BELIEVE ECONOMIC SLAVERY, OR E.S. IS SOCIETY’S MAIN TOOL TO KEEP US ENSLAVED. AS HUMAN BEINGS I BELIEVE WE WERE BORN WITH PURPOSE. IF WE ALL HAD THE OPPORTUNITIES TO PURSUE AND ACCOMPLISH OUR PURPOSE WITHOUT BEING BOMBARDED BY BILLS AND DEBT WE COULD DO SO MORE EASILY.PHYSICAL SLAVERY MEANS PEOPLE ARE FORCED BEYOND THEIR WILL TO PERFORM LABOR ON OTHER’S PROPERTY. ECONOMIC SLAVERY MEANS PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR OWN PROPERTY. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST PAYING FOR WHERE YOU LIVE, SAYING OTHERWISE WOULD BE LAZY. I DO BELIEVE PROVIDING FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE SHOULD BE EASIER.WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE EVERY SINGLE THING MUST BE PAID FOR. MONEY IS CREATED FROM DEBT. THE DEBT CREATED FROM THE CREATION OF FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES INSERTED INTO THE MONEY SUPPLY COMES WITH INTEREST NEVER CAPABLE OF BEING PAID OFF. THE DEBT ARISES FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE. THAT’S THE INTEREST TAX. THEY TAX US WITH THE INTEREST CREATED FROM THE DEBT NOTES.WE GO OUT A GET A MINIMUM WAGE JOB AND THEY TAX US FOR RECEIVING THE INCOME WE NEED TO SURVIVE. INCOME IS DEFINED AS THE MONEY A CORPORATION RECIEVES FROM BUSINESS. WE ARE PEOPLE, NOT A CORPORATION. THE IRS WON’T DEFINE INCOME IN THEIR MANUALS BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT DOES NOT APPLY TO US AS INDIVIDUALS. WE ARE NOT CORPORATIONS. OH HOLD UP, AT BIRTH, THEY TURNED US INTO ARTIFICIAL CORPORATIONS AND HAVE TAKEN AWAY OUR RIGHT TO TRAVEL IN AUTOMOBILES BY FORCING US TO GET UNCONSTITUTIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES WHICH ARE DEFINED AS VEHICLES USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES ON THE HIGHWAYS. DO YOU DRIVE AN ICE CREAM TRUCK OR A TAXI CAB? THAT IS THE TRUE MOTOR VEHICLE. POST NUMBER 5:THE WORK FORCEIS A STRANGE THINGAS A SOCIETY THE WORK HORSEIS THE MAIN FLINGIT MAKES OUR BRAIN SINGDERANGED THINGSSTRAINED STRINGSABUSED VOCAL CHORDSBUYING BIFOCALS AND MOREWITH NO INSURANCE STOREDLEAVING ALL YOUR CASH IN THE STORESDENTISTRY IS A JUGGTHE DENTIST JUST SHRUGGSIT COST 1000$ TO REPLACE WHAT THEY TUGGEDOUTWHILE YOU SCREAM AND SHOUTYOUR MINIMUM WAGE JOB BENEFITS DON’T COUNTOR AMOUNTTO NOTHINGIN THIS SOCIETY DEBT IS KING, NO BLUFFINGITS SUPPOSED TO BE AMERICA YET LIFE’S STILL THE ROUGHEST WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 2008 FROM SALEM IN CONYERS, GEORGIA, I DIDN’T WANT TO ATTEND COLLEGE DIRECTLY. IT WASN’T EVEN A SERIOUS THOUGHT TO ME. IN RETROSPECT, I JUST WASN’T ACADEMICALLY MOTIVATED EVEN THOUGH I WAS ACADEMICALLY INCLINED. I WASN’T TAUGHT THRU VIGOROUS REINFORCEMENT TO ACT ON SUCH INCLINATIONS. DOESN’T MEAN MY MOTHER OR FATHER DIDN’T WANT ME TO ATTEND IT IMMEDIATELY, JUST MEANT I HELD MY OWN VALUES. VALUES STEMMING FROM MY MOTHER AS WELL AS LIFE’S TEACHING SYSTEM; EXPERIENCE. I WAS TAUGHT BY MY MOTHER TO BE BUSINESS ORIENTED AND ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDED.NOT SAYING THESE INCLINATIONS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED AND DEVELOPED IN COLLEGE, JUST SAYING I HAD MORE AWARENESS OF THE FACT THE GREATEST MINDS TRANSCENDED THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM THRUST INTO OUR FACES BY THE SOCIETAL STRUCTURED ESTABLISHMENT. I SOUND SO REVOLUTIONARY IN TRAINING. I GREW UP WATCHING MY MOTHER CREATING HER OWN TEACHING RESOURCES AND BOOKS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. I GREW UP WATCHING HER GIVING HOME AFRICA SHOWS, WHERE SHE ADVOCATED HER LOVE FOR THE AFRICAN CULTURE, PRODUCTS AND CLOTHING. I GREW UP WATCHING HER MAKE AFRICAN DOLLS MADE OF FLUFFY CUSHION. FROM THE YOUNGEST AGES I CAN REMEMBER SEEING THE JOY SHE GAVE HERSELF USING HER GOD GIVEN STRENGTHS ON THE SIDE WHILE SHE PROVIDED FOR HER FAMILY INSIDE THE WORKFORCE. IT WAS MY OWN ADULT DECISION TO NOT ATTEND COLLEGE OUTRIGHT FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. I WAS HER ONLY CHILD WHO GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL ON TIME AND WALKED THE STAGE WITH MY PEERS. I AM THE ONLY REASON SHE EVER SAW ONE OF HER CHILDREN ATTEND HIS GRADUATION CEREMONY. I DID THAT MUCH FOR HER; IT WAS TIME TO MAKE THE NEXT STEP ON MY OWN. I TOOK A SIMILAR STEP ONE WITH THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET SHE SHOWED ME. IN A WAY, HER EMPHASIS ON PRODUCT CREATION AND AN INDIVIDUAL HUSTLE OUTWEIGHED ANY EMPHASIS SHE PLACED ON FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL WITH A COLLEGE EDUCATION. POST NUMBER 7:COLLEGE IS A STICKY SUBJECT TO MEIN A CLASSROOM NOW I WOULD BE A STICKY SUBJECT TO SEESITTING DOWNVIGOROUSLY WRITINGMY NOTESWHILE READING THE BOARDIN HOPEOF TAKING DOWN A GOOD QUOTETO HELP ME THRU THE STRUGGLEOF ACHIEVING MY DREAMSOF ACHIEVING THE ASSEMBLYOF SUCH TEAMSTAKING US TO THE FINISH LINEIS PASSING AN EXAM EXCITING?OR IS THE DEADLINEJUST THE FINISH LINE IN WHICH I NEED TO REBUILD A DIMINISHED DRIVE?I FINISHED MINETHE LESSONS I LEARNEDETCHED AND SKETCHED INTO MY BRAINVIA LIFE, LESSONS WELL EARNED COLLEGE WAS A TOUCHY SUBJECT FOR ME. IT WASN’T SOMETHING I FELT COMPELLED TO DO. IT WASN’T A PLACE I WAS COMPELLED TO GO. MAYBE MY PERSPECTIVE WAS BIASED AND UNTRIED, YET I DARED TO TRY IT. I DARED TO EXPLORE LIFE. LIFE CAN BE EXPLORED FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE EXCEPT PRISON, OR MAYBE THAT’S JUST PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. WORDS LIKE CONSCIOUSNESS, INTUITION, BILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR, CHARM, SOCIETY, ECONOMIC SLAVERY, PERSPECTIVE AND SELF PERCEPTION MEANT MORE TO ME THAN WORDS LIKE CONFORMITY, TRADITION, EXPECTANCY, ESTABLISHMENT AND COLLEGE.I WAS VERY IDEALISTIC COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. I FELT AS IF I HAD JUST SWAM TO SHORE AFTER BEING STRANDED IN A SOCIAL OCEAN SINCE 1ST GRADE AND THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO WAS SHIFT OCEANS. I DARED INSTEAD TO SHIFT MY PERSPECTIVE. I WANTED TO KNOW FOR MYSELF WHAT MY LIFE MEANT TO ME. I WANTED MY FREEDOM. THE FREEDOM OF NOT HAVING TO STUDY WHAT I DID NOT VALUE STUDYING. I WANTED THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH MY DAY. I WANTED THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE MY OWN DREAM IN MY OWN WAY WITH MY OWN VISION AND MY OWN DIRECTION.IF I SEE 100 PEOPLE GOING LEFT DOWN THE STREET, I AM CONVINCED THEY ARE WALKING TO THEIR OWN DEMISE AND I’M RUNNING RIGHT. IF I RUN INTO A SERIAL KILLER AROUND THE CORNER I AM CONVINCED HE WILL SPARE ME FOR HAVING THE BRAZEN TO EXPLORE MY OWN PATH. BESIDES, THERE ARE 100 SUCKERS WAITING BLINDLY DOWN THE STREET WITH THEIR BACKS TURNED TO HIM AND I SAW HIM ALL ALONG.I’M JUST NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON TO DO WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY MY AGE GROUP AT THE TIME. THEY SAY COLLEGE IS A YOUNG PERSON’S RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS LIFE AND OR SOCIETY. I SEE MY RESPONSIBILITY AS NOT COMMITTING SENSELESS ACTS OF VIOLENCE. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR PURSUING MY OWN PATH IN LIFE AND NOT CREATING BROKEN HOMES ALONG THE WAY. POST NUMBER 8:I WISHED I HAD WENT TO COLLEGE AFTER HIGHSCHOOLIF I KNEW WHAT I KNEW NOWI JUST COULDN’T TRAVEL EITHER WAY IN A TIME MACHINE I NEVER FOUND WHEN I SAID GOODBYE SCHOOLI JUST DIDN’T KNOW HOWEXPERIENCE TAUGHT MEWHAT CONJECTURE COULDN’TSOCIETY TOLD ME WHAT TO DOJUST THE THING I WOULDN’TI WASN’T MADE THAT WAYI WASN’T RAISED TO BE STUPIDWHEN MY PEERS WERE LOOKING TO GET LAID AFTER PROMI WAS DROPPING A BONG ON THE FLOOR AS I LEARNED ABOUT BEING LUCIDI LEARNED ABOUT LUCID DREAMINGWHILE EVERY ONE ELSE WAS SCHEMINGWITH THEIR COUNTERPARTSI WAS COUNTERING THE DARTSSENT TO MEBY SOCIETYTO KEEP ME FROM SELF INDUCINGMY OWN LUCID DREAM I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE AT HOMECOMING SENIOR YEAR. IT LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH. I THEN DECIDED PROM WASN’T FOR ME EITHER, I DIDN’T WANT ANYONE TO THINK I’D MAKE IT THAT EASY TO ONCE AGAIN IGNORE ME. A PERSON CAN NOT IGNORE YOU IF YOU IGNORE THEM FIRST. I IGNORED THEM FIRST, THEY CAN NEVER IGNORE SOMEONE THEY CAN NEVER FIND. I STOPPED EATING LUNCH IN THE LUNCHROOM. I TOOK MY LUNCH OUTSIDE TO THE CLASS I WOULD ENTER AFTER LUNCH. I WOULD EAT MY LUNCH AND DANCE TO MY IPOD. ONE DAY I GOT BESIDE MYSELF AND WAS DANCING WITH A CLOSED PAIR OF EYES TO ALICIA KEYS “NO ONE” AND AWOKE TO SEE A HUGE CROWD STARING AT ME IN DISBELIEF. THIS TAUGHT ME I COULD ENTERTAIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN MS. WALTERS PLAYED THE SAME SONG DURING CLASS RIGHT AFTER THAT. I THEN FOUND OUT I MAY BE AN ENTERTAINER BUT I AM NOT A DANCING MONKEY; UNLESS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TREAT. IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME WITH MY HINDSIGHT I WOULD HAVE TAKEN HIGH SCHOOL MORE SERIOUSLY EVERY YEAR SO I COULD GET A SCHOLARSHIP AND MAJOR IN MY CHOSEN FIELD. AT THE TIME HOWEVER, I HAD NO GUARANTEES I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN MY ULTIMATELY DESIRED FIELD. I HAD THIS MUCH FORESIGHT, TO KNOW I RISKED MAKING A MISTAKE BY PURSUING AN EDUCATION IN AN UNDESIRED FIELD. COLLEGE WAS MURKY WATER TO ME AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS WELL EQUIPPED TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT. I DIDN’T WANT TO JOIN THE SWIM JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT, JUST BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE PERSON MINUS A FEW EXPERIENCED ONES IN LIFE PUSHED ME TO. I DIDN’T WANT TO JUST FLOAT; I WANTED TO DIVE IN WITH FULL SCUBA GEAR TO THE DEPTHS OF MY CONSCIOUSNESS. I WANTED TO TOUCH MY MENTAL OCEAN’S BOTTOM. I WANTED TO REACH THE VERY BOTTOM WHERE I BELIEVED MY JETPACK WAS AWAITING ME. THE SCUBA GEAR CAME ONLY WITH EXPERIENCE. FOR ONLY AN EXPERIENCED SWIMMER NEED DIVE INTO MURKY WATERS WITH SCUBA GEAR. THE EXPERIENCE I GAINED FROM MAKING MY OWN DECISION SOLIDIFIED THE CONVICTION WITH WHICH I PURSUE MY CHOSEN PATH. HAD I FOLLOWED EVERY ONE, I WOULD STILL BE JUST STAYING AFLOAT ATTEMPTING FRANTICALLY TO NOT SWALLOW ENOUGH WATER TO SINK TO THE BOTTOM. INSTEAD I HAVE THE CLEAREST PERCEPTION OF MYSELF I EVER WANTED TO HAVE. I DO WANT IT TO CLEAR UP MORE. THUS THE NEED FOR MORE VIGOROUS EXPERIENCE. POST NUMBER 9: MY FIRST JOB I GOT MY FIRST JOBTHE SUMMER BEFORE GRADUATIONSENIOR YEARAS A SENIOR CLEARMINDED I WAS CLIMBING THE FIRST NOTCHTURNING THE FIRST KNOBON SOCIETY’S DOORI LEARNED SOCIETY IS MORE THAN WORKI WAS THE SUPERMARKET’S EVIDENT CLERKNOT THE SUPERMARKET’S RESIDENT JERK I LEARNED THE WORKFORCEREQUIRES WORK ETHICI DIDN’T SAY F ITI PERSERVERED INSTEAD OF ITI LEARNED STRONG CHARACTER IS THE PREREQUISITERIGHT BEFORE SENIOR YEAR I MET NAIJAH GROVER SR. NAIJAH WAS IN MY LIFE AS BEST FRIEND. RIGHT AS THE SUMMER BEGAN I EARNED THE JOB. I WORKED THE JOB RIGHT UP TO GRADUATION WHERE I WORKED THERE AGAIN AFTER THE SUMMER WAS ALMOST OVER. THIS WAS THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH I BEGAN READING HEAVILY ON SELF HELP BOOKS AND LISTENING TO SELF HELP AUDIOBBOKS. I ALSO STARTING WATCHING SOCIAL DOCUMENTARIES SHORTLY AFTER THE WAVE BEGAN. I FORMED A PERSONAL BOOK CLUB WITH NATE. USING ITUNES AUDIBLE WE ADDED 2BOOKS A WEEK TO THE LIST. WE GOT PAID EVERY WEEK. 8SELF-HELP BOOKS A MONTH WERE PERMEATING THRU MY MENTAL FACULTIES. DURING THESE PIVITOL MONTHS WORKING AND RESEARCHING MY INTERESTS, SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, I LEARNED THINGS I STILL APPLY TODAY. I LEARNED I HAD A WAY WITH PEOPLE. I LEARNED I KNEW HOW TO GET PEOPLE TO WARM UP TO ME EASIER THAN OTHERS.. I LEARNED MY CONVERSATIONAL ABILITY HAD REAL SUBSTANCE. I LEARNED HOW TO INITIATE PROBLEM SOLVING. I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD IN THE MOMENT. I LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH HATERS. I LEARNED HOW TO PROPERLY DEAL WITH CUSTOMERS AND BUSINESS PATRONS. I LEARNED HOW TO BE HONEST WITH PEOPLE. I LEARNED HOW TO TALK TO PRETTY GIRLS BETTER. I LEARNED HOW TO TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE’S GRANDPARENTS. I LEARNED HOW TO TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE’S PARENTS. I LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS. I LEARNED HOW TO GIVE OTHER PEOPLE CREDIT WHEN DUE AND TO SPLIT REWARDS. I LEARNED HOW TO BETTER LISTEN AND RETAIN ORDERS. I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE THE SITUATION BETTER AND TO BETTER IMPLEMENT TACTICAL STRATEGY. I LEARNED TO JUST NOT CARE SOMETIMES. I LEARNED HOW TO REALLY CARE SOMETIMES. I LEARNED TO PICK THE RIGHT TIME TO JUST NOT CARE OR TO REALLY CARE. I LEARNED TO EXPRESS MYSELF CREATIVELY AND SHARE MY CREATIONS WITH STRANGERS. I STARTED A NEWSLETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND AND WAS PASSING OUT HUNDREDS A WEEK.I LEARNED OTHER PEOPLE WOULD READ MY WRITINGS AND I SHOULD SHARE THEM MORE OFTEN. I LEARNED TO SHARE MY HEART AS WELL.POST NUMBER 10: UNEMPLOYMENTUNEMPLOYMENTCAUSED LITTLE ENJOYMENTONLY ENJAMBMENTOF THE THOUGHTSALL THIS NEWFOUND TIME ALLOTTEDI BROUGHT ITON MYSELFBY GETTING FIREDNOT GOOD FOR MY HEALTH6MONTHS LATER I DECIDE TO WRITEFOR THE REST OF MY LIFEI WAS AFTER A CREATIVE CAREERBEEN RUNNING AROUND WITH THIS CREATIVE AFFAIRTHE DEVELOPMENT CONCEALEDAPPROACHING MAINSTREAM DISTRIBUTION I’M ON THRILLEDTHE SPOTLIGHT’S MINE TO STEALPLAN ON USING THE LIMELIGHT TO HEALTO SHINE BRIGHTUNTIL IT PEELSLOOKING FOR PROMOTERS STILLALL I HAVE IS MY PORTFOLIOAND THE WILLART CAUGHT THE HOLY GHOSTSO WHAT’S REAL? AFTER GETTING FIRED FROM INGLES IN JANUARY 2010 I WAS UNEMPLOYED FOR 2.5YEARS. MAYBE I WASN’T LOOKING HARD ENOUGH FOR A JOB BUT MY CONFIDENCE WAS LOW. I HAD NEVER BEEN FIRED BEFORE.IT WAS A VERY AWKWARD TIME PERIOD FOR ME. THE 1ST 6MONTHS WERE HARD. THE 2ND 6MONTHS WERE EASIER. IT TOOK ME 6MONTHS TO SETTLE FOR MY DREAM. MY DREAM WAS TO BE A FILMMAKER. I DESIRED TO BE THE WRITER-DIRECTOR. I DIDN’T HAVE A CAMERA AT THIS POINT SO I STARTED OFF WRITING. I HAD TO DEVELOP MY CONCEPTS AND CREATE MY TITLES. I HAD TO PICK OUT WHICH GENRE I WOULD PURSUE. ALL OF THESE THOUGHTS WERE CIRCULATING THRU MY MIND AROUND THIS TIME. I CHOSE SCI FI FANTASY AND SATIRICAL COMEDY. I SPENT THE NEXT 6MONTHS WRITING MY FIRST ATTEMPTS AT FILM SCRIPTS. I LEARNED THE SCREENPLAY FORMAT BY GOOGLING READABLE SCREENPLAYS. I REMEMBER THE SCRIPT FOR “I, ROBOT” STANDING OUT THE MOST OF ALL SCRIPTS I HAVE READ.THE “PINEAPPLE EXPRESS” SCRIPT STUCK OUT ALONG WITH “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN”.THE SCREENWRITER FOR “I, ROBOT” WAS FEMALE I BELIEVE AND HER EXPOSITORY STOOD OUT. THE WAY IN WHICH HER WORDS APPROACHED THE DIALOGUE AND EXPLAINED THE SCENE STOOD OUT. IT FELT AS IF I WERE ACTUALLY READING A BOOK AND NOT A SCREENPLAY. HER WORDS WERE THAT EXCITING. SHE USED PERIODS FOR EMPHASIS INBETWEEN WORDS. I HAVE YET TO READ ANOTHER SCRIPT AS EXCITING AS “I, ROBOT”. I PLAN ON USING THE FORMAT WHEN I FORMAT MY POETIC ANTHOLOGIES TO SCREENPLAY FOR THE FILM VERSION.FROM THE SUMMER OF 2010 UNTIL THE SUMMER OF 2012 I SPENT MY TIME ADVANCING MY SELF EDUCATION THRU RESEARCH ON MY CHOSEN FIELD. I SPENT MY 21ST BIRTHDAY IN MIAMI, FLORIDA WHERE I PLANNED ON STAYING. I WASN’T ALLOWED TO STAY THERE SO IN DISGUST I RETURNED TO GEORGIA. I RETURNED TO A CAMERA AND I BECAME AN ASPIRING FILMMAKER. POST NUMBER 11: ENDING UNEMPLOYMENT

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower: I don't have a lot to say about this movie, it's whatever. I could probably sum this movie up in one sentence, “it was an anime”. It's not down right terrible, it's still a fun watch. There's just barely anything that makes this movie stand on its own or adds shit that doesn't make any sense. I can at least say that the music and the fights are just as good as the last movie (mostly the music). So let's dive right in

• Plot:
  • Months after the One Year War, a Federation sub group known as the South Seas Alliance becomes independent and has in possession the Psycho Zaku. So it's up to the Moore Brotherhood and the Living Dead Division to steal back the suit before they learn how to use it.
