Part One Here!
Part Two Here!
Part Three Here!
Part Four Here!
Part Five Here!
Part Six Here!
Part Seven Here!
Part Eight Here!
Part Nine Here!
Part Ten Here!
We pick up in the dying embers of 2011, following John Cena once again falling short against CM Punk with the WWE Title on the line, this time at Survivor Series. Having fought with all his heart and still come up short, passing out to the Anaconda Vise, an ashamed Cena takes some time off to recover from the toll his three championship reigns took on him over the past year. However, he vows to come back and win the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row in order to once again main event WrestleMania, this time bringing the title home at the expense of his long-running rival.
Royal Rumble 2012
30 Man Royal Rumble Match
The crowd is hot as they start the countdown for lucky Number 27, with Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, The Miz, Cody Rhodes and Jack Swagger all in the ring waiting to see who comes out… AND IT’S JOHN CENA, BACK WITH A VENGEANCE AFTER ALMOST TWO MONTHS TO HEAL UP! Cena comes in like a house on fire, making a beeline for Barrett and notching the elimination he struggled so hard for the year prior, followed by tossing Jack Swagger over the top and to the floor. He lays out Miz, Ziggler and Cody with a series of flying shoulder blocks, building up steam before taking in the love from the crowd and turning to face Sheamus. They start trading bombs in the middle of the ring as Number 28 enters, the audience whipped into a frenzy as Randy Orton makes his way down to the ring to eliminate Cody. Swagger tries to dump the Viper over, but Orton nails a back elbow, Swagger turning around INTO A BROGUE KICK, SHEAMUS TOSSING HIM OVER THE TOP BEFORE BEING HIT WITH A ZIG ZAG! Ziggler struggles to get Sheamus over the top rope, Sheamus fighting tooth and nail before finally knocking Dolph away, straight into an attempted RKO FROM ORTON, BUT DOLPH SHOVES RANDY INTO AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!
Number 29’s countdown ushers out Chris Jericho, and it’s Y2J’s grand return to the ring as he immediately hits Dolph with a Codebreaker, eliminating him. He springs up, only for Miz to go for the Skull Crushing Finale… but Jericho rolls him forward, Miz rolling and pivoting for a CODEBREAKER TO FLOOR HIM! Cena and Jericho start trading shots, Cena whipping Jericho into the ropes and going for a flying shoulder block, but JERICHO WITH A THIRD CODEBREAKER! Miz staggers to his feet, and SHEAMUS CLOTHESLINES HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE FOR THE ELIMINATION! Number 30’s theme hits, and welllllll… it’s the Big Show. Show lumbers down to the ring, with Sheamus, Orton, Jericho and Cena still in the mix, the final five already locked. Begrudgingly, the four men in the ring look up towards the ramp, realizing that their only hope at getting the massive man over the top rope is to work together. Show enters the ring, and ALL FOUR JUMP HIM, ONLY FOR THE BIG SHOW TO EXPLODE OUTWARDS AND SEND THEM FLYING!
Sheamus is up first, going for a Brogue Kick and EATING A WMD! Jericho leaps up for a Codebreaker, but Show simply stays standing, remaining steady and jetting Jericho up into ANOTHER WMD, BUT NOW ORTON NAILS AN RKO! Show’s on spaghetti legs, and CENA LIFTS HIM UP! MY GOD, THE POWER! THE CROWD ARE ALL ON THEIR FEET AS CENA STRUGGLES TO HOLD FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HUMANITY ALOFT… ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT SENDS SHOW TO THE APRON, AND DOWN TO THE FLOOR! Exhausted, Cena flops against the ropes, and RANDY ORTON DUMPS HIM OVER THE TOP TO THE APRON, CENA HOLDING ON WITH JUST ONE HAND! Orton tries to kick the hand out, but John is glued to the apron, refusing to be shaken off and driving his shoulder into Orton’s gut, trying for a back body drop over the top… BUT ORTON DRAGS HIM IN FOR A DRAPING DDT! Cena is dazed and confused as Orton calls for an RKO, but CENA COUNTERS, GOING FOR AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT - BUT SHEAMUS NAILS HIM WITH A BROGUE KICK, LEAVING HIM PRONE FOR AN RKO! ORTON ELIMINATES CENA! Despite making it to the final four, Cena’s effort wasn’t enough, and he’s forced to watch as CHRIS JERICHO LAST ELIMINATES RANDY ORTON IN HIS HOMETOWN OF ST. LOUIS!
Chris Jericho wins the 2012 Royal Rumble (54:56)
Road to Elimination Chamber 2012
With Chris Jericho surprisingly declaring his intentions to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title, saying he became synonymous with the gold in the late 2000s and wants to do so again, the WWE Title scene is wide open heading out of the Royal Rumble - but John Laurinaitis wants to make sure that said scene doesn’t involve CM Punk, and schedules a Punk defense within the satanic structure, with one of his challengers being Dolph Ziggler, Laurinatis’ champion of choice. He also declares there will be four qualifying matches to determine who enters alongside Punk and Ziggler, and the next week, they begin, with John Cena scheduled to face the Big Show as penance for socking Laurinaitis at Money in the Bank 2011. Big man goes up, and big man goes down, with Cena defeating the Big Show with a thunderous Attitude Adjustment in Raw’s main event. Over the next few weeks, the Chamber fills out, with R-Truth, The Miz and Wade Barrett joining the fray, with the go-home show seeing a fracas break out, and a slimy Dolph Ziggler finally standing tall ahead of the Chamber.
Elimination Chamber 2012
Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Title: John Cena vs. CM Punk (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz vs. Wade Barrett
The Chamber is about as rigged as it can possibly get, with Laurinaitis orchestrating Punk and Cena as the starting two. It’s a fantastic opening exchange, and it’s incredibly closely contested, with John throwing everything he can at the champion to finally get one up on him. Barrett is out next, using his power to wear down both Punk and Cena, and then it’s Truth, who immediately makes a beeline for Miz’s pod, kicking through it and igniting a wild brawl between them. Cena notches the first elimination by putting away Wade Barrett with an Attitude Adjustment, and finally, Dolph Ziggler comes out fresh as a daisy at Number 6, putting the boots to everyone in the match. He lays out Cena and Punk with Zig-Zags, both of which only earn two counts, and then changes his tactics, helping The Miz eliminate R-Truth and insisting they team up to take out the champion and the most daunting challenger. Miz accepts, and with Punk and Cena’s inability to work together, they dole out massive damage, Punk narrowly managing to roll up Miz for three and put Ziggler on the back foot.
Furious, Ziggler tries to flee Punk’s wrath, but Cena insists that he’ll help the champion get rid of Ziggler so they can go one on one, fair and square. Punk agrees, and corners Dolph up against a pod, forcing Ziggler to climb up to the top… AND INTO CENA’S WAITING ARMS, WITH THE CENATION LEADER NAILING AN AVALANCHE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT OFF THE POD! Cena tries to roll over onto Dolph to make the cover, but PUNK OFF THE TOP ROPE WITH AN ELBOW DROP, AND NOW HOISTING CENA UP INTO A GO TO SLEEP! ONE! TWO! THREE! PUNK PUTS CENA AWAY, BY NOOK AND BY CROOK, AND NOW HE PINS ZIGGLER… ONE! TWO! THREE! PUNK RETAINS THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP!
CM Punk def. John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, The Miz and Wade Barrett (31:40) to retain the WWE Title
Road to WrestleMania XXVIII
CM Punk may have come out of Elimination Chamber as champion, but he did so at the expense of turning a rival into an enemy. John Cena comes out at the top of the hour on Raw to call out Punk, saying that he agreed to help him against a common enemy so they could face off fairly - and Punk took the coward’s way out. That brings out the champion, who clearly resents being called a coward, saying that Cena should really only be calling him one name: champion, because for all the talk about Hustle and Loyalty, Cena’s not showing enough Respect. Punk worked hard to get this title, but he owes Cena no loyalty… in fact, he owes him nothing, leading Cena to PUNCH PUNK IN THE FACE! Punk drops down out of the ring, clutching the title, and John grabs the microphone, declaring that Punk owes him one thing, and that’s the one on one match they agreed upon at Elimination Chamber. Cena says that if Punk wants respect, he’ll have to earn it… at WrestleMania. Gritting his teeth, Punk agrees, and we’re set for WrestleMania 28 with John Cena vs. CM Punk, WWE Championship on the line.
The next week is a contract signing between the two, and the animosity is higher than ever, the undertone of mutual respect following their series of battles exchanged for contempt. Cena signs first, and Punk uses the spotlight to start a sermon on the mount, saying that John Cena’s just walked into success wherever he’s gone. Outside WWE, he was a multi-time champion within a few years, and once he got to WWE and started shilling merchandise and shedding his Nexus skin, it was all sunshine and rainbows for the Cenation leader. However, Punk says that at Elimination Chamber, he taught the children Cena wants so desperately to look up to him a more valuable lesson than Cena ever could - that they aren’t the only person trying to reach the top. Punk’s worked for years to get to where he is, he overcame the same obstacles Cena did and then some, and in that time, he learned it’s a dog-eat-dog world. Maybe John’s had it too easy to notice, but life is hard, and at WrestleMania, he’ll make that point definitively when he beats Cena… again. Anyway, the contract is signed, and as is tradition, Punk goes through the table, but John looks pretty shaken by what Punk said.
They continue exchanging verbal barbs on the Road to WrestleMania, and Cena heats himself up with a big win over Kane, and another over The Miz on back-to-back Raw episodes. On the go-home show, it’s one more face-to-face promo segment, with CM Punk coming down to the ring and explaining that he’s held the WWE Championship for about four months - longer than Cena ever has. The head that wears the crown is a heavy one, but he’s overcome every obstacle thrown at him by John Laurinaitis, by Dolph Ziggler, and while he knows Cena holds a grudge against both of them too, he sees Cena the same way; as an obstacle that he’s overcome repeatedly, because he’s the Best in the World. Because of that, at WrestleMania, he’ll treat him no differently than he would Laurinaitis or Ziggler, because he’s just a problem to be solved, no matter his morals or popularity. Cena comes out and says Punk talks about hardships, but Cena had to work for eight years before returning to WWE. He had to fight for his spot, and the past year and a half of his career, he’s done it the right way. He’s imposed those challenges upon himself to try and make the world a better place, but Punk is selfish. He holds himself to no principles but those that benefit him at any given moment, so while he may be a great competitor, he’s not deserving of Cena’s respect, or the respect of the people - and when Cena pins his shoulders to the mat in Miami, he won’t be deserving of being called champion, either. The last image of both men before their WrestleMania clash is a simple one, with CM Punk raising the championship that John Cena designed high above his challenger’s head.
WrestleMania XXVIII
WWE Title: John Cena vs. CM Punk (c)
For the second year in a row, John Cena walks into WrestleMania as the challenger for the WWE Championship, but this time, it’s on a cold streak compared to the heater he was on in 2011. He’s lost to CM Punk at Money in the Bank, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and now Elimination Chamber, meaning the champion is plenty confident for this one. They start off cautious, knowing each other and the dangers posed very well, and Punk manages to get control early by kicking Cena off the top rope to the apron, with John landing on his back. He works over Cena’s spine, trying to take away his overwhelming power, but Cena manages to find a small gap in Punk’s offense and NAIL AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! TH-PUNK KICKS OUT, BUT WE’RE OFF TO THE RACES NOW! Cena’s back in the fight, and he goes after Punk hard with a series of shoulder blocks, only for Punk to drop down under one and catch Cena on the rebound with a head kick before LOCKING IN THE ANACONDA VISE, THE SAME MOVE THAT PUT CENA AWAY AT SURVIVOR SERIES! Cena scrambles to the ropes, but Punk kicks off of them again, only for Cena to roll through and HOIST PUNK UP INTO A SIDE SLAM, FOLLOWING IT UP WITH A FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE… AND A SECOND ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THRE-PUNK SOMEHOW LIFTS THE SHOULDER!
Now it’s Cena’s turn to go on the attack, knowing one more big move will put Punk down for three, but Punk is getting desperate, rolling out of the ring to safety before CATCHING CENA WITH A DDT ON THE FLOOR! He crawls back into the ring, considering taking a countout, but instead he delivers a SUICIDE DIVE, SENDING CENA INTO THE BARRICADE SPINE-FIRST! He hops onto the announce table and nails a flying clothesline before sending Cena back in, stumbling towards the challenger and BEING SCOOPED UP FOR A THIRD ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, BUT CENA’S BACK GIVES WAY, PROVIDING PUNK THE OPENING TO CONNECT WITH A BACKSTABBER! He picks Cena up… GO TO SLEEP! ONE! TWO! THRE-CENA KICKS OUT! Frustrated, Punk rolls John over onto his stomach, dropping knee after knee into the spinal cord before clambering up to the top rope for an ELBOW DROP TO CENA’S BACK, BUT THE CHALLENGER ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY TO TRAP PUNK IN THE STF! HE’S GOT PUNK DEAD TO RIGHTS! The referee leans in as Punk screams and shouts, finally grabbing the referee by the shirt to stop himself from submitting… AND LUNGING FORWARD, SENDING CENA INTO THE REFEREE’S SKULL FOR A CLASH OF HEADS! The referee crumples as a dazed John tries to lock the hold back in, but WAIT A SECOND! WHO THE HELL IS… JOHN CENA JUST GOT HIT WITH A STEEL CHAIR, STRAIGHT TO THE SPINE! IT’S PAUL HEYMAN! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? The crowd is in disbelief as Heyman hurries out of the ring, a wounded Punk pushing the chair under the ropes before delivering another emphatic GO TO SLEEP! He collapses over Cena as the referee comes to, counting the pin… ONE… TWO… THREE! CM PUNK CHEATS JOHN CENA OUT OF THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH THE HELP OF PAUL HEYMAN!
CM Punk def. John Cena (25:43) to retain the WWE Title
Road to Extreme Rules 2012
The Raw after WrestleMania sees CM Punk come out to open the show, officially proclaiming himself not only the WWE Champion, not only the man who’s gone 4-0 against John Cena in singles competition for the gold, but a “Paul Heyman Guy.” Naturally, Cena crashes the party, furious about being screwed over, with Punk ducking out of harm’s way and Heyman narrowly avoiding catastrophe. However, Paul promises that in the main event timeslot, he’ll happily speak with John Cena face to face, vanishing behind the curtain and forcing Cena to wait. The main event slot rolls round, and Cena comes down to the ring, saying that he wants to face Punk once again at Extreme Rules, this time under the titular ruleset, and that even if Paul Heyman wants to interfere, he’ll face it head on and make him pay for costing him at WrestleMania. Out struts Heyman onto the stage, microphone in hand, and he says that at Extreme Rules, he accepts Cena’s challenge on behalf of his client. Cena will have an Extreme Rules match against a Paul Heyman guy - but not CM Punk. Cena’s confusion turns to anger before the roof comes unglued, because BROCK LESNAR IS BACK IN THE WWE! He meets Cena in the ring, John telling Brock to step aside and that this isn’t his fight, but LESNAR SCOOPS HIM UP FOR AN F-5, STANDING TALL WITH HEYMAN!
The next week, Lesnar is reintroduced to the WWE Universe by Heyman after nearly a decade away, but it quickly devolves into a brawl with Cena, the entire locker room emptying out to keep them apart ahead of what will surely be an incomprehensibly violent affair. Cena comes away bloodied, as does Lesnar, while Heyman scurries away to hide behind CM Punk backstage. The following Raw, John Laurinaitis says that for starting the brawl, Cena has been suspended for the week, and that he’s officially negotiated a WWE contract for “The New Face of WWE,” Brock Lesnar, through Laurinaitis’ “good friend,” Paul Heyman. The deck is stacked, and Laurinaitis says that as the GM of both Raw and Smackdown, he’s getting pretty sick of John Cena running around like he owns the place - and if he steps out of line again, he might just have to fire him. The go-home show sees Cena return, not permitted to touch anyone associated with Heyman or Laurinaitis, but the tension is palpable as he says to Brock that he’ll go through him and whoever else he has to in order to set things right.
Extreme Rules 2012
Extreme Rules Match: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
This one is an out-and-out war from the opening bell, with Cena opening up his old playbook and wearing a chain to the ring in order to clock the Beast Incarnate, busting Brock open. However, the second he goes for another shot, Lesnar takes him down and lands an elbow to the head, leaving Cena leaking like a faucet. He follows it up by hurling John into the ring post, both men bloodied in the opening stages as they wrestle for control. However, Brock has a target set on John’s back, and he nails it with a POWERBOMB THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE, FOLLOWED BY SIMPLY RIPPING UP A PIECE OF THE BARRICADE AND SLAMMING IT INTO CENA’S SPINE! He chains Cena to the ring post, piecing him up with his UFC Championship caliber striking, landing punches to the body before letting Heyman mockingly deliver a “You Can’t See Me” to the Cenation leader. Brock rips him away from the ring post, and now delivers an F-5 ONTO THE FLOOR! He slides the ring steps into the squared circle, standing tall atop them as Cena struggles onto the apron, and runs off the steps to SEND BOTH MEN CRASHING TO THE FLOOR, A KNEE FROM BROCK GOING STRAIGHT INTO JOHN’S TEMPLE! Save for a few glimmers of hope for Cena, it’s been a dominant performance by Lesnar, who now rolls Cena in and calls for an F-5 ON THE STEPS, ONLY FOR CENA TO REVERSE INTO A DDT ONTO THE STEEL! ONE! TWO! THR-NOO! LESNAR KICKS OUT, BUT CENA HAS A CHANCE HERE! Fighting through the pain as best he can to lift Lesnar up, he gets him into a fireman’s carry… BUT BROCK INTO A KIMURA! HE’S GOT CENA TRAPPED, BUT JOHN RUNS HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! Lesnar stumbles - CENA WITH AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THRE-PAUL HEYMAN STOPS THE COUNT! Cena looks up with murderous intent, Heyman immediately fleeing the scene, but John follows him around ringside before being INTERCEPTED BY BROCK, WHO GETS HIM UP FOR ANOTHER F-5, ONLY FOR JOHN TO SWING AROUND BEHIND HIM! CENA’S GOT THE CHAIN AROUND BROCK’S NECK! HE’S CHOKING THE BEAST OUT! LESNAR’S FADING! HE’S GOT NOWHERE TO GO, AND NOW JOHN HOISTS HIM UP FOR AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT ON THE STEPS! ONE! TWO! THREE! JOHN CENA SURVIVES BROCK LESNAR!
John Cena def. Brock Lesnar (23:57)
Road to Over The Limit 2012
Following his monumental defeat of the first opponent in his rapist gauntlet, Cena is ready to get back in the title hunt, but he’s confronted by another roadblock - John Laurinaitis, who’s not happy at all about the “New Face of WWE” being beaten by Cena, who’s become something of a thorn in the side of People Power. He says that he’s threatened to fire Cena before, and now, having seen the Cenation leader chase down Paul Heyman, a non-competitor, he feels he has no choice. Cena rips the microphone out of Laurinaitis’ hand, backing him into the turnbuckles and leaning in nice and close before starting his speech. He says that he’s spent years doing things the right way, and playing within the rules in order to overcome the obstacles in front of him. He tries to lead by example, to help people with their hardships, to be someone to aspire towards for sick children who are fighting harder than even he can imagine - but if Laurinaitis intends to take that option from him by firing him, Cena will have to approach things differently. If he can’t overcome obstacles, he has to get rid of his obstacles. Johnny Ace is sweating bullets, and says something about being the GM of both Raw and Smackdown, only for Cena to offer him the opportunity of a lifetime - a match, where if Cena loses, he’ll QUIT, and he’ll accept the result peacefully. Laurinaitis perks up, and Cena says that if his opponent loses, they’ll have to do so by quitting too. Wanting to get rid of the threat, Laurinaitis agrees, before Cena says that that opponent is Laurinaitis himself. The match is made official for Over The Limit - Cena vs. Laurinaitis, Loser Leaves WWE, in an I Quit Match.
The next week sees Laurinaitis trying desperately to bribe people over to his side in the fight against Cena, but much of the locker room remains steadfast in wanting People Power gone. Lesnar is nowhere to be seen, given his schedule, and even CM Punk, Cena’s heated rival, says that despite his detestment for Cena, after all Laurinaitis put him through, he has no intent of helping. He hopes they both lose. Finally, on the go-home show, Laurinaitis is seen on the phone offering an iron-clad contract to someone, worth a record-setting amount, but one that will only take effect the night after Over The Limit, meaning Laurinaitis has to win for it to be enacted. Satisfied with his ace in the hole, he prepares to face the music, saying in an interview that he’ll have no problem beating John Cena - he’s had forty minute wars in his heyday. He’s beaten the likes of Mitsuharu Misawa (who Cena killed), so he has no fear heading in - but he then hears a random conversation down the hall, and leaps up out of his seat, terrified. He runs out of frame, shouting that he’ll make Cena quit at Over The Limit.
Over The Limit 2012
Loser Leaves WWE I Quit Match: John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis
“Big fight feel” doesn’t even begin to describe John Laurinaitis’ first PPV match since his time in All Japan, but “prison beating” does, with Cena beating Johnny Ace’s ass from pillar to post for a good ten minutes. Cena brings him to commentary and puts him in a headset, saying he’ll be Cole while Laurinaitis is Booker T, leading Johnny Ace to sputter “five time” in his weird raspy voice before eating an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! The referee asks Laurinaitis if he wants to quit, but before he can answer, THE BIG SHOW LANDS A WMD ON THE REFEREE! COME ON! Show apologizes to Cena, saying he needs to do this for the contract that’ll feed his family for the rest of his life, and Cena shrugs before they start duking it out, neither one willing to give an inch. Eventually, Cena manages to PUT SHOW THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE WITH AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, AND NOW HE LOCKS LAURINAITIS IN THE STF, STICKING THE MICROPHONE IN HIS FACE… LAURINAITIS QUITS!
John Cena def. John Laurinaitis (15:07), meaning Laurinaitis must leave WWE
Road to No Way Out 2012
Having defeated another sex pest, John Cena is looking to continue the streak, saying he wants to enter the title scene again. However, CM Punk and the WWE Title are now wrapped up in a scene with Daniel Bryan, Kane and AJ Lee, who, with Mr. McMahon behind her, holds all the cards necessary to exclude Cena from the equation. With that in mind, Cena goes after World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, setting the match for No Way Out with a series of blistering promos, centred on Jericho having come out on top in his WrestleMania title bout, and Cena having fallen short. However, with two deviants in the mud behind him, Cena’s feeling good about beating a third and claiming his fourth World Championship in WWE.
No Way Out 2012
World Heavyweight Title: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho (c)
This is an incredible match, with Jericho certainly being a heel, but not one as underhanded as some of Cena’s more recent opponents, making for an entertaining back-and-forth skill-based bout. Jericho naturally works over Cena’s back, only a month and a half removed from his battle with Lesnar and two and a half from his battle with Punk, and continuously tries to cinch in the Walls of Jericho. However, Cena always seems to have an answer, and, after kicking out of a Codebreaker, manages to scoop Jericho up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, BUT JERICHO LANDS ON HIS FEET AND HITS A SPINNING BACK ELBOW, THE LIKES OF WHICH WE’VE NEVER SEEN FROM HIM! He goes for the Walls of Jericho once more, but a defiant Cena manages to extend his legs and force Jericho off, before leaping atop him and LOCKING IN THE STF, FORCING JERICHO TO SUBMIT! JOHN CENA’S THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, AND AFTER HOLDING THE NWA TITLE IN A PAST LIFE, HE FINALLY GETS TO LIFT THE BIG GOLD THAT ONCE REPRESENTED IT!
John Cena def. Chris Jericho (18:32) to win the World Heavyweight Title
Road to Money in the Bank 2012
Now wearing gold once more, Cena brings in a new rendition of his “The Champ is Here” shirt, and says he’s looking forward to defending the helm at Money in the Bank. Alberto Del Rio takes offense to this, saying that at Money in the Bank, the poster child of wealth deserves to hold gold. Cena asks if that’s a challenge, which it is, and accepts, presumably so he can browbeat a FOURTH sex pest. Over the next few weeks, Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez talk about the championship lifestyle, using segments to display Alberto’s opulent wealth and talk about how a REAL champion doesn’t do Make a Wish, but tramples on the poor to build golf courses or something. Cena ramps up his charity work by meeting sick children and offscreening some more people who belong on the sex offender registry, setting the stage for an exciting ideological battle in Phoenix.
Money in the Bank 2012
World Heavyweight Title: John Cena (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
Having historically had a rough time of successfully defending gold in WWE, and a very rough time at Money in the Bank, Cena’s got a lot to prove against Del Rio, who tries to soften Cena up for the Cross Armbreaker throughout, using all tools available - smashing Cena’s arm off the ring post, steel steps, barricade and announce table all around ringside before attempting to lock in the submission in the centre of the ring… CENA STACKS HIM UP! ONE! TWO! TH-HE LIFTS DEL RIO UP IN A HUGE SHOW OF STRENGTH FOR A POWERBOMB! Del Rio is staggered as Cena measures his man for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THREE! HE MAY BE COMING AWAY WITH A WOUNDED ARM, BUT JOHN CENA JUST MADE LIGHT WORK OF THE MEXICAN ARISTOCRAT!
John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio (12:45) to retain the World Heavyweight Title
Road to SummerSlam 2012
Having defeated four sex pests, the locker room is now running pretty dry, so Cena decides it’s mission accomplished and turns his attention to the rest of the roster. Still plenty focused on CM Punk, he says he’ll get to him eventually, but for now, he’s looking for a SummerSlam challenger. Out marches Sheamus, who came tantalizingly close to winning Money in the Bank the previous night, to a huge reaction from the crowd. He’s all smiles as he turns to face Cena, saying they’ve only met in the Royal Rumble, but never one on one. Cena asks the crowd if they want to see him face Sheamus at SummerSlam, and they all roar in approval before Flight of the Valkyries hits, ushering out Daniel Bryan. Bryan says that next week, he’s scheduled to marry AJ Lee on Raw 1000, and he wants to be wearing gold for the happiest moment of his life - the gold that he lost at WrestleMania. He doesn’t care if Sheamus challenges at SummerSlam, but he cares who Sheamus FACES, because it’s shouldn’t be John Cena… it should be Daniel Bryan. Cena chuckles, and accepts the challenge for Raw 1000’s opening contest.
World Heavyweight Title: John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
In a closely contested affair, John Cena and Daniel Bryan go back and forth to kick off a celebration of Raw, with Sheamus on guest commentary and Bryan’s blushing bride-to-be at ringside. Naturally, Bryan makes a beeline for Cena’s arm, trying to soften it up further just a week removed from the pain Del Rio put it through, and gets to showcase his broad array of submissions, Cena just barely managing to survive the onslaught with rope break after rope break before finally nailing an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THRE-BRYAN GETS A FOOT UNDER THE ROPE! Cena calls for another one, but Bryan is somehow able to reverse it into a victory roll, followed by a NO KICK TO THE HEAD! He sends Cena into the corner, ready for a running dropkick, and turns to AJ, beckoning her up to the apron for a kiss. She hops up, he leans over, and… SHE DOESN’T KISS HIM? Bryan’s confused, and turns around into a SECOND ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THREE! BRYAN’S JILTED BEFORE THE ALTAR IS EVEN SET UP!
John Cena def. Daniel Bryan (16:23) to retain the World Heavyweight Title
Now set to face off with Sheamus, it’s a much more respectful build than Cena’s been used to, without the antagonistic rivals opposite him. For Sheamus and Cena, it’s a first time ever clash of the titans, two big guys with big muscles who are gonna fight for the Heavyweight Title. Wrestling has never been more back.
SummerSlam 2012
World Heavyweight Title: John Cena (c) vs. Sheamus
These two men simply collide at the Staples Center, giving us fifteen glorious minutes that completely lack control segments or hope spots or changes in momentum - it’s just big bombs being thrown. Eventually, Sheamus gets going on a roll, nailing an Irish Curse Backbreaker to exacerbate Cena’s back problems before following it up with a HIGH CROSS! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOO! He transitions straight into a Cloverleaf, folding Cena in two and bearing down on his lower spine, but John just manages to reach the ropes, refusing to give up. Sheamus heads to the corner, calling for the Brogue Kick, but CENA DUCKS IT, PIVOTING AROUND AND NAILING A SHOULDER BLOCK! NOW ANOTHER! HE’S GOT SHEAMUS WHERE HE WANTS HIM… FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE FOR TWO! Sheamus is in trouble now, Cena getting him up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, AND NOW HE ROLLS THROUGH TO GO FOR ANOTHER - ONLY FOR SHEAMUS TO SLIP OFF BEHIND HIM FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX! BROGUE KICK MISSES BY A FRACTION OF AN INCH, CENA SLIPPING PAST TO BEHEAD SHEAMUS WITH A LARIAT! HE PICKS HIM UP… ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THREE! CENA MAKES IT THROUGH A TRUE WAR!
John Cena def. Sheamus (18:59) to retain the World Heavyweight Title
Cena’s barely able to stand after that one, his back giving him plenty of trouble as he leans on the ropes, giving a nod to Sheamus as a show of respect for the fantastic match, when… OH MY GOD! Dolph Ziggler sprints down to the ring, the referee still checking on Cena, and IMMEDIATELY SUPERKICKS THE CHAMPION UNDER THE JAW BEFORE HE CAN EVEN REACT! He hands over the briefcase, and THE BELL RINGS!
World Heavyweight Title: John Cena (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
ZIG ZAG! ONE! TWO! THRE-CENA KICKS OUT! The crowd is electric as Dolph lines Cena up for another Zig-Zag, but Cena manages to buck him off by clinging to the top rope, throwing a back elbow and ANOTHER THUNDEROUS LARIAT! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOO! Cena scoops Dolph up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, BUT NOW ZIGGLER LOCKS IN THE SLEEPER HOLD! CENA TRIES TO SHAKE HIM OFF, BUT DOLPH DRIVES KNEES INTO THE SPINE TO BREAK HIS STANCE… CENA ROLLS HIM FORWARD, AND GOES FOR AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, ONLY FOR ZIGGLER TO LAND ON HIS FEET AND NAIL A ZIG-ZAG! ONE! TWO! THREE! DOLPH ZIGGLER IS THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
Dolph Ziggler def. John Cena (2:30) to win the World Heavyweight Title
Road to Night of Champions 2012
On Raw, John Cena is crestfallen, not having the chance to walk into his hometown of Boston as champion. However, with the World Heavyweight Title off his shoulder, he has a choice on his hands - does he pursue revenge against Dolph Ziggler, or does he once again set his sights on CM Punk for the first time since WrestleMania? His choice is the latter, and he issues his challenge for the TD Garden: John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Title. Paul Heyman comes out to the stage with the champion, and says that after nearly a year with the gold, Punk doesn’t need to give Cena a damn thing. However, Cena says that if Punk wants respect so much, there’s no better way to earn it than beating the Cenation leader clean as a whistle, something he couldn’t do at WrestleMania. Paul is about to reject, but Punk stops him, and says that he’ll see Cena in Boston, just so he can embarrass him in his hometown… because if Punk wins, John Cena has to cut a promo after the match explaining why he respects CM Punk. Cena accepts the terms, and after five months of waiting, we’re back on the element with the Best in the World vs. The Franchise.
Cena spends the next few weeks discussing his journey back to the WWE Title - beating a new Heyman guy in the form of Brock Lesnar after Heyman cost him the win against Punk, then beating Laurinaitis to ensure management wouldn’t get in his way, then winning another World Championship in the interim, all leading back to the Straight Edge Saviour. In Boston, he can’t fail, because frankly, he’s not sure what he’d say if he lost. He doesn’t respect the cheating ways, he doesn’t respect the cult of personality, he doesn’t respect the hiding up until this point, and in Boston, he’ll do what he should’ve done a long time ago at Money in the Bank 2011 - he’ll save the WWE Championship from CM Punk.
Night of Champions 2012
WWE Title; If Cena Loses, He Must Say He Respects Punk: John Cena vs. CM Punk (c)
It is deafening inside the TD Garden for the rematch the world’s been waiting for, with CM Punk looking to go a flawless 5-0 in singles competition against the hometown hero. Just like he did at WrestleMania, Punk targets the back, but Cena toughs it out as best he can, his sheer grit and determination carrying him through the storm. Both striving to gain the upper hand despite their deep knowledge of each other’s moves, they pull out all the stops, with Punk GOING FOR ANOTHER PILEDRIVER, ONLY FOR CENA TO COUNTER WITH A BACK BODY DROP OVER THE TOP! Clutching his lower back, Cena lines himself up for a SUICIDE DIVE TO PUNK, NEARLY LANDING IN HIS FATHER’S LAP! He sends Punk back in, nailing a top rope leg drop as the champ tries to get back to his feet, followed by a FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! HE’S GOT HIM UP… ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! ONE! TWO! THRE-NOOOO! Going for broke, Cena sets Punk up on the top rope, calling for an avalanche Attitude Adjustment, but PUNK WITH BLOWS TO THE SPINE, NOW HOOKING CENA’S ARMS! IS HE GOING FOR A PEPSI PLUNGE? NO! CENA LIFTS HIM UP AGAIN, AND PUNK DROPS TO THE TURNBUCKLES TO AVOID DISASTER, ONLY FOR JOHN TO WRAP HIS ARMS AROUND PUNK’S WAIST FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX OFF THE TOP ROPE, STRUGGLING TO BRIDGE WITH HIS BAD BACK… ONE! TWO! THREE! CENA’S DONE IT! CENA’S DONE IT ONCE AGAIN! The Cenation Leader grabs the title and leaps into the crowd, enveloped by the rabid Bostonians as he hugs his family, only for the referee to come and… TAKE THE GOLD AWAY? He points to the instant replay, and it shows that due to Cena’s injured spine, he couldn’t get a high enough bridge on Punk, leaving his own shoulders on the mat as well, making it a draw, and meaning that…
John Cena and CM Punk fought to a draw (26:50), meaning CM Punk retains the WWE Title
Cena simply looks defeated as an exhausted Punk embraces the title, both he and Heyman obviously just relieved. Cena may not have to say that he respects the WWE Champion, as he didn’t lose, but the atmosphere is sour as he exits the same way he entered - titleless.
(Cont'd in Comments)