  • That's actually a pretty good plot, I just wished the anime actually followed it. This is one of the few anime that has the plot told to us and it doesn't even follow up on it. All they really do for the rest of the movie is play music and fight mobile suits here and there.
  • The MB or the LDD don't even encounter each other either, which is a wasted opportunity. Hell, the LDD don't even do much until the end where they have to get this info broker something. And to make matters worse, the South Seas Alliance, the main baddies of the movie, barely shows up in it. They don't even feel like antagonists until the last chunk of the movie, where they serve more of a minor inconvenience instead of an actual threat. So the plot is basically non existent, but stuff happens at the very least.
• Characters:
  • most of the characters from the last movie return, and I'm just happy they're here. But the new characters….. Let's just say that calling them a mixed bag would be generous. They're not bad enough to ruin the anime for me like the majority of the Destiny characters, but most of them are undercooked and don't even add much to the story. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
  • Let's start off with the Feddies, Io’s back and that instantly saves this anime for me. I'm just happy to see this Jazz loving son of bitch again, he's a treat to the Gundam community that people don't appreciate enough. His buddy Cornelius is back too, he doesn't do too much either, but his appearance is still appreciated. And that's it for the Feddies from the last movie I'm pretty sure, now onto the newbies. Bianca Carlyle also saves this anime for me, as she was a really fun character. She was charismatic and trustworthy, plus her playing the piano with Io playing the drums in that Groovy Duel scene was actually pretty good. I also kinda like the Captain of the Spartan, Vincent Pike, as he was actually a cool character and I would've liked more scenes of him getting his crew’s shit together. I also kinda like that core fighter pilot, Barclay. He seems chill and I would kill for more fighter pilots. If we gave him scenes interacting with the characters, he could've been a pretty interesting character.
  • And then everyone else is useless. Monica Humphrey only exists to give exposition and not much else, and her manservant Josh adds nothing to the story. And then we got these 5 bozos who just exist to hate on Io for the movies. As for why they hate him? Well I can't tell you, because I don't know. The only one who actually says why she doesn't like Io is Alicia, as she hated that he used kids as meat shields in the last movie. Has anyone ever told this bitch that it wasn't his idea? That he was even disgusted by the idea himself. Hell, he was even willing to buy their drinks himself (non-alcoholic I hope). As for the other 3, Orphe, Harvey Dent, and Cosmonaut Marcus, just make comments about him and that's it. They really don't have any personality outside of that. The Black TriStars from Unicorn have more personality than these 3, and they had less screen time. There's also this blonde chick who does stuff on the ship and it doesn't matter. Not exactly a good start for the characters.
  • Onto the Zeeks, and they're basically the same as the last movie (both in a good and meh way). Starting off with the returning ones, Daryl Lorenz comes back, and remember that powerful scene of him looking at his prosthetic arm and giving us that “what have I done” facial expression? We this movie decides to throw that into the trash. The whole movie doesn't even acknowledge that he sacrificed everything to beat the Gundam and he just goes on with his life. He does seem to be affected by Karla’s mental condition, which I'll get to in a bit.
  • As for Fisher, he's still a good buddy to Daryl. It's not saying much but it's something. As for Karla, she's literally in one scene, and it's actually kinda effective. In the last movie she went fucking bananas after seeing her crewmates get beamed to nothing by a GM (like any normal human being would), and new has a mind of a child. I thought that scene after Daryl goes out with her, she calling daddy (not in that way), and being told about her condition was pretty effective and showed us how things are gonna take a while to get better. It would've been better if it was fleshed a lot more, but I'll take it.
  • On to the newbies, there's only 2 memorable bozos here Ober… I mean Billy Hickam (who's also voiced by Todd Haberkorn) and his black buddy Seth. Billy is a cocky NewType who wants to spite Daryl for some reason and Seth being his Tolkien black pal who doesn't really do much. And honestly the names of the other new Zeeks are forgettable, so I'm not even gonna bother.
  • And I think that's…. wait. Oh ya there's another faction of characters, the South Seas Alliance. Calling them lackluster would kinda be a compliment. These are supposed to be our terrifying antagonists (again, I'll get to that later), and yet they feel like an afterthought. The head honcho, Levan Fuu, only appears for 2 scenes. At the beginning as a kid spouting some NewType nonsense and the end as a baldie in front of the repainted Psycho Zaku. We don't know anything about him, we don't even know his or his cult’s motivation, he's just the face of the SSA and nothing else.
  • And then we get to his followers. I'm just gonna get this out of the way, Chow Mein is an annoying character and is very uninteresting. Saxton only shows in a picture and doesn't even show up for a single scene. And all of the monks are your standard “bad guy foot soldiers units”.
  • But there's one characters that had no right to be in this, Claudia Peer. Now 1st of all, how the fuck did she survived? Because the last time we saw her, she fucking exploded. People in the Gundam Universe survive the most insane shit. You can dodge car sized bullets at point blank range, but if the plot still needs you, you should be fine. You can have your ass, dick, and balls burnt off from an explosion, but as long as the plot needs you, you'll be fine. But this woman was shot in the admin, which pierced her normal suit, and then she was sucked into the vacuum of space with NO OXYGEN. I wouldn't even be mad if it's just the plot armor, I'm mainly mad cuz they brought her back for NO REASON. She barely does anything outside of making Io & Bianca join the fight, which I'm pretty sure was gonna happen anyways, making her inclusion all the more meaningless. What's worse is that Cherami is given next to nothing for this movie, so her acting is not as impactful. You had my girl Asuna acting her Kuchi off in the last movie and now you're basically made her a background character.
  • Overall the characters are a hit or miss. Some of them made the movie 10% better, some aren't giving as much but makes the most out of their appearance, while others make Aqua look more useful. Honestly, some of the characters could be cut out of the movie and it barely changes anything.
• World building:
  • Ok, the world building is actually not half bad. For one, we got to see more of what was going on during the battle of A Baou Qu. We see the Feddies breaking into the base, Io and the boys breaking out of prison, Bianca fending off against a Baow Bro, and so on. I'm not sure if it's even canon or not, but I'll take it.
  • I can also appreciate that it's another Gundam anime that's set before Zeta, but not during the One Year War. But we don't really see a whole lot. We do see Sydney after the Colony Drop, but not much else.
  • One thing that always got me curious was Daryl and Karla's “date”. In a scene after a funeral from the fight in the snow (which was a really good scene), we see them hang out in some sort of forest with a small family who gave them a jar of honey and some toast to go with that. And then they head back to the Zeonic base. And I don't mean they catched a ride there, the entrance was part of the forest. So it makes me wonder, was the whole forest fabricated or did the owner of said forest allow Zeonic soldiers to build a base on his property. The former seem a little too much just for Karla's mental condition. I know she's the only one with any vital information on the Reuse Psycho Device, but it seems like a lot just to get her memory back, especially with the amount of resources they would need for that. And if it's the latter, would the landowner be chill with the Zeeks controlling his property? Sure, he could be a Zeonic sympathizer, but he's already risking a lot for a group that isn't even compensating him. It's a good scene, don't get me wrong. I'm just curious, that's all.
  • But the one thing that could've saved the story, is the lore of the South Seas Alliance. These guys are A FUCKING CULT OF MIND CONTROLLING MONKS, How can't you make them good antagonists. Especially with how they're presented in the beginning, with them salvaging damaged mobile suits and ships while burning the corpses of the dead pilots. These guys would have served as terrifying villains, but then the movie forgets about them till the end.
  • But the one thing I stay consistently good throughout these movies is absolutely the music. Groovy Duel, Hone Kudakete, more great bangers with Japanese names I can't remember, Thunderbolt definitely has the best OST out of any Gundam series, as it absolutely carries the movie. Their music is definitely filling up my playlist. The best of the music was during the aftermath of the snow fight. No dialogue, no sound effects, just a slowed down version of groovy duel playing in the background while our characters are cleaning up the mess and mourning the loss of their comrades.
  • The world building is not half bad, but it could use a little work. It would've been a little better if it had some form of connecting tissue with Stardust memory (or at the very least, make some references), since they're 3 yrs apart. Overall, I was a little more invested in the world building than the actual story.
• Mobile Suits:
  • Another thing that's luckily preserved in the sequel, are the mobile suits. Although there's not really any returning mobile suits (which can be a good or bad thing, depending on you), there's a good variety on both sides. But before I get to the suits, I want to talk about the vehicles. I don't typically care about them since the main focus are the mobile suits, I do like how they're presented. Especially when it came to the Core Fighter and Corvette Booster. That dogfight at the beginning with the Dopps was great. And then the Corvette Booster working in tandem with the GM was cool too.
  • Now on to the main course meal. The Federation has a pretty good roaster, start off with the main Gundam itself, the Atlas. It looks good. Io always get the best toys, as this amphibious baby comes with a Rail gun, shield that shoots out bubble gum, an assault rifle, and the jack of all trades Duel wielding beam sabers. We need more MS with Rail-guns, cuz DAMN this thing packs a punch. And since its amphibious, it can use both it's boosters and shield as a boogie board. I'm not gonna question whether it's part of the UC canon or not.
  • I will however question the continuity on the rest of the MS. Starting with the Gundam Ground Type S, although it seems like it's a capable unit, it looks off. And I'm talking about it's lack of v fin, since those exist. For starters, I'm pretty sure that they didn't use beam javelins in the official UC, their shields are supposed to be smaller, they never operated in space, and… Ahhh you seen 08th MS Team, you got the idea.
  • Same thing for the GM Ground Type C, because a.) The original GM ground type was only developed into the GM Sniper, Blue Destiny Unit 0, and that red one that's 3x harder to find than a regular GM Ground Type, and b.) Type C was only given to the GM Kai technically. However, I do like how Io uses this GM when his Atlas is out of commission, just to prove that he's a dope ass pilot with or without the Gundam.
  • The Guntank got its chance to shine for a change, so that's nice. The GM Aqua Types and the Guncannon Aqua were cool until they got crushed by ice and got shredded by robo crabs.
  • I should get to the Zeeks now, should I? The 1st MS I was surprised they brought in was the Zaku II Dozle Zabi custom. Especially since it was probably destroyed during the Battle of Solomon. Then it could've been a repaint, I dunno. I do know that it's never a good idea to reload in front of a corp of mobile suits, as the EZ8 taught us.
  • There's also some redesigns of the Z’Gok and Gogg, the former being hard to handle until they get covered in gum. And latter actually be a terrifying design with a savage ass entrance as it kills a Ball pilot in a gruesome way. I was surprised they also used mobile armors like the Bigro and Grublo. They made some good fight scenes. Too bad they were only there for said fight scenes.
  • And finally we got the Acguys, and they're certainly different from each other. In the beginning they just use the standard type. But once they get their mission to find their snitch, that's when they begin slapping a lot of shit on it. Daryl’s Acguy (the enemy search type) has literally no weapons. Just goggles, Eledore’s stick thingy, and a sensor arm. The damn thing already has 2 sensor thingys, why in god's name would you have another one on your fucking arm. Couldn't you switch that out with a standard Acguy arm that can shoot beams and missiles right? For an ace sniper, could've used the extra firepower. Speaking of which, let's talk about the rest of the Zeonic county bears, the Firepower (A&B), Heavy Firepower, and the Maneuver type (A&B, I was expecting it to be called the high mobility type since that's Zeon called all of their fast mobile suits). I can at least say that they're better equipped. Machine Guns, missile launchers, a rocket launcher they stole from the Hygogg, more missiles, a heat hawk, spare ammo, tripping wire, floating explosives, and a shield thicker than Rinko’s milkers. All with some actual use, except for 2 weapons. That dinky ass knife and a flame thrower. That knife is just a tiny ass double blade held with a wimpy ass arm. As the old saying goes, “don't bring a knife to a gunfight”. And then the latter, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU USE A FLAME THROWER? There's 2 reasons why using this thing is stupid. You're in the forest with flammable trees. As we learned from one of these dumbasses using the heat hawk at the wrong time, any source of fire would signal the enemy in an instant. And secondly, YOUR OFF AGAINST WALKING TANKS MADE OUT OF SPACE METAL. Burning them with flame ain't gonna do a whole lot. Again, they should've brought some beam weapons. This a franchise, with laser swords and laser guns, and yet they used a flamethrower. Not even the “rule of cool” can justify this.
  • And finally we got the South Seas Alliance, they only have 2 mobile suits. I wish these guys had a bigger roster of mobile suits that's a mix of Federation and Zeonic suits, especially since they're known for salvaging mobile suits. But their Dahles and Goufs aren't half bad. The Dahle is basically your standard self-insert MC in MS form and I like they use a mix of Feddie and Zeonic equipment. One minute they're using a beam saber, next thing you know they're using a heat hawk. I wish we got more mobile suits that can use any weapon they pick up like in a TPS/FPS. And then we got the Gouf troop. It's really cool to see them using flight packs that's carrying troops, it's cleavers and pretty resourceful. I also like that it's more like the Gouf custom with it's 3 barreled machine gun and electric wire. They even thrown in a bazooka and heat sword that actually heats up for good measure. They have the Psycho Zaku too, but it's literally used for sequel bait.
  • So ya, the roster ain't bad, I'm just hoping some of these would end up in GBO2 eventually since we got the GM Ground Type C with the Corvette Booster already.
• Vertic:
  • If it weren't for the funky OST, bombastic fight scenes, interesting MS designs, and some of the returning yet charming cast of characters, this would honestly be a mediocre movie. It doesn't follow the plot it gives itself, the majority of the new characters barely add anything, and it doesn't even it uses it's antagonist till the very end of the movie. Honestly the worst thing about this movie is that it feels more like sequel bait with that ending felt shoehorned in. It wouldn't be that bad if a sequel actually followed suit. Especially if considered that this came out a 6 FUCKING YEARS AGO. And December Sky came out a year before it, making us wonder where the hell is that next movie? The manga these movies are based on are still ongoing. As for whether or not the 3rd will be made, there's been many conflicting reasoning on why it hasn't been made yet. Whether it be the creator’s health issues or they're waiting for more Gundam content to come out. If the 3rd movie comes out and it sucks ass, I think I'm gonna lose it. So ya, not Destiny levels of bad, but not really good enough to stand toe to toe with it's predecessor. 7/10, it's certainly is an anime.

Mike Mota and the art of the Virtual Con - The Boston Globe

The secret behind this businessman’s success? Tireless networking, great timing — and some smoke and mirrors.

By Amanda Milkovits Globe Staff, Updated March 17, 2023, 1:23 p.m.
[A bunch of shit about Rhode Island politics in here, so I'll just post what's important to The Sopranos, and SopranosCon — you can read the whole story at the link]
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Michael A. Mota leaned back in a black leather chair in his second-floor office, next to a framed poster of him surrounded by actors famed for portraying Hollywood mobsters, and talked confidently about his business plans.
He spun tales about the value of the cryptocurrency he launched, his popular conventions aimed at fans of mob movies and “The Sopranos,” his connections with celebrities and power players, and the successes of his convention and entertainment company, VirtualCons.
In press releases and online, he calls himself “Dr. Mota,” referring to an honorary doctorate he received last fall, and says he was a vice president at Alex and Ani, the once high-flying jewelry company. He says unnamed overseas investors and others want to sink millions into his plans “because I am a smart guy, just so you know.”
And Mota claims his company, Bayport International Holdings, has a $50 million to $90 million redevelopment plan for the former Memorial Hospital property in Pawtucket, which will help solve the state’s housing crisis along the way.
There’s just one problem: Mota’s tales of success are largely fictional, a Globe investigation shows.
Skyline hadn’t paid its rent to the city of Providence for months, city officials say, and there’s no record that Mota made renovations that were promised in exchange for avoiding rent for nearly three years.
Bayport International Holdings is a defunct company. Its stock is worthless, industry analysts say.
Mota’s doctorate comes from a diploma mill that provides honorary degrees for a price, the Globe’s research found. His work at Alex and Ani has been exaggerated — the company’s founder told the Globe he never served as its vice president.
The list goes on.
“Don’t trust him,” said Rhode Island filmmaker David Bettencourt, who worked directly with Mota at a marketing company that was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alex and Ani. “You can’t listen to anything he says.”
Many people who have dealt with Mota say the same. The Globe investigation found that Mota is being sued by creditors and vendors in 10 lawsuits totaling more than $500,000 and has left furious investors and vendors in multiple states, according to interviews, court documents, and hundreds of other records, including e-mails and text messages.
Mota is being chased for money from Rhode Island to New Jersey. He obsesses over Tony Soprano, yet some fellow fans of the HBO mob series say he overcharged them and promised them perks they could not access, and he has been accused of not compensating vendors and actors from “The Sopranos” who were involved in his conventions. He has also made promises he hasn’t yet kept to the family of an actual mobster, John Gotti, whose “real story” he has promised to tell in a new movie, “Gotti 2.” And he’s angered other people with serious connections.
Mota and his business partners “tend to think ‘The Sopranos’ is a documentary and not a drama,” said New Yorker Bernadette Giacomazzo, whose father, Giuseppe Giacomazzo, was involved with the infamous Marseilles Mafia. “They like to pretend that they’re tough guys.”
Now, after years of fast-talking and whirling from one deal to the next, Mota may finally be facing consequences: A judge in Providence County Superior Court is threatening to throw him in jail for blowing off payment agreements in one case. His own lawyer told the judge on Feb. 21 that Mota should file for bankruptcy.
But Mota remains defiant.
He told the Globe that he doesn’t owe anyone anything — and, if he does, he’ll pay them when he feels like it. At other times, he insists that the accusations against him about nonpayment are not true.

VirtualCons and real-life victims

He may be the president of Bayport, but everything he does goes back to VirtualCons, his convention business.
What started as a small gathering with a handful of actors from “The Sopranos” at the 2011 New England Cigar Expo at the Rhode Island Convention Center grew into a company with mob-themed conventions and its own sketchy cryptocurrency — followed by empty promises that left fans enraged and investors clamoring for payback.
In 2019, Mota and two other superfans of “The Sopranos” hosted SopranosCon at Meadowlands Exposition Centre in New Jersey to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the HBO show’s debut — without authorization from HBO. Still, they secured the attendance of 55 cast members, the British rock band Alabama 3 to perform the show’s theme, “Woke Up This Morning,” and plenty of press for the event, which drew about 10,000 fans and a visit from Gandolfini’s family.
It was disorganized, but some fans who paid $50 or so for general access — and more for autographs — seemed satisfied. However, those who had paid as much as $2,500 for VIP tickets complained that they didn’t get the special access and perks they had been promised.
“It blew up too quickly, and they didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with a supernova,” said Bernadette Giacomazzo, owner of G-Force Marketing & Publicity in New York, who did the publicity for SopranosCon. Though Giacomazzo said she eventually got paid for her work, she said that some cast members and vendors were not. Furious fans lobbed curses at Mota and vented on social media.
Still, two years later, Mota decided to do it again — and do it bigger. He launched VirtualCons, a website, and app that Mota promised would offer conventions, crypto investment opportunities, and more.