Recently sailed on the Valiant Lady which was my first time on Virgin for my partner and I's 30th birthdays. We sailed to Grand Turk and then Bimini over the course of 4 nights/5 days. Wanted to go through my experience in hopes that it helps others a bit (the good, bad, and in-between). This cruise was over Memorial Day weekend. These are my thoughts and opinions - you are entitled to your own and your experience may differ significantly.
The Terminal:
Our experience at the terminal was a breeze. Arrived around our boarding time (4 of us) and were on the boat in maybe 10-15 minutes.
As we stepped onto the ship, it was a bit busier than we had expected. We boarded near the champagne bar and ordered a few drinks to start - it seemed the bartenders were a bit overwhelmed (this will be a theme for this review) and we got our drinks probably 20 minutes later after taking a seat.
We made our way to the pool area on the top deck which was much smaller than we had anticipated. The pool is about half a foot deep on both ends with a section in the middle that goes to about 5.5 feet. The section in the middle can probably hold 10-20 people before it gets overly packed. Though the pool itself was very small, there was a good number of chairs and placed to lay out which was nice (as well as bars on both ends and drink runners). Overall we were slightly disappointed in this area and wished the pool itself was larger. Also no real "events" at the pool outside of the DJ from time to time (and scarlet night - more on that later).
We then moved onto checking out our room - we had an XL Sea Terrance at the very front of the ship. The size of the room, balcony, and bathroom (with separate rooms for shower and toilet) was great. The layout, however, of the room could have been better though. The bed more or less blocks off the sliding doobalcony, and unless you want to convert the bed to a couch during the day (we didn't want to do this), you have to shimmy past the TV or step over the bed to get outside. On top of that, the bed was incredibly uncomfortable (though size wise was perfect). We also were abruptly woken up any time the boat docked - our room would begin shaking loudly and violently between 6-7am when the boat was docking. Not fun (especially after a night of drinking). Our room attendant was a highlight - any time we needed something, he was there to help (more water, towels, etc.). The lowlight was room service - we tried ordering food and drink to the room 5 times. 2 times when we woke up, 2 times roughly 12-24 hours ahead of time (pre-ordered), and once at night time. All 5 times the food/drink showed up at least an hour late - one time I had to cancel it all together at it was causing us to be late to a reservation. We believe the cruise was sold out (Memorial Day) and it seemed as if the ship and staff were not used to it being this busy.
For dinner on night 1 we went to Test Kitchen - very interesting concept and good food all around. Service was very friendly. I ordered a drink pairing with each of our dishes that I wouldn't have done again - little too adventurous. Would recommend getting drinks you know you like unless you love trying new things and don't mind a mixture of different spirits. After dinner we went to see the Magician/Mentalist - Ben - who was great on stage. Funny, good tricks, and had a great stage presence. The PJ party later that night was fun, though there was not a whole lot of organization (just a lot of people hanging in one area in pajamas, lol).
Day 2 consisted of lounging at the pool again, brunch at The Wake (which was fantastic), and trivia later that night. With how busy the ship was and most everything (shows, restaurants) being completely booked, we started to feel that there was not much to do around the ship. There are really 3 main levels - 6, 7, and 15. Outside of those floors, very little to do from what we saw.
Day 3 we docked at Grand Turk (and were woken up at 630 from the noise). It looked gorgeous from our balcony - super blue water. Keep in mind, this was a last second adjustment on our cruise. We originally were supposed to go somewhere else. We got off the boat and wanted to walk the beach we were on. As we did this, we were followed/harassed by locals the entire way trying to get us to buy chairs/towels/photo shoots. Walked into a local bar off the beach to try and get a drink - stood at the bar for 10 minutes and ended up leaving as the bartender seemed too busy. Ended up going back on the boat to wait until our Dune Buggy adventure at 3pm. What threw me off a bit - while docked, nearly everything on the boat is shut down. Not sure why this is the case - seemed that only the bars and food by the pool were open.
The dune buggy adventure was a highlight - very fun and would highly recommend. An issue outside of our control did happen (a girl crashed her dune buggy into the cart in front of her) which almost caused us to miss the ship leaving, but we ended up getting on with a few minutes to spare (just slightly stressful).
Later that night was Scarlet Night - this is a ship wide party were guests are encouraged to wear red. On the same deck as the pool, there is a DJ and this was a blast. Everyone having a great time, dancing, jumping in the pool fully clothed. Have to give a shoutout to the Happenings Cast (the main lineup of Virgin Team Members) - they did a great job this whole cruise keeping the energy up.
Day 4 (day at sea) was, again, tame. You can point the finger at us for not booking up shows if you want. We spent most of the day in the casino (winning a slots tournament) and playing bingo (this was a fun time). Small gripe - the casino is tiny. On an adults only cruise line I had expected the opposite. Was sorely disappointed in that aspect though the dealers were all fantastic. It's never fun when players on the craps table are running into people on the roulette tables because they are so close (or having to wait for a seat to open at one of the 2 non high-limit black jack tables).
Day 5 we docked (and were awoken, again - can you tell I'm a little salty about this?) at Bimini. This is the beach and pool club that we were expecting the whole time. DJ. Great beach. Large pools. Drinks, food. I really wish we could have spent 2 days here instead of one at Grand Turk. Drinks were pricier though as they need to charge tax.
I disliked the bar tab idea and felt that drinks were priced no differently that they would be at a middle end restaurant (pricier than a sports bar, cheaper than a steak house). I ended up blowing through my bar tab in the first 48 hours. I get what they're going for here, but the fact that they don't refund unused bar tabs sucks. Hard to find the right balance there - purchasing enough of a bar tab without going overboard. I wish there was an option for a drink package so I didn't have to worry about it. No happy hour or drink specials either. For reference, a Jameson was $11 and a Michelob Ultra was $9. I felt as if they downplayed how quickly these would add up (I'm a moderate to heavy drinker while on vacation).
Couple closing thoughts and comments:
Scarlet Night and Bimini were a blast.
Grand Turk sucked except for the Dune Buggies.
Drinks were pricier than expected.
Ship was not prepared for a sell out.
Ship, pool, and casino too small (I almost felt sea sick at times which has never happened before)
The employees were great even when overwhelmed.
The food was very good and much better than normal cruise line food.
All in all - I think the bad (overly busy, lack of activities, size of ship and spaces, noise) outweighed the good to me (service and food) - especially at the price point (all in all we paid nearly 5k including bar tabs). I'm sure that Virgin will continue to grow and I hope to give them another try down the line.
tl;dr - Service and food good, ship and spaces small. Not prepared for high volume. Pricy.