Mota touted his celebrity connections. Actor Armand Assante, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of New York crime boss John Gotti in the 1996 HBO movie, got involved — Mota called him the chairman of the board. “The Sopranos” actor Federico Castelluccio, who’d connected other actors with Mota for SopranosCon, encouraged people to join VirtualCons. So did Ice-T, who called it “a game-changing app.”
At meetings at a golf course in New Jersey, at Skyline, and over Zoom, Mota pushed people to invest and promised they would make money. Though some thought it sounded like a pyramid scheme, avid fans of “The Sopranos” from all over invested in his vision.
“He speaks very eloquently and very knowledgeably. You get a sense that he has run many businesses and is accomplished. You don’t think he’s crazy,” said an investor from New Jersey, who asked not to be named out of fear of retribution.
In July 2021, VirtualCons hosted a MobMovieCon and SopranosCon weekend at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, where Mota made national news when he announced that he would “immediately” start filming “Gotti 2,” with Assante in the starring role. Mota said the Gotti family was giving him access to personal archives for a separate documentary and museum.
A few weeks later, Mota launched his own mob-themed cryptocurrency, VirtualCoin, $VCON, with a huge video billboard in New York’s Times Square, celebrity endorsements, and wild claims. He produced a music video in Cancun, Mexico, and flew to Puerto Rico to promote his cryptocurrency. He posted a video of his brother-in-law “making history” by buying a vehicle at Bristol County Auto Exchange in Swansea, Mass., using VirtualCoin.
That VirtualCons was spending so lavishly around the same time that Skyline received more than $1.8 million in federal COVID money was just a coincidence, Mota told the Globe. He had investors, he said.
In late 2021, as the cryptocurrency investors joked about becoming rich, Mota brought in a new partner to lead VirtualCons’ crypto and NFT division: William Benson, a self-described “lifestyle influencer” and owner of the Billionaires Row Champagne brand. Mota called Benson his “ride or die.”
Mota had promised buyers that they could trade and sell their VirtualCoin starting on Jan. 1, 2022. But With Benson in charge, and without warning, VirtualCoin was moved on Dec. 31, 2021 to a different platform, where coin-holders couldn’t see their investment or sell it. In a rambling Facebook post, Mota told investors that Benson had made “amazing progress in such a short time frame” and the migration was “in order to have more governance for our token and technology.”
Mota then told coin-holders that the coin could be used only to buy things through VirtualCons, such as coin-shaped tokens that were engraved with his face and the motto: In Mota We Trust.

The downward spiral

Many fantasies fall apart once reality sets in.
Mota admitted to the Globe that the video of his brother-in-law “making history” using Virtual Coins to buy a used car was just “what we’re going to do.” In other words, it was staged.
Celebrities connected to VirtualCons have distanced themselves from Mota. In September 2021, Castelluccio announced he was no longer affiliated with VirtualCons. “Ultimately, I did not care for the direction the company was headed in,” he said.
Assante’s spokesman told the Globe that the actor had never been “chairman of the board” of VirtualCons and requested to be removed from the company’s website.
“I withdrew any and all connection with VirtualCons last year as my work for the charity I created in 2012 helpchildrennow.org has taken precedence, over participation in any endeavors that can possibly distract focus from the charity’s urgency,” Assante told the Globe through a spokesman in December 2022. “We are moving families from Ukraine to Afghanistan.”
“Gotti 2″ never went into production.
In September 2022, Mota announced that Bayport International Holding had acquired Virtual Cons and made him president. He said that everyone who had invested in VirtualCons now had stock in Bayport. Investors said few of the promised payments materialized. Bayport’s stock is currently worth a penny or less per share and can’t be bought or sold in the United States, according to OTC Markets Group.
Mota has “attempted to absolve himself of responsibility to his investors by giving them stock in a public company that should be considered a corpse,” said George Sharp, a former consultant to OTC Markets Group and an antifraud advocate who has advised on federal investigations.
Mota is accused in multiple lawsuits of not paying banks and vendors involved in his various businesses. In Rhode Island, Mota is being chased for money for Skyline at Waterplace and for Lola’s Lounge, a Mexican restaurant in Smithfield that Mota briefly operated during the pandemic.
“The last I heard from him was when he phoned me when I filed the lawsuit,” said Mark Weiser, of Shake Rattle and Roll Pianos in New Jersey, who is suing Mota over unpaid bills at Lola’s. “He made a point of saying I’d never see a dime.”
Russell Morin Catering of Attleboro, Mass., had built out the kitchen at Skyline and paid for the equipment, as the venue’s exclusive caterer, general manager R.J. Morin told the Globe.
Then, Mota told them he was taking the work in-house and refused to return about $40,000 worth of equipment, Morin said. “I would never ever deal with him again,” Morin said.
Nicola Mattiello, the owner of Pranzi Catering of Providence, said he knew Mota’s reputation, so he insisted on getting paid upfront when his company was hired in September 2022. The relationship ended quickly when Mota wrote him two checks for more than $10,000 that didn’t have sufficient funds. Mattiello gave the checks to Providence police.
Some are watching Mota tout his lifestyle on social media and wonder if they paid for his luxuries.
“What got me is, you know you owe people and you are posting pictures of your Range Rover and your new house, and you screwed people to get there,” said William Boettcher, a New Jersey DJ still owed thousands from SopranosCon in 2021. “Where did the money come from?”
A charity to benefit the children of fallen first responders told the Globe that while Mota personally donated $600, the First Responders Children’s Foundation never received the money Mota said he raised through SopranosCon Cares. That’s what prompted Giacomazzo to angrily cut ties with Mota.
“Defrauding charities that help the children of fallen cops — I don’t know, my mind is literally unable to comprehend,” she said. “How has it gone on for so long that no one has ever held this man accountable, no one has ever said, ‘Enough is enough?’”
Anna Rozentsvit, whose New Jersey company, Inspiria Graphix, made the banners, programs, and autograph sheets for the SopranosCon in 2021, said she’s still owed more than $9,500.
After months of begging to be paid, Rozentsvit filed a lawsuit. The debt “put me in a spiral a little bit,” she said. “I felt like I’m trying so hard, and it knocked me down.”
Yet, even as the court summonses are sent to his spacious home in Lincoln, Mota is defiant. His home is in the names of his wife and father-in-law, and all of his companies are LLCs, which could shield him from claims.
“Just imagine if the house was under my name what would happen. They would try to attach my house, my family’s life,” Mota told the Globe. “So, of course I’ve put protectors in place to protect me.”
Legal attempts by his creditors to find out about his finances have failed. Mota has for months ignored a court order to turn over his financial documents in a lawsuit where he owes more than $70,000 to a New Jersey film company contracted to make a documentary of SopranosCon. Attempts to get him to follow a court-ordered payment schedule have also failed. In a hearing on Feb. 21, after he was found in contempt and fined when he didn’t show up, his own lawyer, Michael Lepizzera, told the judge that Mota should file for bankruptcy. Mota told the Globe he did not intend to do so.
To Mota, the lawsuits are proof that he’s a serious businessman, like his idols, former president Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
“I have a target on my back because I’m an entrepreneur doing a lot of things. People are always gonna come after me. People always come after folks that are doing something,” Mota told the Globe back in October. “If you’re doing nothing, then obviously no one’s gonna come after you.”
Many others who have dealt with him wonder if he’ll ever be held accountable.
“He’ll never stop using people he can benefit from,” said one former business associate, “unless he’s stopped.”