It is a challenge for most couples to find a balance between their needs and expectations, and their partner’s needs and expectations. In a relationship where one individual is on the autism spectrum, there are likely many more opportunities for misunderstandings and frustration. Finding a path to a respectful, loving and fulfilling long lasting relationship is every committed couple’s desire.
In recent years, it has been helpful that there is more information and resources focused on neuro-diverse relationships. More is available for couples and individuals, including more for women, in relationships with men on the autism spectrum.
This article is a brief summary highlighting information gathered from my experience as well as many women who have shared their stories with me over the years. A listing of resources is available at the end of this article to assist you in locating other information related to this subject.

1. Learn about Autism Spectrum Disorders (and how ASD affects your partner)

Autism is a neurobiological disorder that affects perception, communication, social skills, learning and behavior. Information processed by the senses can easily overstimulate an individual on the autism spectrum. On the other hand, an individual with autism can also have difficulty processing input from their senses and be under-responsive, unresponsive and/or have a unique response to sensory input.
Communication is frequently processed and interpreted differently for someone on the autism spectrum. Verbal communication is often processed more slowly and words interpreted literally. Persons on the autism spectrum often have trouble staying on topic and maintaining a conversation. Social skills are also affected. Eye contact may be difficult and sometimes facial expressions may not reflect an individual’s true feelings. Social cues are often missed or misread. Individuals on the autism spectrum are not sure how to connect with others. Each person presents differently with his or her challenges. Many on the autism spectrum suffer from anxiety as well.
Your partner likely has executive function deficits. Executive function tasks include planning, organizing, prioritizing, time management, emotional regulation and impulse control. Inertia, both starting and stopping tasks, can be a challenge for people on the autism spectrum. These executive function deficits may be mistakenly attributed to lack of motivation, and/or behavior or personality problems. Non-spectrum partners are often relied upon to perform many executive function tasks within the relationship.
There is now a variety of books, written about relationships when one partner is on the autism spectrum. There are books written by professionals, as well as those written by women married to men on the autism spectrum. There are also some written by couples together. Some of these books are listed at the end of this article. Reading stories from others can be very validating of your feelings and experiences. Keep in mind that each relationship is unique. Some of the books are quite negative. Your partner on the autism spectrum will have his own autistic characteristics as well as a unique profile of experiences, personality and possibly other co-occurring diagnoses that are a part of what makes him unique.
If this is a new diagnosis, you and/or your partner may be working on accepting the diagnosis. Getting to acceptance may be hard for one or both of you. As you seek to learn more about ASD and how it effects your partner and your relationship, you will likely be grieving the loss of prior expectations.
As you learn more and work on acknowledging the role an autism spectrum disorder plays in your relationship, it will be helpful to seek out knowledgeable professionals and/or join a support group for women partnered with men on the autism spectrum. These resources are available but may be hard to find. It can also be helpful to make a list, of the positive and desirable qualities, which attracted you to your partner. It is important to keep these in mind, especially when going through a challenging time in the relationship.
It will also be helpful to keep a list of your positive qualities. It can be hard to remember these positive traits about yourself when you are in the middle of very difficult and confusing times. Remembering the positive characteristics of both you and your partner will enhance your self-esteem and help motivate you as you work through your relationship challenges. Over the years, I have appreciated the determination I have seen from both the ASD and non-spectrum partners in pursuing solutions to build a stronger and loving bond.

1. Recognize and Address Sensory Needs (and issues with your partner)

Sensory issues very often affect individuals on the autism spectrum. As mentioned before, one or more of the senses may be affected. Senses may be overly sensitive (hypersensitive) and/or under sensitive (hyposensitive). Some people with ASD are hypersensitive to various lighting. For example, they see the blinking and/or hear the buzzing of fluorescent lighting. For some, headaches are triggered. A person on the autism spectrum may be overly sensitive to various smells and/or sounds in the environment. Light touch may feel like pins yet actual pinpricks may not be felt at all.
In some situations, a person on the autism spectrum may appear not to process sensory information from one or more of the familiar five senses of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. They may seem unaware of what is in plain sight and/or process words as “noise”. These situations can seem very curious. Three other less known sensory systems are also often affected for many on the autism spectrum. There are the vestibular system (balance), the proprioceptive system (muscle/joint movement, coordination, motor planning and sense of your body in space) and the interoceptive system (state of internal body functions). Interoception is often referred to as the eighth sense.
There is some evidence that individuals on the autism spectrum can have both an impaired and an enhanced time perceiving their own bodily functions. This is called atypical interoception or interceptive dysfunction (Shah et. al., 2016). There are accounts of little awareness of needing to use the bathroom, get a drink (due to thirst) and/or eat (due to hunger). Some women report that they need to remind their partner to eat or drink something especially when they are deeply engaged in an activity that takes all their focus.
Sensory issues can impact just about all aspects of life from the selection of clothes, foods, bedding and furnishings that are comfortable for both partners to what environments and activities may be enjoyable for both partners. There are situations where heightened sensory processing can be an asset, such as an ability to process visual information quickly and/or in unique ways. Designing, carpentry and engineering are skills that persons on the autism, including your partner, may possess as a result of excellent visual processing skills.
Sensory needs/issues can change over time and even vary from day to day. As an adult, your partner has likely learned to either cope with and/or avoid various sensory stimulation in the environment. Some common strategies used to effectively limit environmental sensory overload include tinted glasses, earplugs and hats or specific clothing choices. Some individuals enjoy keeping small “fidgets” which can be calming and help counter the sensory overload.
At home, sleeping in total darkness and using a weighted blanket can be helpful for some. At home, hopefully, it is easier to adjust lighting and control or mask sounds and smells in the environment. Sometimes working with an occupational therapist who is trained in sensory integration can be beneficial.
Sensory issues can also affect intimacy. If there are sensory issues in the bedroom, they can be addressed with better understanding, patience and developing strategies to accommodate the needs of both partners. You and your partner can discuss various sensory differences and consider specific adjustments that will be successful.
In situations where a person on the autism spectrum is stressed, s/he can more easily experience sensory overload and, as a result, shut down or possibly experience a “meltdown”. A self-aware adult on the autism spectrum can usually recognize early warning signs and develop strategies to exit and calm down. Both partners who are aware of this can work together, so that both are accommodated. Many couples develop signals to communicate if the ASD partner is becoming overstimulated and needs a break. A break can take various forms that can be discussed in advance. If need be, this might mean taking two cars to an event so the ASD partner can exit the event and the non-ASD partner does not have to leave.

1. Learn and Use Communication Strategies (that work best for you and your partner)

Optimum communication is important in all relationships. Social communication, by definition in the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), is a deficit for a person with ASD. Non-verbal communication, such as interpreting facial expressions, gestures and vocal intonation is often extremely difficult. Verbal communication can be difficult for people with autism to initiate. These difficulties are due to a difference in neurology and not a lack of motivation.
It is helpful to your partner if your communication is clear, calm and predictable. The person with ASD will usually want to meet their partner’s needs once s/he understands how to meet those needs. Explicitly communicating your social, emotional, mental, physical, including sexual needs, is important. Together, partners should discuss information about behavioral expectations. Think in terms of explanation instead of correction. Tell your partner your expectations and have him tell you his expectations.
Often you will need to provide very explicit and concrete instructions that your partner can follow. For example, if you need your partner to help with a chore such as doing laundry, give step-by-step directions on what, when and how the clothes need to be washed. If your partner cannot figure out what to wash, perhaps having a system of preparing laundry baskets is needed. For example, circular baskets can be used for dirty laundry and square baskets for clean laundry.
You may need to give your partner with autism explicit information and practice on how to give hugs. This may seem as though your partner does not want to be affectionate with you, but remember not to judge his actions and needs through your non-spectrum lens. Any areas of need are important to address in detail. Communicating very literally and concretely will be important for many aspects of life. Some couples find that texting, emails and/or information written out on paper, sticky notes, calendars or wipe-off boards is very advantageous.
Consider scheduling a time each day to both sit and communicate. Sitting side by side might work best for communication. People with ASD almost universally say it is difficult to process verbal information while maintaining eye contact. This would be especially true when discussing each other’s needs. This time together can go a long way to making life more satisfying and keeping your bond as a couple strong.
Again, consider using visual information (notes, email, a white board, even examples from books or other visual media) to convey or supplement verbal messages. Be creative. Visual information is much easier for most individuals on the autism spectrum to process, and it can be used as a permanent resource when anxiety, sensory overload or executive functioning skills are causing challenges for our partners on the autism spectrum.
Realize you might not understand your partner’s perspective. Seek to clarify. Recognize your partner may have a hard time asking (initiating) for clarification and/or even knowing that clarification is needed. Non-spectrum partners cannot interpret ASD behavior through their non-spectrum filter and assume that they understand the meaning of a particular behavior of their ASD partner. Likewise, the partner on the autism spectrum may have a hard time understanding their own needs. Each partner should identify their needs and tell their partner. It may not seem genuine if you have to tell your partner every step to meet your needs. Though it can be hard at first, do not think of it as meaning your partner does not care. Think of it as an important step to better appreciate, trust and respect each other.

1. Find Outlets to Unwind (together and individually)

You and your partner likely have different ways of alleviating stress. Everyone is different and has different ways to relax. Being a neuro-diverse couple, there may be more differences you will experience that will, at first, challenge you both. It is important that you both learn your personal ways of de-stressing and express these needs to each other. Partners must also respect each other’s needs and means to get rid of tension and anxiety. At times, this will mean separate and/or “parallel” activities. The partner, on the autism spectrum, may need much time to themselves and/or “extra” time to pursue their special interests.
Transitioning from work to home may be stressful for your partner on the autism spectrum. An “alone break” immediately upon arriving home is often described as “critical” by men on the autism spectrum. Without understanding and then planning for this important transition break, a roadblock in the relationship can take place.
Your need to communicate and connect with your partner may have to wait and that can be very frustrating. Couples might use a visual system, such as a wipe off board to communicate their stress level at this time of day. Plan for your partner’s initial time alone when he gets home. Set a designated 30 minutes or whatever is reasonable and possible in your situation. Afterwards time together or with the children can be scheduled. If needed, more alone time can be scheduled for later in the evening. Chores and other tasks and activities can also be scheduled. Predictable evenings can help alleviate stress and go a long way to ensure more relaxing and enjoyable times together as a couple.
Leisure time together can be an important bonding opportunity. Encourage humor in your life together. This will help enhance the relationship and help relieve some of the “extra” stress. It can be wonderful if you can find the right activities to enjoy together. This can include each of you exploring special interests together. This might take extra patience at first especially if some boundaries are important to establish. Parallel activities can also be explored. You are both in the same room or space, but may be engaging in different activities for a period of time. It can be helpful to decide on the designated period of time in advance. A timer or other concrete reminder can be set. Be creative!
Social events are often difficult for a person with ASD and you will likely be the one arranging the social events. You may be the one with the most interest in these events and have the better “neurological” abilities (i.e. executive function capabilities) to make the arrangements. Your partner may be going along with your ideas because he wants to please you and/or will enjoy most things if you are there. They will also usually enjoy themselves once they know what to expect. It can be beneficial if a “role” can be established for your partner at various social functions. This role could be any task(s) that would contribute to the event, such as helping with setting up or checking drinks or food. Discuss and plan what this would involve. Also, discuss options for a quiet space or place to retreat to take a break during social activities.
Your partner may need an actual “escape” plan when socializing gets too overwhelming or over stimulating. As mentioned before, one plan couples often use is to drive two cars so that the ASD partner can leave before his stress level gets too high as to result in a shutdown or meltdown.
You may have found your partner is very content to spend a lot of time pursing a special interest. This can be an important calming technique. It is important that this time is balanced with other life activities and couple time together. If possible, this time can be scheduled but flexible. In times of greater stress for your ASD partner, he may need more time pursuing his interests and/or time alone.
At the same time, you may need to schedule time for your individual interests. If this includes additional socializing, you may need to look for scheduling time with friends, joining clubs, volunteering and/or pursuing other interests that involve other people. You may find you will need these outside activities and social opportunities to connect with others in addition to your emotional fulfilment with your partner.