CHAPTER 8
A gallery in San Francisco contacted Andre about showing some of Jason's work. Andre explained that Jason was working on a show of paintings for him but would mention it and see if something could be worked out, it was one of the best galleries in S.F. and Andre really wanted Jason to show there. Jason told Andre he had an idea, that he could do it in a couple of months, the last show of the season in S.F. before galleries closed for the summer. The cum stained washcloth he had framed had gotten him thinking. The cum had turned to a beautiful caramel color and was much more visible now against the white terry cloth. Jason got a pad of standard letter size tracing paper, tore off a sheet and told me to follow him to the bathroom. He put the paper on the toilet seat and asked me to jerk off onto it. I burst out laughing (my usual response to many of his suggestions). He said, okay, I'll jerk you off then. I wasn't even hard, so he started blowing me until I was about to pop, stood up, and aimed the ropes of cum onto the center of the paper. He knelt down and sucked any cum left out of me, and took the paper outside to dry in the sun. Luckily it was a bright sunny day, as the cum dried, the paper shrunk and wrinkled where the cum had hit. After a few days in the sun the cum had turned that beautiful caramel color. He wrote in pencil on the bottom "Luis" and the date it was made. The next day he made one himself, and started asking his models to make one. He paid them $150 to, and they would be by themselves in the bathroom. He'd give them the paper on a cookie tray and told them what to do. There was an iPhone holder mounted on the wall above the toilet so they could watch whatever porn they wanted while "donating". Then they'd sheepishly come out and hand Jason the tray, like handing the nurse a urine sample. Jason was able to gather 24 guys to work on this project. He had them framed in elaborate gold frames, similar to our wash cloth, and shipped them to S.F. I was legal now so we were able to fly to see the show. I was excited but Jason was nervous, I had taken all his Xanax and he didn't want to have any in the house now. The plane was delayed and we didn't get to the gallery until the opening had already started. Jason was texting the dealer, Simon, every few minutes to let him know where we were. We walked into the gallery. It was very dark, the walls had been painted black, and the frames were hung in a line around the whole room, similar to how the penis drawings had been shown. Each frame had spotlight shining on it, so they just glowed against the dark walls. I was introduced to Simon as "Luis, my husband" by Jason. Simon exclaimed "Your'e a lucky man, I was looking at all the pieces and noticed the one titled 'Luis' had the most cum on it". I didn't know wether to be embarrassed or proud, a response I was getting used to. I guess I was a little of each. At least the whole room wasn't naked paintings of me. Many people commented on the religious nature of the pieces. Jason explained he grew up Catholic so he spent his childhood looking at nearly naked men on the church walls, and his church had a gold reliquary with a piece of some saints robe in it. He was an atheist now, but loved the symbolism of religious art. The dinner after the opening was a quiet affair with a few collectors. We flew back to El Paso airport the next day, we both had work to do. I was getting itchy, I'd promoted Sammy to foreman, and was looking to start another business. I maintained our pool myself. We had the company who installed it do it once a week at first but fired them. They'd send a guy who'd spend all of 10 minutes, and often the water would go green. I watched a bunch of youTube videos to learn about pool chemistry. It was pretty easy. I wanted to learn about the business, though, so I answered an ad on Craigslist looking for people to maintain pools. I showed up in Jason's Tesla, I couldn't take my truck, it had my logo on the doors. I parked in front of the business next door so they wouldn't wonder what I was doing driving a Tesla and applying for a job cleaning pools. I played dumb, said I had a pool and cleaned it myself but didn't know much more. I started the next day. I worked with an older white guy who took an instant dislike to me (he made a crack about wetbacks taking all the jobs), but knew what he was doing and taught me all about the equipment. I think he was showing off. I worked there for a month before quitting to start my own company. I was confidant I could make it work. I bought a white van, again Jason designed the business cards and the uniform. It was similar to the logo for my landscaping company, Jason said I was the brand and people had to connect the two businesses. My van said "Modelo Pool Service", again with a circle around the M. Our outfit would be bright red speedos (he said the color was beautiful against tan skin) with the M printed on the hip, White t-shirts he had cut the armholes from, all the way down the side. The same ball cap and aviators the landscapers wore, and red Adidas running shoes. He shot a photo of me against the new van for Instagram. I started by myself at first to build up the business. I had all my landscapers leave my new card at each job. I charged more than any of the other pool companies, but when I explained exactly what I did to maintain their pool, they understood. I think it helped that it was usually the women of the house I dealt with, who didn't mind having a sexy latino in speedos in the back yard. This business grew faster than the landscaping. Everyone needed their pools cleaned and complained about the previous company's who they'd used. After two months I bought two more vans, and rented a storefront downtown to run the businesses out of. Peggy was the receptionist, she made calls and scheduled the crews for both businesses. I brought two guys from the landscaping division over to pools. Both were on the soccer team with me and didn't mind wearing speedos all day. Now I had six employees cleaning pools. They enjoyed it, the pools all had cages around them so they were always pretty clean, they just had to adjust chemicals and brush the sides. I paid the same as the landscapers, but had to be pickier about who I hired to clean pools, they had to be athletic and look good in a speedo. Some locals (we called them townies) applied, I hired them on the spot. I dind't want to be pigeon-holed as a strictly latino company. They could all keep any tips they got. I could hear them teasing each other about who made the most tips. Enrique always made the most, he said his secret was to wear the speedos a size too big, so they sagged a little and showed a hint of his pubes. Danny made the second most. He was a tall thin black kid saving for college, he kept his water bottle tucked suggestively into the front of his suit, the tip sticking out the top. I realized I'd get more business hiring some girls. Some of the men in town didn't want a hot guy in a speedo in their backyard, but had no problem with a cute girl. Maria and Ashley dressed the same as the guys, only substituting jog bras, and hot pants. They both said they wouldn't go around town all day in a bikini. Jason designed a website people could schedule appointments through, making Peggy's job easier. There was a page with photos of the employees and blocks when they were free, that way you could choose who you wanted to clean your pool. It got to the point we stopped taking any new clients, we couldn't keep up with the workload, and I didn't want the service we provided to suffer. I told everyone it was important to smile and be friendly, a lot of these people were lonely. They knew this anyway, that's how they got the best tips. Anyone who didn't speak English I enrolled in English as a second language course at the Community Center three nights a week. I spent most of my days in the office or on the road checking on both crews. I had foremen for each, but wanted to stay involved, it was my name on the vehicles. I usually left for the office early in the morning while Jason was still in bed, going in to give him a good-bye kiss for the day and let him know the coffee was already made. He always slept naked and woke up with a hard-on, even if we'd had sex the night before. If I had a few minutes I'd surprise him with a quick blow job. I love going to work with the taste of his cum in my mouth. Sometimes he'd jump up and grab me, undo my belt from behind, pull down my cargo shorts, and with some spit, give me a quick fuck. I'd have to change into thick boxer briefs to catch the cum that would be making its way out of my asshole all morning.
It was getting close to September and Jason's opening in NY. We planned to go for a week, flying this time. Andre booked us into a nice AirBnB apartment downtown. We had our own kitchen and didn't have to eat out all the time, plus, we could have friends over. I told him I didn't want to go crazy this time, no more nightclubbing all night. He agreed. The opening was even more crowded than last time, with people hanging out on the sidewalk with their plastic drink cups. Andre quickly spirited Jason away. I went to the bar and ran into Rick Day, big hugs and kisses. He had brought a couple of guys who were modeling for him. We chatted for a while and made plans to get together sometime while we were in town. Someone hugged me from behind and kissed my neck. Jason's brother. I kissed him on both cheeks and gave him a big hug. He asked about my businesses and we walked around the gallery looking at the paintings, his arm around my waist. The paintings were beautiful, Jason had worked really hard. I was glad only one was of me, but of course it was the one of my dick sticking out of my shorts. Jason had changed it so I was standing in the backyard with the trees behind me, they were big splotches of dark green and light acid green, showing the sun hitting the leaves. I'm standing in the middle, the brim of my cap is casting a shadow over the top of my face, all you can see is a big smile and white teeth. My shirt is off, and my shorts are my old camouflage cargo ones I love. I've got my hands in my pockets which is pulling the fly wide open and my dick is hanging out. It's amazing how with just a few strokes of paint he captures the full likeness of my dick. Of course he's got it centered in the painting. I know all the guys in the rest of the paintings, most work for me. In the back room were more of the cum "drawings" Jason had continued doing. They were hung similarly as in S.F., in a dark room with spotlights. Paul said they reminded him of Rorschach tests. Andre wanted to throw a big party afterwards at a restaurant, but we had convinced him we just wanted a few friends and collectors back to the apartment for take-out. He suggested he host it at his loft in Chelsea, it's not far and it was set up for parties. The party was fun but relaxed, there were handsome waiters walking around with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. The long dining table was set up buffet style and everyone helped themselves. At the end was a bowl full of joints rolled in different bright colored papers. I chatted with Rick for a while, he suggested another shoot. I told him we were just here for the week and wasn't sure if I could, maybe when Jason was meeting a collector or something. The party was winding down, I was feeling buzzed from the champagne and pot, one of the waiters was walking around with a tray with a mirrored bottom with lines laid out on it. I did a line and sat down on the sofa, enjoying the relaxed vibe. Amy, the gallery assistant came over and sat on my lap and was asking me about the village I grew up in. She'd done some travelling in Central America when she was in college but had never visited Honduras. She was wearing a tight skirt, stillettos, and a loose silky blouse. I was rubbing her back while telling her stories about my town and childhood. Without thinking, my hand reached around the front of her blouse and was caressing her breasts, I slipped it under the silk and felt her nipples harden. She kept chatting, not taking any notice. I could feel an erection growing, she started playing with the chest hair that was poking out of the v-neck of my sweater, and fondling the gold crucifix around my neck. I could see Jason slow-dancing with one of the guys that came with Rick. I told Amy I was exhausted and wanted to find Jason, but enjoyed chatting with her, and that I'd see her again at the gallery later in the week. I tapped Jason on the shoulder, more hugs and kisses, and we taxi'd back to the apartment. The rest of the week was spent going to museums, galleries, and lots of walks in Central Park. I liked the energy of the city, but it was draining. Our last evening we went out to dinner with Jason's brother and a girl he was dating. He had met Caramel through one of the dating apps and they had been on a few dates already. She was very pretty, with long blonde hair knotted in a bun. The restaurant was very nice, but I felt a little uncomfortable, all the bus boys and kitchen help was Hispanic, yet none of the waiters were. After dinner Paul suggested we go to a club just around the corner for a couple of drinks. The club wasn't too crowded, it was still early, so we were able to find a table near the dance floor. It was a mixed club, people of all persuasions dancing together. After a drink I asked Jason to dance, we rarely had the chance to dance together in Texas without going to one of the cities. This was really nice, it was a slow dance. Jason had his head on my shoulder, and thanked me for being in his life, that we'd both come a long ways since we met. The music changed to a fast number, I think it was an 80's disco hit, and felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Jason's brother, and the four of us danced the frug, and the watusi, did the dog, and the alligator. We had a nightcap and each caught taxi's. Jason's brother said he hoped to visit us in Texas sometime this winter. We settled into our routine again once home. I think we both enjoyed it. Jason's work was selling well, and my businesses were keeping me busy. We occasionally talked of buying a bigger house, he wanted a larger studio, and I needed a three-car garage for my truck and some of the equipment. I had never made such a big commitment, buying a house with someone, for so much money. I didn't want to screw it up. I was feeling guilty about the woman I was fucking, and needed to get it off my chest before it went any further. I told him I wanted to have a serious talk before house-hunting. I told him I loved him to the moon and back, wanted to spend eternity with him, but as much as he tried to fill my every need, there was one he couldn't. I told him about the woman. I didn't give her a name, she was just a pussy to me, and crude as that sounds, I still needed pussy, I'd never be happy If I thought I'd never have any again. I loved sex with him, but it was different with a woman and I needed both. He asked how I'd feel if he cheated on me. I told him I'd be crushed. He said he needed to think about it, he couldn't process all his emotions immediately. We didn't have sex that night, but I spooned him, worried that I may have lost him, but I couldn't deny the reality that I was still attracted to women. I was having my coffee at the kitchen table and Jason came up behind me and hugged me and kissed me on top of my head. He said he was doing his best to understand, but he loved me too much to let this come between us. He just asked that he never know who she is or when I see her. I kissed him and thanked him. He told me he loved me too much to deny me anything, even if it meant sharing me. I told him he's not sharing my heart, that that will always be his, like I promised on our wedding day, till death do us part. I told him that I didn't consider myself gay, and was always surprised when referred to as such, but my soulmate just happened to be a man. Both my businesses were growing, and the storefront downtown was no longer feasible to run them out of. We put a new house on the back burner, and I took out a loan and bought an old warehouse at the edge of town. Jason has a friend from art school who is an architect, so I talked to him about renovating it. He was able to design two offices in the front, one for each business, a kitchen/lounge area with sofas and a tv, a large locker room and showers (unisex) and a couple private ones if anyone wasn't comfortable. I wanted a gym for the employees to keep them in shape. There was enough room in the back to squeeze in a few small bedrooms, some of the guys still lived in the boarding house and I thought they'd be more comfortable (and safer from ICE) here. The landscaping business now offered landscape design, we had contracted with a nursery, and not only did the mowing and maintenance, but the design and planting as well. The pool cleaning business had also grown, thanks to Salvador, and we sold and installed pools now, and then offer the cleaning contract. Peggy was promoted to pool salesperson, had her own office and made a commission on her sales. The employees with drivers licenses were allowed to use the vans or pick-ups for their personal use, and were each given a company gas card. I figured it was free advertising for people to see our name everywhere they went. I had about 20 employees now, rarely did anyone quit, the pay and perks were too good, and most enjoyed the work. The warehouse was used as the base. Everyone showed up at 7:30, changed into the company uniforms and put their own clothes in a locker. I'd go over any job changes, new jobs, etc. and we'd be on the road by 8. At four, everyone returned, left their work clothes in a bin in a corner of the locker room showered and changed back into their street clothes. They loved that we provided their work clothes and they didn't have to go home filthy. I hired an older couple to come in evenings and do all the laundry (there was an industrial washer and dryer in the locker room) and clean and vacuum. They were undocumented, but had an 8 year old who was born here. He'd come with them and do his homework or watch tv. We ended up adding a room for day-care as well. A couple guys mentioned they hardly saw their partners because with no family nearby, their partners would have to get jobs on a night shift so the children could be watched during the day. It turned out to be a beautiful building, the walls inside and out were white tile, with plenty of windows and skylights. Jason said the locker room and showers were perfect backdrops for his paintings, he wanted to be able to photograph the guys showering and changing to use as material for paintings. Everyone hired had to sign a waiver allowing him to photograph them in the building. It really wasn't an issue, as they all knew him and had modeled and participated in the cum drawing project. They considered him a friend, as well.The renovated warehouse had been featured in an article on architecture in Houston magazine and won the architect an award. It really was hard to believe it had been a run-down warehouse, now that it had white tile walls, a flat roof, and a neat row of Italian Cypress along the front. The driveway and parking area were crushed shell, making everything look very contemporary. Once the warehouse was finished,Jason mentioned we needed more room, the house was getting too small for us, and he needed a larger studio. We hired his friend again. We bought two acres at the end of a dead-end road not far from the warehouse. The house was C-shaped surrounding a courtyard and pool. Jason had a large studio at one end with a home-gym next to it. The other end was our bedroom and a guest bedroom, and in the middle was the kitchen and living area. It didn't take long for it to be finished, we used the same construction company to build the house, my companies did the pool and landscaping, and Jason did the interior design. I loved waking up in the morning and looking out at the pool and courtyard. Jason had another show scheduled for next Sept. with Andre. He had been busy working on the house and was now working almost non-stop on the paintings. He'd show up at the warehouse to photograph the guys changing and showering, they all liked him and his work and would ask him what he wanted them to do. Occasionally he'd hire one or two for the day to model at the studio. He was shooting a lot of photographs to paint from, guys in the pool, tanning in the lounges, working out in the gym. Most of the guys that worked for me were straight, but there were a couple that were gay, a guy from El Salvador, and a townie. They had been dating and Jason asked them to model. They did a cum drawing, with both their cum mixed on the paper, he photographed them on the bed simulating sex positions. Jason's work was always erotic, paintings of me jerking off, etc, but he'd never done any this explicit, two guys having sex. It wasn't unusual to come home and find a couple of guys walking around naked. I didn't mind as long as Jason still had his clothes on. He asked me to be naked in the house and backyard as much as possible, I was still his muse and it gave him ideas for paintings. He said all the guys he painted were just stand-ins for me. The paintings were huge, and his paint had gotten thicker and brighter, the brushstrokes looser. There were scenes of groups of men changing in the locker room, showering, working out, in different stages of undress, many naked. September came and Jason flew to NYC for the opening. I had to stay to take care of some business, and the NY lifestyle was getting a little too fast for me. The reviews for the show were great. One called the work a cross-between Hockney and DeKooning. MOMA bought one, the first one to go into a museum collection. It was the painting of Tom, Sergio, and Hector in the shower at work. Hector leans over to pick up the soap he dropped. It's titled "Cliche". Andre tried talking Jason into moving to NY, but he said he liked his quiet life in Texas, and I couldn't leave my businesses. Things were going well, I decided my employees should stop work early Friday afternoons, around 3. I'd host a cook-out at our house for everyone who wanted to come over. It was like a family get-together (I did consider these people more family than employees). Partners and kids were welcome, there was always plenty of food and drink. As the night wore on guitars and harmonicas would come out and people would start dancing. Joints were passed around, but I had a strict rule, nothing illegal, I had a business reputation. People would sit on the edge of the pool and in the hot tub. After the kids had gone home, clothes would be shed, bathing suits tossed. Jason got all the guys that did the pool maintenance to line up naked with their arms around each other in front of the pool and took a photo. The pool glowed behind them, you could see their bright tan lines from spending the day in speedos. He said this would be his next painting, then they all pushed each other into the pool. The last person would usually leave around 1, if anyone wanted to stay, there was the guest room and couches. Saturday mornings we'd usually make eggs for six. Sunday mornings were for us. We slept late, Jason usually got up first and started the coffee, then would come back and slowly pull the sheets off me. He'd bend over and run his tongue along the inside of my foreskin. If I wasn't already hard, this would do the trick. He'd then get on top of me and grab the lube from the nightstand and grease us up, and slowly lower his butt onto my dick. By now I'd be fully awake with a big smile. Sometimes I'd sit up and hug and kiss him, nibbling his earlobe. One of us would be jerking him off, till we were both covered in cum. We'd shower and head to the kitchen naked for coffee sometimes bringing it out by the pool. We'd been together about five years by now. I wanted to do something to celebrate. I asked him what was the date we first met, when he picked me up on the corner. He said he'd have to check the drawings, he dated them all, he'd just have to find which flat file they were in. He remembered them exactly, he said he knew as soon as he saw me that I was going to be someone special in his life, so he never sold any of those drawings, they had too much sentimental value. He came back and said it was October 2nd, 2018. I wanted us each to have the others name and that date tattooed on our wrists. I didn't really like tattoos, most of my crew had them, but I wanted something permanent, to show my love for him. We went to a tattoo parlor in El Paso and had them done. If I had known how sensitive the inside of the wrist is, I might have chosen some thicker patch of skin. We celebrated with dinner afterwards. I usually paid the check now. When someone who doesn't know me asks If "Jason Taylor Anderson, 10-2-2018" is the day my son was born, I just look them in the eye and say "No, that's the day I met my husband".

LGBTQIA List Book: Infidel (Bel Dame Apocrypha 2) by Kameron Hurley
This bleak and nihilistic story is a solid follow up to God’s War, the first book of the series. The setting is an isolated and marginal colony on a barely habitable planet, with the inhabitants’ survival depending on a strange but utterly believable conglomeration of poorly understood advanced biotech which most people regard as magic. Part of the planet is locked in a long and futile religious war, while other nations are happy to prolong the war and keep selling them weapons. The protagonist, Nyx, an assassin and bounty hunter, becomes caught up in a plot to usurp the Queen of one of the warring nations and the body count rises at an alarming rate while she tries to find out who is responsible.
Weird Ecology: The Lost Steersman by Rosemary Kirstein
The steerswoman series just keeps getting better. Despite the low-tech society and fantasy trappings, this series is the best kind of hard science fiction. Kirstein has developed a well-thought-out depiction of an alien ecology and delivers some truly alien aliens.
Two or More Authors: More Human Than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity edited by Neil Clarke (27 authors)
I’m used to skipping stories in anthologies because there’s usually a few stories that just don’t work for me in even the best collection. I was therefore delighted to find that all the stories in More Human Than Human were good to excellent, with a few that were truly exceptional. Some personal standouts included And the Ends of the Earth for thy Possession by Robert Finegold which was a memorable mix of science fiction, alternative history, murder mystery and cosmic horror; Grand Jeté (The Great Leap) by Rachel Swirsky, a powerful story around the old theme of transferring human consciousness into a robot body; Seven Sexy Cowboy Robots by Sandra McDonald which was slightly silly but very endearing; Today I am Paul by Martin L. Shoemaker which builds slowly to a surprising emotional punch in the last line.
Historical SFF: By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar
This is Lavie Tidhar having some fun subverting Arthurian myth, filtered through the lens of a quote from Gildas’ 6th-century work On the Ruin of Britain: “Britain has kings but they are tyrants. They plunder and terrorise the innocent, they defend and protect the guilty and thieving. They sit with murderous men.”. In a clear commentary on modern British politics Arthur and his court are portrayed as self-serving antiheroes in a Britain recently separated from Rome, but there’s much more to the book than that. Arthur is portrayed as a drug-dealer and crime lord in Londinium, evoking Guy Ritchie’s gangster movies. The kingdom that Arthur builds is strictly on a “might makes right” basis; everything he has is taken and held “by force alone”. Tidhar is clearly familiar with the broader corpus of Arthurian mythology and takes great delight in parodying and subverting it; no one gets out with their reputation unscathed. As an added treat to readers, Tidhar has inserted multiple references to other popular works. I’m sure I’ve not found them all, but there are nods to works as diverse as Bladerunner, Roadside Picnic, The Maltese Falcon, Wagner, Ancient Aliens, and on and on. This is one of my favourite books by Tidhar and I highly recommend it (but read a few of the standard Arthurian novels first).
Set in Space: Drysine Legacy by Joel Shepherd
Book 2 of the Spiral Wars series. This is an entertaining blend of milSF and space opera, featuring a growing war between biological and machine civilizations in the tradition of Saberhagen and Benford. Superior popcorn reading that makes a welcome break between heavier books. Spaceships, space marines, gigantic explosions, what's not to like?
Standalone: The Second Sleep by Robert Harris
The story begins in 1468 with a young priest travelling to an isolated village to conduct the funeral for the village priest, who has recently died. The weather is bad, and he may be lost. The book reads like an homage to Hammer Horror movies - the rain, the mud, the funeral, mysterious events in the village, etc, etc. Harris uses that framework to set the mood for the rest of the book, which was well-written and enjoyable. SPOILER The Second Sleep is in fact a post-apocalyptic mystery, in which a young priest finds highly illegal pre-apocalyptic artifacts amongst the possessions of a recently deceased colleague. As he tries to investigate their origin, he faces opposition from both church authorities and local families who want the past to stay buried. Overall I felt that the book was entertaining but that it could have done more with its interesting premise.