1. Find Professional Support (for ASD and any secondary mental health needs)

It may be important and necessary to find professional support for the communication and sensory issues you encounter as a couple. It might also be helpful to address executive function issues with a professional. As mentioned before, executive function skills can be very weak for someone on the autism spectrum. A professional who can address executive function issues may be hard to find but worth the effort. The book by Dawson and Guare (2016) listed under resources at the end of this article may also be helpful in understanding and addressing executive function deficits.
Be aware that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder are at greater risk for depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or other mental health disorders (Roy et. al., 2015; Croen et. al., 2015). Low self-esteem due to negative social interactions and experiences can also affect your partner’s mental health.
You can also experience your own mental health issues. Approximately 40% of the general population meets the criteria for a mental health diagnosis at least once in their life. For people on the autism spectrum, the rate of co-occurring mental health symptoms is thought to be at least 69% (Lever & Geurts, 2016). You may also be at greater risk to experience anxiety and or depression as an effect of your relationship with your partner, especially if he was undiagnosed and/or untreated until recently.
The person with ASD may need dependable periods of social isolation. This may be difficult to understand and not take personally. Your partner may also have developed a pattern of retreating to his special interests, in part as a coping mechanism and not knowing what to do to make you happy. This can be due to communication differences and difficulties such that he does not have the information needed to carry out your wishes. He then decides it is better to do nothing then to do the wrong thing.
Over time and when sharing a home, misunderstandings and problems will occur. Because of the nature of ASD, you may feel a lack of communication and emotional contact with your partner. As you try to work on your relationship, it is likely that contact with others will become more limited causing further loneliness. This can lead to depression, and maybe even, feelings of despair. For various reasons, it could be important for you and your partner to be assessed and treated for any mental health conditions.
It is very important to work with a professional who has knowledge and experience working with adults on the autism spectrum. If a therapist with knowledge and experience about ASD is not available, you will want to find someone who has an interest in supporting neuro-diverse relationships and who has qualities that are a good fit for someone with autism.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence based-practice used with typically developing adults as well as those on the autism spectrum. Research has shown that adaptations of CBT such as a more structured, concrete and visual approach and possibly shortening or lengthening sessions can be important to meet the needs of someone on the autism spectrum (Cooper, et.al., 2018; Spain et.al. (2015).
You are most likely reading this article because you are frustrated, unhappy and/or confused about the behavior of your partner on the autism spectrum. It may be a new diagnosis for your partner. You are seeking information and support. It may be very hard, at this time, to think of things your partner does well and appreciate his gifts. There were gifts you saw that led you to make a lifelong commitment to your partner. Remind yourself to remember, observe and acknowledge your strengths and the strengths of your partner at every opportunity.
This article is meant to offer you basic information, tips and tools for strengthening your relationship with your partner on the autism spectrum. Everyone’s journey is unique. Some issues such as parenting, family vacations and employment related issues have not been addressed within this article. Included below are some resources you may wish to pursue for further information. With the right tools, commitment and support, you and your partner can experience a lasting, positive, rewarding and loving relationship.

Original Article: https://www.mortgagesensei.co/blog/how-to-get-a-mortgage-as-a-first-time-home-buyer

This is a common question that I answer all the time. It’s easy to explain but may be difficult to execute. No worries! I’m going to lay it all out in the simplest and easiest way possible. At the end of this blog, you will know what financial areas you should focus your attention on as a first time home buyer
Understanding the 5 Pillars of a home loan will help you identify the financial factors that a lender evaluates to determine if you’re eligible for a home loan. In this article, we’re going to focus solely on what it takes for you to become a well-qualified borrower. If you simply focus on that and develop good financial habits, you will soon find yourself in a position to not just be able to qualify for a home loan, but to be considered a well-qualified borrower in the eyes of lenders, realtors, sellers, or anyone else involved in the home buying process. Take your time to read through this, and feel free to reach out to me here for any assistance that you may have.

What credit score do you need to buy a house for the first time?

Depending on your selected home loan program, you could qualify for a home loan with as low as a 500 FICO credit score. However, let’s not worry about “how low of a credit score can I have and still qualify for a home loan?” and focus instead on “what do I need to financially focus on daily?” With that being said, I recommend focusing on the FICO factors that impact your credit the most. Using myFICO Education as a guide:
Payment History (35%): This is simple to understand—don’t miss any minimum monthly payments for ANY of your credit accounts. A lot of people, when they read this, will say, “No duh, Sensei!”. Well, if it’s that obvious, why are so many people missing the mark here? There are many reasons, but I’ll list two:

1. Over-extending your credit/spending capacity, and
2. Limited amount of emergency/reserve funds.

Did you know that you only need a TOTAL of 3-4 credit accounts aged for 2+ years and properly managed to get a 700+ FICO score! Keeping your total credit accounts under 5 will help you in managing your credit accounts to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Here’s my recommended financial habits to help you in raising your credit score:

1. Frugal spending habits: “How much you keep is slightly more important than how much you bring in”. One of my favorite books is “The Richest Man in Babylon”. The concept is pretty simple: “Priority saving and investing over any other spending choices”.
2. Fanatical saving: One of the main reasons people credit suffers is through some kind of financial hardship whether that’s unexpected medical expenses, job loss, or something that tends to be outside of your control. Having enough savings to weather the storm for months or even years, will give you a large enough financial safety net to make it through recessions, rapid inflation, unexpected expenses, etc.

Amounts Owed/Credit Utilization (30%): Our areas of focus are:

1. Revolving: “how much of your credit limit is drawn and owed.”
2. Installments: “how much of the credit debt is still owed compared to your starting amount.”

Developing frugal spending habits will greatly help you in keeping your credit utilization low. I understand that emergencies come up and you have to use your credit cards, but the truth of the matter is that FICO doesn't care about your emergencies, or why your credit cards are maxed out. They only care that your credit card is maxed out. If you cannot quickly pay down your credit card balance under 10%-30% of the credit limit within 30 days of charging it, then you probably should not charge the product/service to your credit card.
Negative Status: Collections, charge-offs, repossessions, bankruptcies, foreclosures, Late payments within 2-years, etc. You can do everything right, and getting one of these can set you back overnight. All of these derogatory events result from some negative financial event that occurred, whether unintentional or intentional, the results will be the same. For those who have been victims of identity theft, you know from experience that creditors don’t care that your identity was stolen and a criminal damaged your credit. All they’re going to tell you is “take responsibility in fixing your credit.” Working towards preventing these negative financial events from reporting on your credit or removing them from your credit is your third focus. If you need help, reach out to Kredit Kleanse for expert credit repair assistance, or schedule time to start your home loan qualification process by clicking here.

How much income do I need to buy a home?

After the 2008 housing crash, our government implemented S.A.F.E. requirements for lenders to do their due diligence to ensure that the borrower is protected from predatory lending. One of the main focuses was on DTI (Debt-to-Income ratio). For the sake of this blog, I’m only going to focus on two aspects of DTI that are more relevant to this article:
Total Income: In this case, the borrower simply doesn’t make enough to afford the home regardless of how little debt they may have. For instance, the borrower earns $100,000 per year for income and wants to purchase a $1,000,000 home. Those numbers, in most cases, won’t work. Here’s my personal calculation: whatever your “total annual income” multiplied by 3x-4x should put you in the range of a home you can afford AND still enjoy life/save/invest/etc. This is not stating what you will qualify for, but simply a measuring equation to see if you are in the ballpark. Please note that (1) your area could be more or less expensive, (2) current interest rates, and (3) the lender you choose WILL affect your final qualification. The best course of action here is to either:

1. Increase your qualifying income: This is VERY tough conversation to have, and honestly the part of the job that never sits quite right with me. But truth is truth regardless of how I feel about it. Ways to increase your income are:
   1. Ask for a raise
   2. Go for that promotion
   3. Create passive income
   4. Start a business/side hustle (you’ll need a 2-year history of having that business)
   5. Get a 2nd job (you’ll need a 2-year history of working both jobs)
   6. Add a co-borrowesigner
   7. Obtain a higher paying job
2. Reduce your housing price if possible: I’ve helped people that simply weren’t able to increase their income, maybe because they are retired on fixed income, can’t change jobs due to their needed benefits or family, etc. To those people I would suggest reducing they’re home buying price by adjusting their home search parameters. The more flexible you are on the type, location, etc. of your new home, the more options you will start to have. Maybe a smaller starter-type home is what you need.

Usable Income: In this case, the borrower makes enough “gross income”; however, the challenge is the borrower has too many debt obligations that are eating away at the potential income we could use for a housing payment for the home they want. This is normally when the lender will tell you “your DTI is too high to qualify”. The best course of action here is to reduce/eliminate your monthly credit debt obligation. You can use a method called “debt-snowball”. The debt snowball method is a debt payoff strategy that involves paying off debts from smallest to largest balance. Once a debt is paid off, the money that was previously allocated to that debt is then used to pay off the next smallest debt. This strategy can help build momentum and keep you motivated as you pay off your debts. As each debt is paid off, payments increase in size, similar to a snowball rolling down a hill. We are also able to help our clients quickly identify exactly which credit accounts to pay off to move the DTI ratio meter the most. Schedule time to start your home loan qualification process by clicking here.

How much cash should you have before buying a house?

Lastly, we have to address the “Where’s the money coming from?” aspect. This is the red pill of our housing market/economy. Meaning that it’s ALWAYS better to bring money to the table over not bring anything. You have to be able to invest in the purchase of your home. The ideal scenario is a borrower that can fully fund all expenses needed to purchase a home without needing any assistance. Now don’t get me wrong, we will help anyone get into a home. However, if we look at the true data, people that need financial assistance to buy a home tend to have a more difficult time becoming homeowners: (1) loan programs are too restrictive, (2) sellers don’t want to sell to someone using a loan assistance program, (3) they’re not able to qualify for as much house as a traditional loan program, etc. These are the four areas you should consider:
Down Payment: This normally ranges from a minimum of 3%-5% for primary residence loan programs. If you don’t have the funds, there may be a home down payment assistance program available for you.
Closing Costs: Title costs, government recording fees, appraisal fee, credit report fee, setting up your prepaid/escrow account for property taxes and homeowners insurance, etc. This normally ranges from 3%-6% of the purchase price, depending on the area.
Moving Expenses: Will you need to rent a moving truck, hire movers, take time off from work, pay for deposits for utility hookups, build new furniture, throw a housewarming party, etc.? Many lenders will tap you out at closing, and you may be blinded by the excitement of buying your first home and you simply forget about these costs that are unrelated to buying a home. This is an unknown number because everyone is different. All I’m doing here is making sure you’re aware of this and plan for it the best way you can.
Once you add up everything the starting line is anywhere between 6-11% of the purchase price. If you don’t have it or simply don’t want to spend that amount, then you’ll need to work with the right people that have a strong understanding of creativity financing. schedule time to start your home loan qualification process by clicking here.

Give it to me straight and don’t sugarcoat it Sensei!

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the grittiest people I’ve ever had the pleasure meeting. Some of those people “had no hope” of buying a home as a first time home buyer. What allowed them to become homeowners was knowing how the game works. It’s like golf—if you don’t know how to (1) pick the right club, (2) examine the landscape, and (3) swing with the right technique using the right amount of force and accuracy, you’ll easily get tired of “trying” to play golf. There are a lot of people today who are trying to buy a home, instead of actually being able to buy a home.
One of the biggest misconceptions, in my opinion, is that people are trying to get a lender to qualify or approve them for a home loan, instead of just being a well-qualified buyer for a home loan before they even reach out to the lender to “verify their financial status”. Credit, repayment ability, funds needed for closing—these are your core pillars that truly make up the borrower aspect of a home loan.
I’ve been in this business since 2011, and I can tell you without a doubt that traditional loans walk, look, and act similar. Yeah, there are guideline differences, but the truth of the matter is that even with these differences, the essence of the home loan is still the same. Working with someone that has these core home loan assessment experience will put you on the right track FAST. Schedule time to start your home loan qualification process by clicking here.

What would you do Sensei?

The 5 Pillars of a home loan are made up of: Credit, Repayment Ability, Funds Needed for Closing, Subject Property, and Loan Program. For this subject of “How to get a mortgage as a first-time buyer,” you have to find out what you qualify for. My recommended sequence of focus is: (1) Credit, (2) Repayment Ability, (3) Funds Needed for Closing, (4) Loan Program, and (5) Subject Property.
Here’s the honest truth:

1. Before you go under contract to purchase a home (i.e., subject property), you should know what you qualify for (i.e., loan terms/program),
2. Before you know what you qualify for (i.e., loan terms/program), you will have to go through the lender’s evaluation process (pre-qualification/pre-approval),
3. When you go through the lender’s evaluation process (pre-qualification/pre-approval), we will be verifying and evaluating your credit, repayment ability, and available funds for closing.

When you want to buy a home your credit, repayment ability, and available funds are the areas that YOU control. A lender does not control these aspects of your financial life. Your financial habits do. These three (credit, repayment ability, and funds needed for closing) are the pillars that you build up to be in a position to purchase a home. The last two (loan program and subject property) are the aspects of the home loan process that are more of an effect of the first three pillars.
We live in an instant gratification society and want everything now, fast, and easy. The truth of the matter is, that’s not how buying a home works. Now let’s be clear, your home-buying process can and should be simple and easy. If it’s not, you’re probably working with the wrong loan officelender. But you should not expect it to be “instant.” It takes time to buy a home, even more so to buy a home “right.”
When you first enter the housing market to purchase a home, you may have some challenges ahead. However, if you stay focused and dedicated, you will find the right home for you and your family. By following these steps and being prepared, you can increase your chances of securing a home loan and becoming a homeowner. It’s important to be patient and diligent throughout the process, as it can take time and effort to achieve your goal of homeownership. We are here to help you every step of the way. Schedule time to start your home loan qualification process by clicking here.
Happy house hunting! - Mortgage Sensei "Financing Futures, Building Dreams"
Author Bio:
Nelson C. Thompson, Jr., President of The Mortgage Sensei Company. With years of experience in the mortgage industry, Nelson specializes in helping first time home buyers navigate the complexities of obtaining a mortgage. His mission is “Financing Futures and Building Dreams”
References

• List any sources or references used in the blog post.:
• Mortgage Sensei - 5 Pillars of a home loan - https://www.mortgagesensei.co/blog/5-pillars-of-a-home-loan
• myFICO.com - Education - https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/whats-in-your-credit-score
• FICO - https://www.fico.com/
• Kredit Kleanse - https://kreditkleanse.com/
• NMLS Resoruce Center - https://mortgage.nationwidelicensingsystem.org/safe/SitePages/default.aspx
• CFPB - https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-debt-to-income-ratio-en-1791/
• Mortgage Sensei - Home Page - https://www.mortgagesensei.co/
• Special Thanks to Gustan Cho Associates’s GCA FORUM: https://forum.gustanchoassociates.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.gustanchoassociates.com
• Special Thanks to NEXA Mortgage: https://nexamortgage.com/
• Special Thanks to Candice Thompson: https://candinichelle.co/
• Special Thanks to Whitni Bell: https://whitnibell.exprealty.com/

When the edged wind came to our village, it seemed like a typical Alaskan gust. One fitting for late December. Then, as the tall tide of frost lashed against the shore of our home, the sagging branches of the yellow cedar trees stopped bouncing. And I abandoned the idea of the breeze being a breeze at all.
Once others understood that, the time for running had passed.
The unholy wind reached the village’s main road, causing two moving cars to sharply and statically stop. The vehicles were frozen in place, much like the people within those metal graves. Onlookers, enjoying a brisk afternoon in the park, began to scream as loved ones succumbed to that supernatural end. Imprisoned in a capsuled moment of time.
Those first few victims were the lucky ones. They’d been oblivious to the fate which awaited them. True terror was endured by those who beheld the raw power of the wind. Those unfortunate enough to see the end coming.
Regardless, the remaining townsfolk, burdened with the awareness of impending doom, futilely attempted to escape the approaching breeze. Those fleeing residents, far slower than the unnatural frost, were halted in haunting poses as the wind bit into them. Limbs were suspended in mid-air positions. Eyes were left wide and unblinking. Mouths were cursed to forever gape in horror.
“RUN!” Dad screamed, sprinting towards us from a nearby park bench.
My brother, my childhood friend, and I were sitting in a sandbox. Already engrossed in a fantasy world, I wondered whether my imagination had conjured the wind. I thought my mind had transcended to a higher plane. It was my way of processing the trauma.
However, I accepted the reality of the situation when my father shoehorned the three of us into his Volkswagen Golf. The icy jaws of the wind were nearly nipping at the rear of the vehicle as Dad twisted the key in the ignition, but the beat-up car rapidly lurched forwards. My father wrenched us away from the frost, seconds before it consumed us.
“Daddy, where are we going?” I tearfully asked.
“I don’t know, Jillian,” He weakly moaned, manoeuvring around fleeing cars and pedestrians.
“Are we picking up Mummy?” Alan asked.
Dad ignored my brother’s question. I was only eight years old at the time, but I knew that my mother wasn’t coming. I understood the significance of the tears in my father’s eyes.
For twenty-six years, I successfully managed to suppress that memory. Did such a good job, in fact, that I almost believed it had all been a dream. I started to believe that we had simply moved away from our hometown, and Mum had simply chosen to stay. Dad never convinced me otherwise. He never talked about what happened. Neither did my brother.
As for Leon, he moved to an orphanage in Anchorage. We wrote to each other for a couple of years, but his replies became less and less frequent. Eventually, he stopped responding entirely. I used to wonder why my father didn’t adopt my childhood friend, but I suppose that would have forced him to accept what happened. And, like me, he had no intention of doing that.
I thought we would run back to England, having failed to achieve the American Dream. But Dad kept us in Alaska. I assumed that he’d been driven by stubbornness. Or guilt, perhaps. We’d already fled our home. Perhaps fleeing across the pond would’ve been a step too far. Perhaps it would’ve felt like truly abandoning our mother. Whatever his reason for staying, Dad didn’t tell anyone the truth. He never went to the police. He never returned to look for Mum.
“Don’t look back, kids,” I remember him whispering as we fled the frost.
I followed that advice for the next couple of decades, only recalling the event for the briefest moments, from time to time. When Dad bought the first computer for our family in 2000, I Googled the name of our old town. I typed the word before realising I was even doing so. I was still young, of course, but I knew that nothing about our speedy departure had been normal. I wanted answers.
I’d expected to discover that my village had become a ghost town. That would have made sense. Alaska’s unforgiving climate breeds desolate places, born to be abandoned. However, the search results revealed nothing, so I told myself I’d imagined the village. I told myself we'd always lived in Anchorage.
As the years passed, I became comfortable with the notion that none of it had ever been real. Not even my mother. And that was why I did not expect to see a certain person again.
“Happy birthday, Jill.”
My jaw dropped when Leon Taylor appeared on my doorstep.
It might seem strange that I would recognise a man who was a child when I last saw him, but Leon always had distinctive features. I immediately identified the mole on his neck, just below his facial scruff, and those sorrowful eyes, shadowed by his unmistakable overgrown brows.
“Leon?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
The man smiled weakly. “Sorry, Jill. I should’ve done this the Millennial way. Y’know. Reconnected through Facebook.”
“No, it’s… I just never thought I’d see you again. Do you want to come inside?” I asked, motioning at the hallway.
Leon nodded, so I made a couple of coffees whilst my old friend seated himself in the living room. A boy who I’d almost forgotten. Almost entirely erased from existence, just like our old town. But I’d always known, just beneath the surface of my shallow memories, that it had all been real. The truth of my childhood was always within reach. As I brought the drinks into the lounge, hands trembling, I tried to dispel the thoughts flooding my mind. Thoughts of that awful day.
“How’s your dad? How’s Alan?” Leon asked, taking the cup of coffee.
I sighed. “Dad’s been unwell for a few years. He hasn’t been taking care of himself, and he’s getting old. As for Alan… Well, Alan’s the way he’s always been. Uptight, and distant, but–”
“– When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon sharply interjected.
The question caught me off-guard. “Huh?”
“Your brother. When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon asked.
My face drained. He knows, I thought. How on Earth does he know?
“Three years ago,” I answered.
My old friend nodded. “Did you fall out?”
I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. You remember what he was like when we were kids, don’t you?”
Leon shrugged. “He was two years older than us. We must’ve infuriated him.”
I nodded. “Sure. But I grew up, and he never did. We had a big argument, and we haven't spoken since.”
“Interesting,” He responded.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a man of few words these days, Leon.”
The man cleared his throat. “Your brother messaged me a week ago.”
My other eyebrow raised. “What?”
“It was a very strange message.”
“Did you reply?” I asked. “I thought you would’ve preferred to ignore it.”
He lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Jillian. I replied to some of your letters…”
“Then you forgot about me,” I said. “It’s embarrassing that I didn’t get the hint.”
“It wasn’t embarrassing,” Leon sheepishly muttered. “I read all of them. Every last letter.”
“Oh, well, that’s great,” I laughed. “Nice to know that you cared.”
“Jillian, I…” Leon paused, lifting his head. “I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” I asked.
“Remembering that day,” He replied. “It’s why I told your dad I didn’t want to come and live with you.”
“It’s… What?” I asked.
Leon tilted his head. “You didn’t know? Did you really think he’d just dump me in that place? He might’ve changed, but your dad was never cold. Still, I refused. Living with you would’ve reminded me of what happened to my family.”
I didn't reply, so my old friend prodded the beast. “Aren’t we going to talk about–”
“– Why did my brother message you?” I interrupted, avoiding the topic.
Leon twitched his lips uncertainly, as if unwilling to part them.
“He told me that I had to see you…” Leon trailed off.
“Right,” I said. “Why?”
“Your brother said something insane, Jillian,” He said. “He claimed that Arnold Walker visited him in Fairbanks.”
My jaw fell. “I beg your pardon? Arnold Walker? My brother’s school friend?”
Leon nodded.
“He escaped? I didn't know others got out,” I whispered.
My old friend’s face was growing paler. “No, I... Your brother said something that seemed impossible. He said that Arnold did not arrive on his doorstep as a thirty-six-year-old man, but a ten-year-old child.”
My stomach dropped. The natural response would’ve been to discredit such an outlandish story, refuting it with a rational explanation. But Leon’s revelation served to do only one thing. It confirmed what I’d always known.
“A ten-year-old boy made it all the way from our hometown to Fairbanks?” I asked meekly.
Leon frowned. “That’s it? You’re not going to question it? I did. I messaged Alan repeatedly, but he never replied.”
“Not a nice feeling, is it?” I asked, sighing. “How did you want me to react, Leon? You were itching to talk about that day. Well, I’m not skirting around the subject now. Let’s talk about it. Okay? I know all of that horror really happened. I’d just never wanted anyone to confirm it.”
“Me neither,” Leon said. “I was trying to avoid your family for the rest of my life. Your brother ruined that.”
“Yeah. He tends to ruin things,” I replied. “So, that’s it? Alan wanted you to tell me about Arnold Walker?”
Leon shivered. “There’s more, but… Look, I know I should’ve messaged you about all of this first, but I thought about the way Alan avoided my questions. I didn’t want you to do the same. I assumed if I were to show up in person, then–”
“– I wouldn’t be able to run away,” I finished. “I understand, Leon. I just hate that my brother is still too childish to talk to me.”
“Funny. He called you childish too. Listening to you two bicker is nostalgic,” Leon smiled, before quickly adopting a solemn expression. “I’m trying to change the subject, but I need to rip off the band-aid. Alan said that Arnold took him to a car on the front lawn. There was a man in the driver’s seat, barely clinging to life, with a face mangled beyond recognition. Your brother said the man’s skin had been peeled from his face… And he was still, somehow, alive.”
I shuddered, vomit climbing my throat.
“Arnold told your brother that the man was Mr Johnson,” Leon whispered.
“The farmer? The one who ran the local grocery store?” I asked, shivering.
My friend nodded. “Yeah. Alan said he’d aged a little. Well, his hair was greyer than he remembered. The pair must’ve been on the road for hours, and your brother didn’t know how they knew where to find him. He had so many questions for them, but Mr Johnson died before the ambulance arrived. And whilst Alan talked to the paramedics, Arnold ran away. He’s missing.”
“Shit…” I whispered. “I’ll call my brother.”
“You might struggle,” Leon said. “Alan ended the message by saying that he was going back… home.”
I gawped. “No. He wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“Maybe not. You should try to contact him,” Leon said. “He hasn’t replied to my dozens of messages, but he might reply to you. Not sure he even has a signal, out there in the boonies, but you’re right. You should try.”
I spent an hour trying to contact my brother, in various ways, but he did not respond. Alan had vanished. And I knew, like it or not, that I had to return to our village too. I should’ve told Dad. Would've told him, had he not been one bad day away from a heart attack. In spite of the man he’d become, I loved him. I didn’t want to remind him of the place we’d fled.
One person should be spared the horror of remembering, I thought.
Leon and I, two strangers who’d spent formative years together, piled into my Kia, and we drove from Anchorage to a place that I’d long hoped had never really existed.
I was going to be horribly disappointed.
On a nondescript road that burrowed into the Alaskan wilderness, my throat started to twist and constrict. The outer edge of my vision shrank, and my head pulsated with a slowing rhythm as the world slipped away from me. I struggled to breathe as I came to terms with an awful fact.
I recognised that endless road.
“Jillian…” Leon whispered.
“Don’t,” I begged.
I didn’t want to hear it. I wasn’t ready. I’d known all along, of course, that our village existed. Even when extensive research had revealed nothing about the town. When I thought of the way the breeze consumed the town, erasing its residents, it made sense that it would erase the very place itself. After all, even I’d started to doubt its existence, and I’d lived there.
Accepting the unearthly nature of the event wasn’t as tough as you might imagine. If anything, I had fought hard to deny it. I wanted to ignore the existence of a paranormal force, though I had witnessed it with my own eyes. Even if there were some Alaskan breeze powerful enough to instantaneously freeze an entire town, we hadn’t witnessed that. We’d seen something else. We’d seen that glacial wind freeze the town. Not its people, but its tether to time.
After an hour of following the frosted landscape, we saw something familiar on the horizon. Leon’s face mirrored mine as our damned village appeared. A bulge of ruin and decay, growing as we neared it. And when we crossed the threshold into the desolate town, the reality of our quest finally dawned on me.
“Where is everybody?” Leon asked.
It might seem a moronic question to an outsider. Our old village was clearly an abandoned place. No rational person would expect anybody else to be there. Of course, I understood Leon. He had asked the same terrifying question that was circling the drain of my mind, refusing to flush away.
I thought back to that terrible day on which hundreds of people froze in time. Then I thought of Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson. The two residents who’d supposedly shown up at my brother’s door. One of them had looked no older than he’d been in 1998.
“Time resumed,” I finally mumbled.
“Yes, but where did everybody go?” My childhood friend asked.
I didn’t have an answer. Neither did my brother, and that was why he’d come here.
That’s not the real reason, I thought. He was hoping to find… her.
I rolled onto my old street, noting that the trees swayed in the wind and birds flew overhead. Signs that time was flowing. I wondered whether others had fled in the same fashion as Arnold and Mr Johnson. I even allowed my heart to soar a little as I considered that my mother might have freed herself. Might have found Dad in Anchorage. Might be wondering where Alan and I had gone.
However, I knew that not to be the case. Mum had not arrived at my door, and there had been no national news coverage about people emerging from a town that didn’t exist. There had only been an old, half-butchered man and a quiet boy. Both were gone. And I had questions about the nature of their escape from our hometown, given my brother’s ominous message to Leon.
Something was still dreadfully wrong with our village. Twenty-six years had not changed that. The people of the village had not disappeared into the sunset. Whatever had happened to them, I knew it wasn’t good. Possibly worse than what happened to Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson.
I pulled onto the driveway of my childhood home, gently trundling over cracked asphalt. Weeds squirmed through the wounds of the suburb, as nature sought to erase my childhood from existence. There was no need for that, of course. The wind of 1998, and whatever secrets it held, had already done a fine job of wiping my hometown from reality.
“Do you think he’s come here?” Leon asked as I turned off the engine.
“Yes. We both know who he wanted to find,” I said.
My childhood friend nodded, and we both sombrely climbed out of the vehicle.
The village was colder than I remembered. For a mid-afternoon day in late May, it was unseasonably chilly. Alaska, for the most part, is not the arctic hellscape that many people imagine. Not in all parts of the state, anyhow, and certainly not in late spring. The air also felt stale. It carried the stench of evil, and it seemed to be tinged with frost. As if that demonic breeze were still lingering in the air, nearly three decades later.
I knocked on the rotten front door, surprised that it did not break with a slight rap of my hand.
“Alan?” I yelled. “It’s Jillian.”
My brother did not respond, but I wasn’t concerned. If he had been there, and Mum hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stay. I wanted to use that as an excuse to turn around and leave. I already assumed that my mother wouldn’t be there, but another part of me knew that my assumption was more of a wish. In a similar way, I had been secretly glad to find nobody in the town. There was only one person I hoped to find in my old village, and that was Alan.
I was terrified by the prospect of finding anything else.
“Jill…” Leon started softly. “Come on. We have to do it.”
“Do we?” I asked. “This was a mistake. We should turn around. We–”
“– I agree,” Leon sharply interjected. “But we have to find your brother. And when we do, we’ll convince him to come back with us. We’ll convince him to leave this place behind too.”
“Why did you come to see me, Leon?” I asked. “You could’ve ignored my brother’s message. You could’ve pretended none of this had ever happened. That’s what you did when you started ignoring my letters, isn’t it?”
“I deeply regretted that for years, Jill,” He said softly. “You were my best friend. You were… more than that. We were just kids, but I loved you. I’ve not made another connection like ours. Not even in my adult life.”
“I know,” I replied. “I loved you too, Leon. That’s why it hurt when you let our bond peter out. If you’d cut me off from the start, I would’ve understood. But it just felt like you’d stopped caring.”
“Never. I just lost the strength to bear that trauma,” He explained. “Every letter was a reminder, and I just… That’s why I came to your door. That’s why I didn’t ignore what your brother said. I didn’t want something to happen to him. You lost your mother. I didn’t want you to lose him too.”
“We all lost things,” I sniffled. “You lost… more than me. I just don’t understand why you’d come back. Why my brother would come back. I don’t even understand why I’ve come back.”
“We never really left this place, did we?” Leon asked. “Not in our minds. Even though it doesn’t exist in the eyes of the outside world, it never left us. Never let go. Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson lured Alan back. And he lured us back.”
“That’s an unsettling way of looking at it,” I timidly replied.
“It’s the only way I’ve been able to look at it,” He said. “Whatever claimed this place, it remembered us, and it made sure we remembered it. Not that it would be easy to forget… For years, I thought I’d lost my mind, but after talking to you and Alan, I’m not so sure. I find it hard to believe that we’d have experienced a shared delusion. No, it all really happened. And the memory replays in my mind every day. I’ll never get rid of it.”
“Dad seemed to do a good job of erasing this place from his mind,” I said.
I knew that wasn’t true, of course. He had never forgotten. That was made apparent by his deterioration. Alan and I had a close relationship with our father before we left that village. Afterwards, he changed. We all changed. Losing Mum had fractured the family, but there was more to it than that. I started to consider that Leon might be right. Perhaps the frost hadn’t ensnared the two of us, but it had certainly bitten us.
“Do you want me to do it?” Leon eventually asked.
I wanted to be courageous enough to open the door, but I wasn’t. I nodded meekly and stepped aside, allowing my childhood friend the nightmarish task of facing whatever lay within my old home. He pushed the door handle down, expecting the house to be unlocked, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Shall we try the back?” I asked.
Leon backed up. I quickly realised what he was planning to do, and I opened my mouth to utter a protest. My hulking friend had charged before I spoke a single word, however, and he hurled his body into the door. It quivered in its frame, but did not give.
“Leon!” I cried. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I don’t suppose you have the key?” He panted, massaging his shoulder.
I held up my hands. “Look, let’s just…”
My friend rushed forwards again, and the result was the same. This time, however, Leon released a groan of pain, clutching his arm a little more tightly.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” I said. “Let’s take it in turns to kick the door. That'll work better, and it won’t cripple either of us.”
Leon nodded, and the two of us firmly booted the door near the handle. The wood quaked, and it only took a few attacks for the door to splinter around the lock. The frame splayed inwards, and the metal mechanism fell loose.
“Whoops… That worked a little too well,” Leon laughed.
He led the way into my childhood home, which looked, unlike the street outside, the same as I remembered. The same as it had looked on the day I’d left. There were no shoes left by the door. No muddy prints on the carpet. No indication whatsoever that my brother had visited our old home, which I’d gathered when the front door had been locked. But this was not a relief. I knew, in my gut, that Alan would’ve gone there first.
He never made it home.
Leon shivered. “This place feels cold…”
“Frozen,” I corrected. “Frozen in time.”
“Is it safe for us to be here?” He asked. “What if we end up like the others?”
“It’s a bit late to ask that now,” I replied. “The breeze passed long ago. This just seems to be the horror it left behind.”
Leon accepted my suggestion, then he wandered over to the staircase. My friend took one step before halting in place. For a haunting moment, I believed that he had been frozen in time too. I believed that I’d been wrong, and the frost had come for us. But I quickly realised that my friend was still moving. Still twitching. He was frozen by fear, not a supernatural gale.
“There’s someone in the bathroom…” Leon wheezed.
With physical dread in every inch of my body, I joined my friend and looked up. Artificial light spilled beneath the bathroom door onto the dark landing.
“There might not be anyone in there,” I shakily said.
“Jillian, this is an abandoned town. There is no electricity. Your house is still frozen in time, and it froze with the bathroom light left on. Somebody must have been–”
“– Don’t say it,” I pleaded, upper lip trembling.
“Do you want me to lead the way?” He asked.
I didn’t. I wanted to run, but I knew I would never forgive myself for doing so. Leon was right, of course. I hadn’t allowed him to finish his sentence, but it was clear that he was going to mention somebody in particular. Somebody whose face flooded my mind as we ascended the staircase, one tentative step at a time. Somebody whose name started to tickle my lips as Leon grasped the handle to the door.
It wasn’t locked.
“Mum?” I moaned as Leon inched it open.
My ageless mother was inside.
I’m sure I would’ve screamed at whatever we found, but I was not prepared for the state of the statue before me. Mum was standing at the sink, hands cupped below a stream of tap water suspended in time. As I had always feared, the frost caught her. It was horrifying enough to be frozen in time for twenty-six years, whilst the rest of the world continued, but that wasn’t why I screamed. I’d braced myself for that possibility. I’d spent my entire adult life coming to terms with it.
I screamed because I wasn’t prepared to see her face.
Mum was smiling. Not a wholesome smile. It was a taut grin that etched an unnerving crescent shape across her cheeks. There was nothing unnatural about the grin, but it looked painful. And it appeared as if cataracts had taken the entirety of her pupils.
“Mum?” I asked weakly. “Do you hear me?”
There was no reply. I peered around the side of her face, and I immediately regretted it. Though she was frozen in time, she did not look unaware. I felt her sightless eyes boring into my face, and I quickly jumped backwards.
“Let’s go and find your brother,” Leon fearfully said.
As I nodded, backing towards the doorway, I locked my gaze onto my mother’s profile. My heart pounded as I started to close the bathroom door. I was trying to ignore the idea that had wormed into my mind. The possibility that, behind the glassy cataract, a pupil might still exist. Lying dormant. Watching me from a face that no longer seemed to belong to my mother.
After I shut the door, Leon and I took a few moments to control our breathing. With a slight tremble, my friend finally walked over to the light switch and raised a hand, but I caught his wrist.
“What are you doing?” He frowned.
“Leave the light on,” I whispered. “I… don’t like the idea of leaving her in the dark.”
My friend’s expression softened, and he nodded, seeming to understand my explanation. Seeming to empathise. But I was lying. I wasn’t worried about leaving my mother in the dark. I was worried about the thing behind that smiling face.
“Alan didn’t come here,” I said. “Did he really come back?”
“You read the message, Jillian,” Leon replied.
“I know, but…” I sighed. “I know.”
“He might not have come to the house,” My friend suggested.
“This is the first place he would’ve visited,” I said. “If Mum weren’t here, he wouldn’t have returned.”
“Well, let’s look around,” Leon urged. “You never know. We might find something else. Something to help your mother, perhaps.”
“You saw her face,” I whispered. “She looked far past help.”
“Don’t say that, Jillian!” Leon shouted, eyes watering.
You idiot, I thought.
I was so self-centred. So focused on finding my brother and my mother. I hadn’t thought about Leon’s parents. His brother, Carl. People we’d left behind when my father saved us. I remembered Leon sobbing as he begged my father to turn around.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “We need to find your family too.”
Leon viciously shook his head. “Only if we find an answer, Jill. Only if we find a way to save them.”
My friend entered my childhood bedroom, and I followed him. I imagine that visiting one’s childhood home is a strange experience for anyone, but strangeness morphs into horror when that home is trapped in a moment of time. I felt physically unwell when I saw the glass of water on the bedside table, fresh as it had been on the day that my dad took us to the park. Life had continued for me, but the town was still trapped in that dreadful, inexplicable day.
“Jillian,” Leon said calmly. “There are people outside.”
He was standing in front of my bedroom window, and when I joined him, eyeing the road below, I saw them. A man and a woman who seemed to be in their mid-forties. The man wore ill-fitting clothes. A chequered shirt two sizes too small, and a pair of torn jeans. The woman, on the other hand, wore a pristine, shapely dress with a floral pattern. She looked oddly familiar, though her eyes were jittery and unfocused. It was the man who’d locked his eyes onto our house.
“I… vaguely recognise her,” Leon said.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know her name, but I remember her. She looks a tad older, perhaps. I don’t know the man though.”
“You stay here,” Leon said, reaching inside his coat. “Don’t come out.”
“What are you holding?” I frowned, noting his shiftiness.
“Just…” Leon concealed his hand within the thick, wintry coat. “Are you going to stay in here?”
My eyes grew as I spotted a glint of metal. “You don’t… No, Leon. Please. Don’t tell me you have what I think you have.”
“We had no idea what we were going to find here,” The man protested.
I scoffed. “Leon Taylor? Carrying a gun? The boy who berated me for killing me a spider.”
Before he replied, there came the sound of the front door swinging open. And when we spun our heads back to the bedroom window, we saw that the man and woman were no longer on the street. I realised they were inside.
“Hello?” Called a man from downstairs. “We mean you no harm.”
“I have a weapon,” Leon yelled, slipping the pistol out of a hidden holster.
“Don’t shoot… It’s Bernie Bradley…” The man shouted weakly.
My mouth gaped. Bernie Bradley was in my brother’s school year. I remembered him. And as I recalled the face of the man I’d seen on the street, I didn’t find it hard to believe it had been the face of that same boy, twenty-six years into the future.
“What do you want?” I yelled.
“To help you,” He replied. “Before they come.”
“Who?” Leon asked.
“I’ll tell you if you put that weapon away,” Bernie said.
“I don’t trust you enough for that,” My friend growled.
“Are you Leon Taylor?” The man asked.
“Why?” Leon responded.
“Sydney Manley pushed you off the swing set, and you called her a fat cow,” Bernie said. “She ran home in tears.”
It wasn’t enough. In a place like that, which defied all laws of rationality, it wasn’t enough for Bernie Bradley to know that. But Leon and I needed it to be enough because we were hopelessly alone. Hopelessly afraid. And hopelessly desperate.
My friend re-holstered his weapon, and we walked onto the landing. Bernie and the woman were midway up the stairs. The man’s hands were raised, but the woman barely seemed aware of where they were. Barely seemed aware of herself.
“Leon Taylor and Jillian Maynard. Is that right?” Bernie asked.
“How did you recognise us?” I asked.
“You were the only ones who escaped,” He replied. “The Maynards and Leon Taylor.”
“The only ones?” Leon asked incredulously.
Bernie nodded. “Others tried, but the frost got them.”
“So, why aren’t you…” I started, unable to finish.
“Mind if we sit down before I answer that?” He asked.
I looked at Leon, and my friend begrudgingly nodded. We all headed to the living room and sat down. Once we did, Bernie Bradley told us an incredible story, and the woman beside him simply rocked on the sofa, face painted with a disturbing smile.
Bernie had been a ten-year-old boy, sitting at his bedroom desk, when the chill swept through his room. He told us that he remembered nothing but a black void. He might’ve been there for an eternity, or it might’ve been less than a moment.
When he woke from that dark slumber, still a ten-year-old boy sitting in the desk chair, Bernie looked out of the bedroom window. He was overcome by the horrible feeling that time had been lost, but he didn’t know how much. And when he saw residents frozen in the street, he realised that something awful had happened. Bernie found his own paused parents in the kitchen, and they were completely unresponsive to his pleas.
The lonely, frightened boy ran through the town, calling for help. Nobody answered. After a long day of searching, he returned to his house in tears. For a week, Bernie lived on cans of food from the cupboards. And then he heard shouting from the street.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” A man called.
Bernie ran outside to find Mr Johnson. The farmer had just woken from ‘a darkness’ to find the town full of statues. Bernie told Mr Johnson that he’d been alone for a week, but he had no idea how long he’d been frozen before that. The boy wanted to leave, but the farmer said they had to save as many people as possible. They had a duty to do so. After all, neither the farmer nor the boy knew what might happen to them if they were to run. The frost might return.
Anyway, Mr Johnson took Bernie under his wing. The crops in his field, thankfully, had unfrozen, as had his entire farmhouse. Mr Johnson fed Bernie, and the two of them survived. A week later, they found Elizabeth Coulter, the local headteacher, wandering through the town. Over the course of the following year, a dozen more unfrozen souls were saved and brought back to Mr Johnson’s farm.
But things changed as time passed. The newer thawed souls were unhinged. The longer a person had been trapped in that black stasis, the less human they became. They were still intelligible, but they spoke only of the voice in the void. A voice that they missed in the land of the living. They were irritable, but Mr Johnson cared for them, all the same. Eventually, they fled.
This only worsened as the years went by. After a decade, Bernie’s mother and father unfroze. However, his dad ran, and his mum only remained because she was lost and confused. She would rant and rave about the Speaker. The one that would make everything better. The one that would make them all eternal.
It was during the year of 2018 that things crossed a terrifying line. Mr Johnson had decided that newcomers were not welcome. It was a decision of necessity, not cruelty. The recently unfrozen folk had become more than unintelligible. They had become dangerous.
“Hark! The Speaker calls!” Walter Frankton screamed.
The middle-aged man, who had once been a police officer, was standing outside Mr Johnson’s farmhouse. When the community of sane people emerged, they screeched at the sight of Walter holding a charred body above his head. Nobody identified the burnt corpse, but Mr Johnson wasted no time in drawing his rifle and giving Mr Frankton ten seconds to flee.
Bernie explained that Walter laughed demonically, before disappearing into the night. Over the coming years, bodies were found in the street. Followers of the Speaker would relentlessly pursue Mr Johnson’s community, so the sane folk kept distant from the people of the Speaker. Few of Mr Johnson’s followers understood why they stayed, yet nobody felt able to leave. Something was keeping them there.
A couple of weeks before Leon and I arrived, however, Bernie said that Mr Johnson finally announced his plan to leave. There were murmurs of uncertainty. Everybody wanted to escape, of course, but fear had always stopped them. Still, they trusted Mr Johnson. If anybody had the power to safely lead them away from the place controlling their minds, it had to be the brave farmer. Packing and preparations began.
However, some days later, Bernie Bradley happened to look out of an upstairs window and notice Mr Johnson. The old man was wandering aimlessly onto the driveway, stumbling like a drunken man towards his vehicle. Bernie said there was a small child standing beside the car. The young boy led Mr Johnson to the driver’s door with a smile, and the two of them fled.
Things disintegrated after that. When a Molotov cocktail found its way through a window, the community dispersed. The sane folk fled in different directions, and Bernie was left alone with his mother.
“We’ve been running for days,” Bernie explained. “I keep finding the bodies of people from my community. Charred corpses in the street. I tried to leave this town, but it wouldn’t let me. The farther I drove, the sharper the pang in my heart. I knew I'd die if I were to keep going.”
“How did you find us?” Leon asked.
“I heard you,” Bernie replied. “Hard to miss the sound of an engine in a dead place like this. I had a hunch that it might be you.”
“You must've heard my brother then?” I asked hopefully.
Bernie frowned. “Alan's here? That might explain the raucous a few days ago… I don’t know what I heard. Noise. Lots of it... You won't find him, Jill. You have to run whilst it still lets you. The frost might be gone, but… something lingers.”
“The Speaker?” Leon asked.
Bernie nodded. “I was fortunate enough to never hear it. Or never remember hearing it. I don't know what it said to them. My mother won't tell me.”
Bernie looked at the woman next to him. The one who appeared to be the same age as him, though I realised he was still a decade younger. The horror of our town had aged him beyond his years.
“It will be so glorious…” Bernie’s mother giggled, eyes bearing faint pupils behind mild cataracts.
“You’re lucky that they didn’t see you arrive,” Bernie said. “Otherwise, you’d be dead already. But they’ll come. Sooner or later. And you need to listen to me if you want a safe way out of here. Okay? We need to distract them. Keep them off your backs.”
I shook my head. “I need to find my brother. I know he came to this town. I thought I'd find him in our home, but–”
“– Walter wanted him,” Bernie’s mother hissed.
The woman stopped rocking. Stopped smiling. And her head snapped to face me with such eerie speed that I thought it might entirely disconnect from her neck. Bernie quivered, seemingly just as horrified by his mother’s words as the rest of us.
“Mother…?” He asked.
“Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him!” The woman laughed, taunting me.
“What does she mean?” I sobbed. “Does Walter Frankton have my brother?”
Bernie’s face whitened. “If he does, your brother's either been flayed or charred.”
“Christ, Bernie,” Leon replied.
I sniffled. “I won’t leave until I know.”
“He’s already dead,” Bernie bluntly said.
“We don’t know that!” I cried.
I thought the others were sitting in stunned silence because I’d spoken so assertively. However, as I calmed my breathing, and the throbbing sensation in my ears quietened, I heard it too. The sound of laughing voices. Bernie’s mother strained to smile broadly. She looked as pained as my mother, but grateful for the privilege of the discomfort.
“You don't want to see this. We'll head through the back. Do not look at the street...” Bernie hoarsely pleaded as I rose.
But I was already running to the door.
I flung it open and started to run down the path, with Leon and Bernie in tow. Then, my eyes met the mob spilling beyond the end of the street. The crowd easily numbered a hundred people, and each face wore a terrible smile. Eyes glassy, yet all-seeing.
There was a man shuffling from the crowd towards me, like a terrified toddler taking its first steps. I tried to blot his face from my mind. I didn’t want to see it, though it was too late for that. I’d seen everything the moment I faced the crowd. Eventually, I fell to my knees and howled as I embraced the truth.
The shuffling man, who had been flayed alive, was my brother.
Alan reached towards me with an outstretched hand, weakly shouting something, before toppling forwards. He was reduced to a motionless heap on the road.
“Jill!” Leon cried again, rushing to me. “We have to go!”
I continued to wail as the gleeful crowd surged forwards. I resisted Leon, but he easily hauled my limp body to the car and bundled me into the back.
“He needs help...” I blubbered.
“He’s gone, Jill,” Leon whispered.
“What about your family?” I asked.
“They’re all gone...” He sniffled, stepping on the accelerator.
Staring through the rear-view window, I watched the crowd approach my old home. Bernie stood on the front porch, and his mother had her hands on his shoulders. The man did not run. As we pulled off the driveway, it almost seemed as if he, too, finally had a smile on his face. The mob swarmed Bernie, and I heard a brief cry of agony. It may have been ecstatic or fearful. It may have been both.
After we crossed the border, no chill pierced us. We were free to leave. But I know Leon and I belong to that town. I have always suspected that the wind grazed its teeth against my skin when I was a child. It grazed all of us. For, even now, I still feel that link. That urge to return to the salivating mob with a smile on my face.
When I returned home to find that my father was missing, I knew he felt it too.