Anti-Hero: A Fire in the Sun by George Alec Effinger
Very enjoyable cyberpunk noir with an unusual future middle eastern setting, in which the Islamic world has come to dominate global politics and the old European and North American powers have fragmented into numerous micro-states. A Fire in the Sun is the second book in the Marid Audran series, and our (anti-) hero is trying to reduce his reliance on pharmacological props while distancing himself from the local crime boss. Throw in several unsolved murders plus a shady organ transplant scheme and his life gets interesting in the worst sense of the word, as he continues to try to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. If noir private-eye stories are your thing give this series a try.
Book Club OR Readalong Book: God of Gnomes by Demi Harper
This is the first LitRPG book that I’ve read, and I really didn’t know what to expect, but I picked it in the spirit of trying something new. As it turned out, it was a quick fun read, nothing too demanding but definitely enjoyable. I’m not sure I want to read much more LitRPG, but I’ll probably try the sequel to this one at some point.
Cool Weapon; The Broken Sword, Poul Anderson (reread)
Dark (and I mean DARK) fantasy at its finest, The Broken Sword is a classic tragedy told in the style of a Norse saga. The chosen style and language do take some work for a modern reader to adjust to, but the payoff is well worth the effort. The old gods are playing games with man and faerie alike, and nobody gets out alive; I could only follow along in admiration as events moved to their inevitable tragic conclusion. The prose is outstanding, perfectly conjuring the imagery of the places and events. The Broken Sword is a classic from 1954 that deserves to be much better known than it is, but it has been overshadowed by its contemporary, The Lord of the Rings. Well worth reading and highly recommended.
Revolutions and Rebellions; David Wragg, The Righteous
A young knight and a fugitive prince fall in with a ragtag group of mercenaries when the prince’s older brother usurps the throne. Overthrowing the usurper is all well and good, but the bigger problem is staying alive when they don't know who to trust. The Righteous is a low fantasy (little or no magic) coming-of-age story that somewhat subverts the usual tropes and is a solid conclusion to the story begun in The Black Hawks. The varied characters of the mercenaries move these books to the next level, and I’m going to miss them now the story is finished. I really enjoyed this duology and I’m looking forward to more from David Wragg.
Name in the Title: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North
Excellent and engrossing, another outstanding book from Claire North. Part character study, part thriller, it considers the impact of her character's ability to a greater extent than her previous books. The protagonist is a young woman who is quickly forgotten by everyone she interacts with; no-one remembers her once their interaction is over (literally “out of sight, out of mind”). How do you live in the modern world when you are instantly forgotten? You can’t form any relationships; you can’t even hold a job. Claire North contrasts her protagonist with an antagonist who is a former spy, someone who would like nothing more than to be instantly forgettable. A thoughtful read that is well up to the author's usual standards.
Author Uses Initials: Devices and Desires by KJ Parker
Dark competence porn from KJ Parker. All the minutiae we've come to expect about subjects as diverse as boar hunting and making leather armour (which turn out to be more connected than we might think). The lead character is a brilliant and innovative engineer in a society that values high-quality engineering but has no tolerance for innovation. Fleeing a death sentence imposed for constructing a child's toy that dared to improve on permitted techniques, the engineer does what he sees as necessary to reunite with his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, he has lost whatever moral compass he may have had, and everything and everyone become no more than tools to be used in the pursuit of his goals.
Published in 2022: The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August
What starts as a Heinlein-esque YA space opera, featuring two brothers and their cat searching the ruins of dead civilizations for valuable information and artefacts, changes into a surprisingly effective and personal examination of love, loss and grief, offering an answer to the age-old question of "what's the point when we're all going to die anyway?". Despite some of the occasional awkwardness common in debut novels, this story is well worth reading.
Urban Fantasy: Jade War by Fonda Lee
I thought this was even better than Jade City, which was one of my better reads in 2021. The pacing is just right, there's genuine tension and surprises, and we get to see much more of the larger world beyond the island of Kekon. The prose is perfectly matched to the story, letting everything unfold in a way that supports the narrative rather than being a distraction. This is one of those books that I was sorry to finish.
Set in Africa: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
This was a fun and engaging read, with great worldbuilding and interesting characters. This is the first novel set in the author’s Dead Djinn universe, an alternate version of Egypt at the start of the 20th century in which Djinn and other magical entities have returned to the world. This has allowed Egypt to free itself from British control and establish itself as a major independent power. A Master of Djinn is a satisfying progression from the previous shorter works that adds much more detail to the world. Fatma el-Sha'arawi returns, together with other main characters from the earlier stories. A powerful magician seems to have returned to Cairo, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake. Fatma and her allies must track them down and find out who they really are. Anyone who enjoyed the earlier stories is going to enjoy this one too. Definitely recommended.
Non-Human Protagonist: Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
Feral Creatures, the sequel to Hollow Kingdom, follows the continued adventures of ST the pet crow as he deals with the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Now responsible for keeping Dee, the last human, safe while she grows up, ST has to learn that you can't keep your fledglings safe by hiding them from the world. Not quite as good as Hollow Kingdom, but only because the premise of animals surviving a human zombie apocalypse is no longer new. The off-the-wall humour and the larger-than-life animal characters are still here and still make the story work. Special shout out to Genghis Cat and Tom Hanks the cockatoo. Recommended if you like your zombie apocalypse with minimum humans, maximum animals, and a delightfully warped sense of humour.
Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey: Recursion by Blake Crouch
This is a good time travel/parallel worlds thriller. People are starting to remember lives that that they have never lived, loved ones who in fact never met them or who died years ago. The consequences for some are tragic, but what is causing this epidemic of false memories? Entertaining but not too demanding, this is a good beach read.
Five Short Stories: Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling
This is where the bonus novel comes in. Schismatrix Plus includes all of Sterling’s ShapeMechanist stories – five short stories plus the novel Schismatrix. Published separately during the 1980s then collected in a single volume in 1995, these stories have been on my radar for a long time, but I never got around to reading them. The inclusion of one of the short stories (Swarm) in Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots season 3 finally prompted me to correct this omission. Schismatrix starts almost as a political thriller with a cyberpunk/space opera setting, then becomes something of a travelogue, exploring the complex post-human society that develops in the solar system following the political and ecological collapse of Earth. The novel adds depth and cohesion to the complex society alluded to in the short stories and the compendium volume makes a satisfying read. Recommended if future histories and thoughtful science fiction appeal to you.
Features Mental Health: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This standalone novella features a strong theme of mental health, and of how difficult it can be to communicate with others despite everyone’s best intentions. Clarke’s third law is on full display here as two protagonists experience the same story from very different perspectives; one is from a low-tech, almost medieval, society, the other is from a very high-tech background. The two of them see the world quite differently but need to cooperate to deal with an out-of-context problem that neither of them properly understands. Further complicating the situation, one of the protagonists struggles with partially controlled (or at least suppressed) depression while the other is, at first, rather naive. How they learn to work together and draw strength from each other adds an emotional depth to the story that lifts it well above its basic premise. Elder Race is simply outstanding, arguably one of Tchaikovsky’s best books.
Self-Published OR Indie Publisher: The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee
This is the most unusual book that I've read in a long time, a beautifully written epic fantasy story told in poetry. Prince Xau, the young fourth son of a recently dead king, unexpectedly becomes king himself and must guide his country through wars and other threats while learning what it means to be king. I was doubtful at first (I only rarely read poetry and it's generally not my thing), but I bought the book on the basis of this review. One of my best reads of the year and highly recommended.
Award Finalist, but Not Won: A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
A fun, engaging and easy read. A young woman fights against social conventions and expectations to pursue her passion: the study of dragons. This is an enjoyable homage to nineteenth century authors from Jane Austen to H.Rider Haggard via Robert Louis Stevenson, and neatly subverts the Boys' Own-style adventure stories of the period. Definitely recommended, although this is book one in a series and I’m not sure how well the style can hold its appeal over multiple books.
BIPOC Author: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
A well-written horror story with some genuinely scary moments, The Only Good Indians has a distinct setting and several surprising twists. Four friends, members of the Blackfeet tribe, have to deal with the consequences of events that occurred during an illegal hunting trip. Worth reading at least as much for the perspective of tribal life in the modern world as for the horror story.
Shapeshifters: The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
I wasn't expecting too much, since the book had been heavily hyped then received mixed reviews, but this one was actually a fun read with some interesting world-building. Kihrin, an orphan of uncertain parentage, is caught up in events that he struggles to understand and can’t control; his main concern is simply to survive and regain some measure of agency. The unusual narrative structure, presented as a conversation between a jailer and a prisoner with each recounting alternate chapters, worked well and added some tension to the story. Not one of my top books of the year but certainly good enough that the sequels are now on my TBR list.
No Ifs, Ands, or Buts: Stand Still, Stay Silent (Book 2) by Minna Sundberg (graphic novel)
Not quite as engrossing as Book 1 (which I have previously reviewed here), possibly because almost everything happens in the same location, but Book 2 still very good. Briefly, Scandinavia and Iceland have survived a disastrous global pandemic, but old gods and monsters have returned to the world. An underfunded and poorly equipped expedition is now exploring the (mostly) deserted city of Copenhagen and may have a lead on a cure for whatever caused the pandemic. The artwork is still gorgeous but unfortunately there aren’t as many maps as the first book.
Family Matters: Luna: Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald
This is the second book in Ian McDonald’s Luna trilogy, and I’ve previously reviewed the first book, Luna:New Moon, here. Most of my comments still stand - Luna:Wolf Moon is still Dune meets Game of Thrones ON THE MOON, and still great fun! Recommended if you want some deadly family politics in your science fiction.
Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far. I made a concerted effort to include sequels in this card, since I have too many series currently on the go, and I was pleased to read 10 sequels. Because of this I only read six new authors for the card but did manage to add a few more in non-bingo reading (plus multiple new authors in the Neil Clarke anthology). Twelve books were science fiction, twelve were fantasy and one was horror. Average book length was 422 pages, and average time taken to read a book was about 9 days. All books were read as text, not audio, and almost all were ebooks. In addition to the 25 books listed here there were two more books that I started to read for this card but ended up not finishing; they can remain safely anonymous.
Particular highlights from this year’s card were Rosemary Kirstein -The Lost Steersman, Neil Clarke – More Human Than Human, Lavie Tidhar - By Force Alone, Fonda Lee – Jade War, Adrian Tchaikovsky - Elder Race, and Mary Soon Lee - The Sign of the Dragon. I highly recommend all of them.
EDIT: formatting