TL;DR: 600-800€ new build, near France, MMO gaming, for 1366x768 60hz (or 1080p later), Lowest graphics, 2TB SSD, 32GB RAM, may run 2 games at once, wired, no monitor needed. Prefer: silent stealthy black case, some SATA ports and room for future HDDs, maybe built around a used RX 6600/580 video card.
Hello, while making this I rambled a lot in order to be "as specific as possible" and wrote many questions since I myself am unsure what to expect for what budget. I've stuck with the same potato PC and tunnel-visioned two games for a decade, WoW and LoL, so I've never experienced the modern standard for "acceptable" in metrics such as FPS for newer games, quality, resolution, quietness and storage. Perhaps it will be jarring to read, perhaps it breaks the monotony of robotic fast food requests, I don't know, that's why I wrote that TL;DR. The essay is just here if you need more context. Hopefully it helps. Either way I thank you for your time.
I'll highlight the most relevant information if you want to skim through. And I'll link pages to system requirements of each game, and PC parts I'm considering buying.
1. New build or upgrade?
New. Mine is beyond saving.
2. Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)
Just my 1366x768p 60hz monitor for now.
More important to this list, I'm considering buying either one of these "refurbished" video cards from eBay, they both have a 1-year warranty, free shipping in four days straight from my country, and the seller has overwhelmingly positive reviews on hundreds of them. Do you think any of those is good deal? AMD RX 6600 Sapphire Pulse 8GB, 187€ https://www.ebay.fitm/134948507775 or AMD RX 580 Sapphire Nitro+ 8GB, 107€ https://www.ebay.fitm/134663065775 if 6600 is overkill. I read that 580 consumes more, but I'm clueless with math. How many hours would it take to make 580 more expensive than 6600 in the long run?
Right now, technically, I'm reusing my 1366x768 60hz monitor ViewSonic VA1913wm. It has a blue VGA port from an ancient civilization, will that be a problem or can I just find an adapter for it? But if possible I'd like to build around a future 1920x1080 monitor in case mine dies. Why I believe it may die [yapping]:in March it's been acting creepy for the first time in 14 years, making a whiny buzzing noise and flickering brightness like it's a horror game, intensified if I kept the brightness high. Somehow it stopped this behavior after one week but instead it's now stuck projecting the default high brightness, ignoring any value I select. Thankfully I can still lower the brightness a bit through the Windows 7 color calibration feature. So for now the monitor has been "tolerable" but definitely not normal. It's still better than having it too dim or flickering and noisy so I dare not mess with the settings again and damage it further.
Later, I'll probably reuse my current SATA SSD for extra storage. Samsung QVO 870 1TB. [yapping] It was an emergency QLC SSD that I bought solely because WoW became unplayable on my HDD in the November 2022 expansion. But now perhaps I could use use a faster SSD(?), and 2 terabytes since most of these games weigh above 100GB and I read it's bad to fill the whole drive. My 500GB HDD split in two partitions has always been the bane of my existence preventing me from trying other games. I'm keeping that SSD in my old PC for now for testing/troubleshooting/backup but I'll probably transfer it to my new build for extra storage once the old PC is no longer needed, it boots from the HDD anyway. Will I need to format that old SSD when transferring it or will I keep my data when I plug it into my new PC?
3. PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)
(Grab a coffee) My main usage is gaming. Typically multiplayer with infinite play time, character customization and fashion, socializing hubs, healer classes, so usually MMORPGs.
List of games I definitely want to play + targeted FPS + play frequency:

• World of Warcraft The War Within. Goal: 30+ FPS in raids with Discord voice chat, Low settings. It's my current main game because it's all I can still run (barely). I typically do Heroic raids (15-30 players), Mythic+ dungeons (5), PVP arenas (3V3) and battlegrounds (10v10), only up until I get the limited-time cosmetics for the season then I go play games with more instant gratification like LoL, Skyrim, L4D2. But I hope that with acceptable FPS and fast loading screens I'll enjoy the game again and play it for fun.
• Final Fantasy XIV Online Dawntrail. I don't know my goals yet, I've only managed to complete the 1-50 leveling story quests of the free trial before they removed the DirectX 9 client in March so I couldn't any raid. It's competing to be my new main game thanks to the welcoming community, the housing, fashion, emotes and playable musical instruments.
• League of Legends. Goal: 60 FPS, Very Low. It's my second main game but nowadays I mostly play it out of sunk cost fallacy and Fear Of Missing Out (exactly like WoW) and less for fun, so mainly during limited-time events, no longer chasing ranks. [ranting] They nerfed my only character out of its role since 2015 (lane Nidalee), players are encouraged to mute others, and to blow 500 dollars within one month lest they live with a permanent hole in their favorite character's skin collection. Now you know why it took me a decade to upgrade.
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (2016). The GOAT. My PC can't run it but I often come back to original Skyrim (2011) for fun. It's not my main game since it's offline, hence why I'm very eager to try Elder Scrolls Online.
• World of Warcraft Classic Cataclysm. [ranting]You'd think it's redundant to mention this game since: I can run WoW Dragonflight which is visually 13 years more advanced, I ran the first build of the Classic Cataclysm beta in March, this PC physically has seen the original Cataclysm first release in 2010, and my GeForce 9800 GT literally is listed as the minimum GPU for GTA V (and 9800 GTX for BDO). However since the second beta build in March 2024, Classic Cataclysm requires a "3D accelerator card with dual-TMU support," whatever that is, just to launch the game. I bet it's because of the AI up-scaling garbage they added and the usual incompetent WoW Classic Team of 5 interns couldn't think of a way to make it optional for people who don't care about 4K.

Games I want at least to try even if I don't make them my permanent home due to some flaws (pay-to-win, incompetent publisher, dying population), so I just want to be able to run them at 1366x768 with playable FPS, and upgrade later if needed:

• The other known MMORPGs such as Elder Scrolls Online, Black Desert Online, New World, Guild Wars 2. Thankfully MMO is a dying genre, the "popular" ones are a decade old. And graphics can't get more realistic than reality, so eventually my hardware will catch up.
• Grand Theft Auto V Online/FiveM. [yapping] Yes, I've heard the horror stories of rock$tar allowing cheaters to grief, ban, dox and DDOS innocents in every PC public lobbies. So I no longer expect the same welcoming social experience I got in MMORPGs. But the rag doll physics and fashion in GTA have potential for fun. I'm curious to see the chaos for myself, like the missionary who went to Sentinel Island and got skewered by the local tribe. Perhaps there's fun to be found in their Discord community or a private sever in the FiveM client.
• Maybe Sea of Thieves. Maybe Rocket League (60 FPS) if they add a 2V2 solo queue without pre-made parties one day I might reinstall it.

I can't really say what's my "comfortable" frame rate for every game since Windows 7 or my hardware is now physically unable to launch most games (FFXIV, Cataclysm Classic, LoL, ESO, GTA V), let alone play them at 30+ FPS. It's hard for a neanderthal to comprehend what racing car they'd like if their only transportation ever has been a donkey. If my budget happens to be more than enough for 768p60, then perfect, that will allow me to invest more in safety and multitasking, or encourage me to upgrade my monitor or increase eye candy. In the end 1080p isn't an absolute necessity, I had only considered it because my current monitor was acting up. It simply would help to read text better, place more UI on my screen, and share prettier screenshots. But frame rate and multitasking convenience come first.
To give you an idea of how much garbage quality I was able to endure: in WoW [yapping] I currently average at 15 FPS in dungeons (5 players) 10 FPS in raids (25 players), all that at 33% render scale (so effectively 453x256 resolution), down to negative FPS with Discord open. It was painful but still enough to earn the main limited-time end-game rewards every season (Elite PVP set and Mythic+ dungeon portals). I've haven't seen a stable 60 FPS in years, outside of chill solo questing in old areas. So I reckon I'll be okay with at least 30+ FPS in raids and 40-60 in smaller group content, with only Projected Textures enabled and Particle Density on Good+ to dodge boss abilities easier.
I want to sometimes run two games at once, hence why I'm aiming for at least 32 GB RAM despite most MMO games requiring 8-16. Obviously I don't expect optimal performances when running two games at once. The reasoning is that those games rely a lot on doing nothing, waiting for queues, rare spawns, auto-play, and looking up guides on a web browser.
I also use Discord often when raiding, it currently uses a ton of my tiny processor. I'd also like the ability to use a soundboard and voice changer in voice chat in the future, without subscribing to Nitro. But I'm unsure if that requires specific hardware; I had a guild mate randomly playing memes like "I am under the water" at good audio quality during raids in 2020 and it was hilarious, he told me I need a sound card(?) for it, whatever that is, so perhaps I'll need a space for that on the motherboard for that unless there is a simple soundboard software nowadays that does this without sounding like it comes from my cheap microphone while my PC fans make noise. Feel free to tell me if you know an alternative to Nitro.
Second daily use: downloading past livestream broadcasts. No crazy hardware involved, just a lot of network and temporary disk writings. The most "editing" I do is just sometimes trimming with LosslessCut. Nerdy breakdown if you're interested: I'd first download a temporary 160p30 version of the broadcast on an internal HDD with either with TwitchLeecher-DX to preview the desired segments fast with VLC, or with TwitchRecover to load the thumbnail of each 10-second chunk with Windows Explorer. Then on an external HDD I'd download the segments that I want in 1080p60 quality with the Simple Mass Downloader browser extension and delete the temporary 160p files.
I also watch YouTube in a minimized PotPlayer window, it takes far less processor and memory than a browser, but it sometimes downloads a kind of "cache" of the video or something to the Temp folder while playing it, and I don't know how to avoid that, meaning more frequent disk writings. All this yapping to say it's always handy to have SATA ports for internal HDDs, even just 1TB, so I don't waste these daily 1-2 GB of temporary writings on a SSD. Although I've heard nowadays SSDs are more durable (I just don't know to what extent) so I can worry about adding a HDD later. At least I still have my old SATA SSD I can transfer.
4. Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If not US, list local vendors)
France or near.
People recommend buying from Germany or Spain (amazon.de or amazon.es) so I'm willing to try that. Though I'm unfamiliar on how efficient that is, due to delivery times/fees, and maybe customer support. I'd prefer ordering as soon as possible since there is a grinding limited-time event in FFXIV ending on June 24th.
This website can be used to compare prices between websites or countries. https://dropreference.com/fhome
I rarely shop online. I know some websites for used hardware in France are Leboncoin, Rakuten, eBay. New: Amazon.fr, Fnac, Darty, LDLC, Cdiscount, Topachat. If you can't be bothered optimizing the price and looking in both countries (since it does sound painful), feel free to mention trustworthy German websites so I don't get lost struggling to create accounts in another language and giving my payment information to shady places.
5. Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)
No. I'll re-use mine for now.
6. Budget range? (Include tax considerations)
600-800€. I believe France includes VAT in prices.
After simulating a price estimation on PCpartpicker with random cheap parts + the refurbished RX 580, no HDD, no cooler, it seems I'll need at least 600€ due to the expensive 2TB SSD and 32GB RAM. 800€ isn't an absolute maximum, but it's what I paid for my old pre-built PC with a OS license in 2009 and it lasted me a long time (albeit a miserable time), so I'm eager to see to see what that gets me nowadays. Plus it stings to pay a lot for a dying game genre because companies whom I hate force me to upgrade.
The leftover budget perhaps could be spent on: more protection on the power supply so it doesn't damage my storage drives after a power outage, if that is even how it works (and how much would such safety cost?). It's rare but inevitably happens randomly a few times a year, perhaps during bad weather.

Enough processor to run two games at once or other programs while gaming Maybe pick the refurbished RX 6600 for eye candy/future games/power saving.

7. WiFi or wired connection?
Wired.
8. Size/noise constraints?
Noise: preferably silent, but again, as a 2009 animal, I have no clue how controllable noise is. My PC, with only four fans in it (1 blowing out hot air to the back, 1 power supply, 1 processor stock cooler, 1 video card) has always sounded as if someone in the room next to me were blow-drying their hair or vacuum cleaning, so I've never heard what's the standard for "low noise" and how much silence costs, so if it costs a lot more, feel free to suggest several fan models. Of course I'll appreciate if it's silent just because I can hear my PC fans when I occasionally record song covers for fun, but besides that they haven't bothered me because it's not an annoying noise like coil whine, which is a sound I've only learned about recently while reading a review of a RX 6600 PowerFighter video card, I do hope not to hear that. I'm a gamer first so I prioritize cooling.
Size: no constraint, preferably enough to mount a couple HDDs, so better too big than too small.
9. Cololighting preferences?
Preferably: a basic black case, emitting as little visible light as possible in the dark. While it's heartbreaking since I love pink cases and pretty lights, I must blame it on biology; I currently use Cooler Master Elite 341 MicroATX Mid Tower Case and its darkness is the meta because it doesn't reflect light into my weak vampire gamer eyes. It's slightly behind my monitor so I have vision on a third of the side panel all the time.
I'd prefer no window, again regrettable because it's cool to monitor inside the case at a glance, but I fear I'll get blinded by whatever LED lingers inside of it.
I know humans aren't supposed to look at monitors in the dark but that's what works for me. Well lit rooms somehow tire me more, even at school. But here I've referred to myself as many things, human is not one of them. Perhaps I could work around this by placing something DIY in front light sources. So prioritize whatever case and fan has better cooling.
10. Any other specific needs?
Some questions: I've been torn on the debate about the two popular budget processors AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Core i3-12100F. I read that the 4 cores of 12100 are usually better at running a single game than the 6 cores of 3600 (which somehow is astronomically beloved by the PCpartpicker community). However I'll often have another program open such as Discord voice chat, YouTube on PotPlayer, a Chromium browser, watching Twitcth, or even a second game (low quality), so I can't just take the bare minimum for one game. Is that enough multi-tasking to warrant going for 6 cores? Are both of these processors overkill or too weak anyway? I'm just scared because I've only lived with 2 cores and just having the (terribly buggy) idle League of Legends launcher or Discord voice chat open cuts my performances by a lot. So as an ignorant normie who doesn't comprehend the other metrics such as GHz and threads, a 4-core processor doesn't look like a big jump after 14 years, though I could see it be just fine for users who run one game and no other program.
Here's my current system, if an archaeologist is curious what depth of Hell I come from. It was a pre-built PC I ordered for WoW and Aion at a small local tech store for Christmas 2009, for I believe about 800€: OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit (they initially gave me 32bit, at least it was a legit license) CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240. Thermal paste: Cooler Master IC Essential E1 (first and last replaced in 2014, yeah I really neglected it to be fair, I kept coping "I'll upgrade soon anyway") GPU: nVidia GeForce 9800 GT Motherboard: M4A78-VM (AM2) (2 RAM ports, max 8GB) RAM: 4GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 401MHz (6-6-6-18) (overprice 80€ replacement from 2015 another overprice DIMM that only lasted a few months, hence why I lost trust in hardware sellers, I don't even know the even a brand name, initially I got 2+1GB Kingston that died after 4 years), HDD: 465GB Seagate ST3500410SV ATA Device (I'm so proud it's still alive) SSD: Samsung 870 QVO 1TB ATA Device (from 2022) PSU: PC ATX LITEON PE-6301-08AP 300W? (cheap replacement from a tech friend when mine broke around 2018). Monitor VA1913wm-4 (1360x768@60Hz)

Gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva!
Gratitude to the Dharma protectors!
Gratitude to all my fellow Dharma practitioners and Buddhist friends!
First of all, I repent of not being a responsible daughter, mother and wife!
I am from Jiangsu Province, China. I divorced at the end of 2011. Although custody of my son was awarded to my ex-husband, I couldn't let go of my child in my heart, and I always wanted to do my best to be a mother and do my motherly duty.
My son was born in 2000. He was admitted to the hospital at 3 months old with a cold. The doctor looked at his face and palm and determined that he suffered from Down syndrome. When I learned this, my whole family was very helpless! We didn't know what his future path would be. We didn't know what to do to save him. At that time, we didn't know what recovery was, nor had we heard about it. However, we just educated him based on what we had learned. Meanwhile, I hoped for a divine gift (to save him) in my hearts! I always believed that there would be kind people to help me!
I started practicing Buddhism in June 2012 after I made an online Buddhist friend.
In June 2012, a netizen added me as his friend. When I saw his screen name I knew he was a Buddhist. I told him about my son’s situation, hoping for guidance. He recommended me to watch videos of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. From the videos, I learned that to save my son it was useless to burn incense and worship Buddha only. I must recite Buddhist scriptures, pay off my debts, and do good deeds to help my son.
Later on, I joined the Buddha Study Group. The Buddhist practitioners kindly offered me Buddhist scripture book, blank Little Houses, red pens and a plate, which gave me more confidence to study Buddhism. In the beginning, I just focused on doing my daily recitation, and reciting Little Houses, not listening to the recordings, not reading the blogs of Master Lu, not knowing that the Little Houses had to be recited one batch by one batch, not knowing exactly how many Little Houses to recite, and not knowing how many Little Houses I could recite in a day. Anyway, I finished one recitation and burned it immediately. I strongly believe that as long as I practiced hard and followed Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, my son would be fine.
When I started chanting, I dreamed that my aborted child, deceased friends and relatives asked me for Little Houses. Even more amazingly, after I married my current husband in 2013, his father and grandmother, whom I had never met, also came to ask for Little Houses in my dreams. Some dreams also told me what would happen.
Firstly, let me show you my changes after practicing Buddhism:
(1). My temper becomes better. My first marriage break is associated with my bad temper.
(2). I have suffered from chronic bronchitis for many years. When the day was cold, I coughed for several months. I would slowly recover from the illness until the day was warm. No matter what medicine is used or how hanging bottle infusions are administered, both are useless. After practicing Buddhism, chronic bronchitis never appeared.
(3). Previously, I spent hundreds of CNY on cosmetics, now I just spent 10 CNY on snow cream. However, my complexion is very healthy. I used to feel tired even without work. Although I became a vegetarian since practicing Buddhism, my mental state is very good. Now I insist on getting up at 5:30 am every day regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and resting at 9-10 pm. My physical and mental states are positive.
(4). Frequent night urination disappeared.
(5). In this recessionary market, my business is booming. I used to look for customers, but now they look for me.
I set up a Buddhist altar at home. Gradually, I listened to more Buddhism recordings. Under the guidance of fellow practitioners, I learned how to make vows, recite Buddhist scriptures, and perform life liberation.
Secondly, let me talk about my son after I practiced Buddhism.
(1). He has become much more sensible now. I took him to the temple to worship the Bodhisattva. When he saw me kneeling on the floor, he gave me the mat and knelt on the floor. We went to the orphanage to see the orphans. He didn't eat any of the fruits I bought and left them for those children.
(2). Recently, he has grown up very fast.
(3). He is cheerful, often smiles, speaks a lot, and often makes me laugh. His grandmother often says that he knows much more than before.
(4). He knows how to cook, steam eggs, wrap ravioli, and take the bus home by himself. He frequently communicates with us by letter. The teachers and students at school like him and help him a lot.
I firmly believed in my heart that the change in my child was the mercy of the Bodhisattva. I was so grateful to the Bodhisattva, to my fellow practitioners for bringing me to the Dharma Door, and to their help.
Once my son asked me, "Mom, have you ever regretted having me?" I was overwhelmed with emotion, and tears flowed down my face. Seeing me in tears, he said to me, "You can't cry, being in an unhappy mood will affect your health." My child mother thanked the Bodhisattva for giving you to me. Otherwise, I would not encounter and understand Buddhism, I don't know what the real life is, and how to be a real person and live a meaningful life.
As a result of my child's progress, I have gained more confidence in my ability to transform sentient beings. My first priority is to let parents with mental disordered children be free from suffering, since I know their feelings best. It is the hope of every parent that their children will get better sooner. After I joined the Down syndrome baby group, I was heartbroken. There are so many poor children. I can't even look at some of them and dare not look at them. My child is 14 years old. How come there are still so numerous parents with Down syndrome babies? How come there are so many weird diseases? We should think deeply about these!
Firstly, I picked a few groups of parents to transform. Some of the parents understood and accepted Buddhism right away. Many of them started learning Buddhism by watching the videos, listening to the recordings and reading the blogs. When I heard a parent started to practice Buddhism, I was happier than I was when I made money in business because their child was saved.
For parents who are still lingering outside the door of Buddhism, I urge that, for the sake of our children and ourselves, please take some time every day to learn about Buddhism and receive education on how to achieve happiness via Buddhism. Buddhism is an education, not a superstition. Buddhism teaches us how to achieve permanent happiness and joy, and what causes suffering. Buddhism does not make you superstitious, but gives us the absolute right knowledge to break superstition.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and all Dharma Protectors! Gratitude to my fellow practitioners! Gratitude to my family! In the future, I will be one of the hands and eyes of Guan Yin Bodhisattva! Be a faithful Buddha disciple! To be worthy of the Bodhisattva! Be worthy of myself!
Practitioner Shi, from Jiangsu Province, China
Written: 2014
Translator: Frank
Published: 2023-06-05
STATEMENT BY TRANSLATOR
The story was translated from Chinese into English by meaning, not word by word, and some sentences were not translated. If there is anything that is not rational or in line with the true meaning of the Chinese version, I’d like to seek forgiveness from the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Dharma protectors and Master Jun Hong Lu.
PROPAGATION
Please kindly forward this presentation to those who are under sufferance of intractable and rare diseases, and even any sentient beings. You will accumulate immeasurable merits and virtues. Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda！
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINY?
We will show you how to do the five golden Buddhist practices of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door: (1) making vows, (2) reciting Buddhist scriptures (sutras and mantras), (3) performing life liberation, (4) reading Buddhism in Plain Terms, and (5) repenting. You will personally witness how you and your family can achieve physical and mental stability, relief from illness and grievances, wisdom growth, academic progress, career advancement, and family happiness through Dharma.
Please contact fellow Dharma practitioner: Lily
Email：sunnypurplelily@gmail.com
WeChat: HanJing20210820
原文如下：
心灵法门救了唐氏综合症的宝宝
感恩大慈大悲观世音菩萨！感恩诸位龙天护法！感恩各位师兄和佛友！
能有这个机会在这里分享我学佛以来的经历，首先我忏悔我没有做好一个好女儿，好母亲，好妻子！
我是来自江苏的同修，在2011年年尾离的婚，2012年6月份从网上结缘佛友认识心灵法门开始念经学佛，虽然离婚时儿子归前夫，但在我心里一直放不下孩子，一直想尽做母亲的能力做好应尽的母爱。孩子2000年出生，在3个月时感冒去医院，医生看孩子的面相和手掌判断孩子是唐氏。当时听到这个消息，家人都非常的无助！孩子以后的路不知道是怎样的？不知道怎样能救好孩子？那时不知道什么是康复，也没有听到过，只是凭自己的所学教育孩子，同时心里一直盼望神灵的恩赐！因为一直相信会有善良的人会帮我！
2012年6月份有位网友加我好友，一看他的网名是学佛的，我就很信任的把儿子的情况跟他说，希望得到他的指点。结果他推荐心灵法门的视频给我看，当我看到视频真正的知道要救儿子光烧香拜佛是没有用的，是自己要念经消业还债，行善积德解决的。后来进了学佛群，师兄非常热心的送我经书，小房子包括红笔和盘子都一一帮我准备好，这让我更有信心的学习佛法。刚刚开始我只顾抓紧时间做功课，赶小房子，不听录音、不看博客，也不知道小房子要一拨拨念，也不知道究竟要念多少，不知道自己一天能念多少，反正念好就烧，坚信只要自己努力，跟着心灵法门学，儿子一定会好。
当我刚刚开始念经，就梦见自己的堕胎的孩子、故去的亲朋好友一一来要经，更神奇的是2013年跟先生结婚后，没有见过面的先生的父亲和奶奶、外婆也来梦中要经。梦中也时常把将要发生的事情梦中提前预示给我。
先说说我念经来的改变：
1、我脾气好了很多，当时婚姻破裂跟我脾气也有关系。
2、我几年的慢性支气管炎念经后就没有发过，往年天一冷就要咳嗽，一咳就咳几个月，要等天暖和才慢慢变好，随便吃药挂水都没有用。
3、虽然我从一开始学佛许愿吃素，但我的脸色非常好，以前还花几百元化妆品涂涂，现在用10元的雪花膏打打就行。还有精神状态也非常佳，以往不做什么活，就感觉疲倦，现在不管春夏秋冬每天坚持5点30起床，晚上差不多9-10点休息。
4、晚上尿频也没有了。
5、在这经济市场萧条的情况下，自己的事业蒸蒸日上。以前是我找客户，现在是客户找我。
再说说孩子，2013年婚后家里设了佛台，做功课和念小房子比较方便，自己也慢慢的多听录音，经过师兄指点，懂得怎样许愿，念经，放生。孩子现在真的是懂事得多，带他去庙里拜菩萨，看到我跪地上，他就把垫子让给我，自己跪地上；去孤儿院看孩子，买的水果，自己没有吃一个，留给那些孩子吃。个子最近也长得很快，心情开朗，经常笑嘻嘻的，语言也很多，还时常哄我笑，孩子奶奶经常说：孩子比以前懂得多得多。自己懂得做饭，蒸蛋，包馄饨，自己坐公交回家，经常书信跟我们沟通。学校老师和同学都很喜欢他也很帮助他。我心中默默知道孩子的改变这是菩萨的慈悲。心中无比感恩菩萨，感恩师兄带我进佛门，感恩师兄们的帮助。有次孩子对我说：“妈妈，你生我有没有后悔过？”我听后无比的激动，眼泪情不自禁哗啦啦的流下来。看到我流泪，孩子对我说：“不能哭，心情不好会影响身体。”孩子，妈妈感谢菩萨把你赐给我，不然妈妈也不懂佛法。不懂什么才是真正人生，怎样做实实在在的人，过有意义的生活。
从孩子的进步我更有底气去度人，最初，我最想让那些有残疾孩子的父母先离苦得乐，因为我最了解他们的心情。最希望自己的孩子早点好起来，望子成龙，望女成凤是每个家长的希望，虽然我们的孩子有残缺，打破了我们的规划，但我们父母应该尽我们的能力帮助孩子越来越好。在我进唐氏宝宝群，看得真的心很痛，有这么多可怜的孩子，还有的真的是看都看不下去也不敢看。我孩子都14周岁了，怎么还有这么多父母生唐氏宝宝？怎么有这么多奇奇怪怪的病？这些我们应该深思！
先是挑选几个群试着度那些父母。有的父母一讲就通，也有很多自己先看视频听录音看博客就开始学佛了，听到哪个父母开始学佛，心里比我做到生意赚钱都开心，因为我们的孩子有救了。家庭和睦。像单身妈妈和离异的父母在群里看到的很多很多，我已经没有给孩子一个完美的家，但我不希望有更多孩子的这样。虽然现在先生很好很支持我学佛念经，做功德没有一句怨言过，但在孩子面前我永远不是一个完美母亲，如果前几年学佛，也不会离婚。说实话我们的孩子需要社会的温暖，那温暖应该先从我们自己做起。学菩萨行善心结善缘。远离痛苦因，永远快乐！
还徘徊在佛门外的父母们，我呼吁——为了我们的孩子，我们自己，请你：每天抽一点点时间来了解佛法，接受如何获得幸福的教育。佛教是教育，不是迷信，佛法让我们懂得如何才能获得永久的幸福与快乐，什么是痛苦的根源；佛法不是让你迷信，而是让我们绝对的破除迷信的正知正见。我们要觉正净，觉而不迷，不对一切事情着迷，对任何事情能有一个觉净。我们每天抱怨这个社会，抱怨骗子太多了，要知道不是别人骗了我们，而是我们自己被自己骗了。社会好，政府好，为什么我们觉得现在社会风气不好，那是因为我们社会的人心开始变了，是人的思想道德意识变了。所以我们要改变社会首先从我们自己改，天下兴亡我的责任。我们的心灵法门导师——卢军宏台长多年来无私忘我弘法，发宏誓愿，行菩萨行，他日以继夜的用自己的肉身慧命，白天的工作排的满满当当，晚上只睡3-4个小时，救度了那么多有缘众生使大家家庭好了，工作好了，身体好了，学习好了，我们还有什么理由不好好学？千万不要等到恶疾缠身才想起菩萨，不要等到万事休矣才知道忏悔。
最后还是感恩观世音菩萨！所有诸位佛菩萨龙天护法！感恩师兄！感恩家人！末学在未来的日子里做好观世音菩萨的千手千眼！做好一名佛弟子！对得起菩萨！对得起自己！
江苏施同修
2014年
您想改变命运吗？
我们手把手传授您观世音菩萨的心灵法门五大法宝：“许愿”、“放生”、“念经”、“读《白话佛法》、大忏悔”。您将亲自见证如何通过佛法让自己及家人获得身心安定、病苦解除、冤结化解、智慧增长、学业进步、事业提升、家庭幸福。免费学习，免费结缘。
欢迎联络Lily佛友：sunnypurplelily@gmail.com
或者加Lily佛友微信：HanJing20210820
Disclaimer of Liability:
The contents of the presentation and answers, including text, images, and other information obtained from Dharma practitioners, are provided strictly for reference purposes. Due to the unique nature of individual karma, results similar to those experienced by the authors may not be replicated. The experiences and advice shared should not be construed as medical advice or a diagnosis.
In the event of an emergency, it is crucial to promptly contact your doctor or emergency services by dialing 911. Relying on any information found in the answers is done solely at your own risk. The translator and answerer bear no responsibility for the consequences. By using or misusing the contents, you accept liability for any personal injury, including death. It is imperative to exercise caution and seek professional medical guidance for health-related concerns.

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To: [redacted]@gmail.com
From: [redacted]@lodgeofkozeron.org
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Subject: Membership with the Lodge of the Ancient Order of Közeron
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Hello again Eric!
I am reaching out to you regarding your intent to pledge to the Lodge of the Ancient Order of Közeron. As you are already aware, this fraternal brotherhood is unlike the fraternities at other universities. In fact, it has nothing to do with so called "Greek Life" at all. Membership with our Lodge will not only help you as you attend Eldertide Polytechnic University here in Echo Bay, but you will find that the brotherhood of the Lodge will help you in life after your matriculation has concluded. Many Lodge members find successful careers in law enforcement, politics and several are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
Before we invite you to participate in the Pledging Ceremony, we do want to ensure that you know and understand a few things about the Lodge:

1. Everything you learn about the Lodge as a pledgling or full member is strictly confidential. You will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to proceed further. Failure to uphold your end of this agreement has dire consequences which will be discussed further with you should you desire to continue pledging.
   
2. Mastery of a Martial Art is compulsory. The Lodge will not dictate which form (or forms) of Martial Arts to pursue and there is no time constraint or expectation for you to reach a level of mastery quickly. As far as the Lodge is concerned, you may pursue mastery for the rest of your life, but your attempts must be earnest. This will be verified yearly for the rest of your life. Again, failure to uphold your end of this will be met with dire consequences. Please consider this before continuing.
   
3. The Scarification Rite is mandatory. It hurts. A lot. You will bare the mark of the brand below your left ankle for the rest of your life. You will have trouble walking as the scar left by the brand heals. This rite is another of our many secrets and my brother and I recommend wearing a bandage and using crutches as the scar heals. Claiming to have a sprained ankle is the easiest way to explain away your trouble walking for several weeks and you are welcome to come waterskiing with us on the day of the ceremony should you choose to use this excuse. Spraining your ankle doing an activity will give your story the appropriate alibi. You don't have to come with us, but we like you so we wanted to invite you.
   
4. We use a coded language when speaking about the Lodge in public. Don't worry this is fairly simple to master and you will learn it quickly.
   
5. Membership is for life. Yes LIFE. You cannot leave. EVER. Please consider this carefully before continuing forward. Attempting to leave, again, will be met with dire consequences.
   

There are a number of other considerations you will need to consider as you pledge, but we find these to be the most important. In addition, please review the attached file and memorize the contents to the best of your ability. It is an account of Közeron's Rise and early history.
This document was generously scanned page-by-page by Eldertide Polytechnic University's head librarian Darlene Fischer from a 1934 University textbook which is kept in her private and restricted collection. This textbook of which only one copy remains, contains an entire chapter of what is considered by experts to be the most accurate, definitive account of Közeron's history. It is a great privilege to have this information shared with you so please recognize that and act accordingly.
Commit as much as you can of it to memory as the Grand Navigator will frequently quiz you about its contents prior to accepting your application for Lodge membership.
Finally, If you have any questions, please reach out to me or my brother, Dean. As your Sponsors, we will be happy to answer any and all questions.
If you fail it reflects poorly on us, so do not embarrass us, Eric!
Sincerely,
Devin James
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📎 Attachment: rise-of-kozeron.pdf

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Attachment Contents:

 

The Rise of Közeron

The Viking ship known as Klóra Karfi disappeared on its journey homeward to the shores of Norway as it traversed the freezing waters of the North Sea with its sister ships, the Skelmir Hlíf and Hjarta Hvassi. It would be the final voyage of all three ships led by the famous Viking raider Kortan Sigurd and myriad pieces of the Skelmir Hlíf and Hjarta Hvassi were said to have washed ashore near Lindisfarne, England, the town that they set out from, after a great storm ravished and destroyed them. The winds and waves that night were responsible for drowning their respective crews and reducing both ships to kindling. Although historical documents from the corresponding time period and region of Britain assume the same fate befell the Klóra Karfi, something very different happened to Kortan Sigurd and the men on that ship.
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The raid was said to have been swift and brutal. The Viking warriors led by Sigurd, in documents written by Brother Godric Eadwine (an Anglo-Saxon monk at the Lindisfarne Priory), are described as “a band of savage heathen men whom hath once more come ashore, bringing ruin to the holy churches and townships that lie within the countryside's embrace. Three ships did arrive at break of day, one bearing the shape of a giant seashell carved upon its prow, another adorned with a heart, and the final with the visage of a dragon, adorned with fierce clawed talons striking fear. The men aboard these vessels slew all who stood against them, robbing their victims of money, treasures, and even their food. Ere they set their homes ablaze, reducing them to naught but ashes.” Brother Godric Eadwine also describes the storm that night, mentioning it the following day in his private diaries: “The tempest that did wreak havoc upon the coast yestereve was terrible and treacherous, verily the work of some evil force. The north tower of our holy monastery was smitten by lightning, causing a great fire in its wrathful strike and taking Abbot Edwulf Oswine from us. Between the dire events of the day and the calamities of the night that followed, the happenstances on the 19th day of June in the 824th year of our Lord shall forever be graven upon my memory.”
The histories inscribed by this monk and others of the Lindisfarne Priory claim that, upon finding pieces of wrecked longships mere days after the raids, the Klóra Karfi was destroyed along with its sister ships the Skelmir Hlíf and the Hjarta Hvassi in the storm that ensued after the violent plunder that befell the English coastline. There are, however, conflicting historical documents recorded by the Seãkwa people, a Native American tribe settled on the coast of New England in North America during the same time period. This unverified history is quite possibly the true fate of Kortan Sigurd and the Klóra Karfi, for in early 1932, during a ground excavation for a local business, a ship of Viking origin with a dragon’s head prow matching Brother Godric Eadwine’s description was unearthed from where it was buried near Veil Reef Beach at the southern boundary of Echo Bay. Experts confirm that the type of wood used as well as the building style of the vessel matches the construction of others built in the time period and location where the Klóra Karfi originated, lending further credence to the idea that the ship was not destroyed but was instead separated from its sisters during the violent storm, inexplicably finding its way completely undamaged and wholly intact to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
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According to Seãkwa historians, the tale that follows originated from stories told by the physical manifestation of an oceanic deity named Közeron, who shared his history with the tribe when he encountered them sometime in the 7th century. It has been shared in tribal memory for over 1,200 years via word of mouth, art, canoe carvings and architectural adornments from different time periods in their tribal history and remains a major part of the Seãkwa’s tribal identity to this day.
After successfully raiding Lindisfarne and the surrounding countryside, Kortan Sigurd and his men returned to their ships, securing their plunder and setting sail for home. The trio of longships were particularly quick and were thought to have possibly moved at an average speed of 8-12 knots, taking them approximately three days to five days of rowing with breaks and weather factored in, to make the approximate 800 kilometer return trip to their village on the coast of Norway. Typically, Viking longships of this time period sailed within view of the coastline and did not sail directly across open seas causing a journey that would otherwise take approximately two days to take nearly twice as long.
Sigurd was standing at the helm of the Klóra Karfi, adorned with its intricately carved prow, when the sky suddenly darkened and the wind began to howl like a vengeful spirit. A fierce and unexpected storm descended upon the three ships out of nowhere just hours after they set sail. The seas roared and monstrous waves reached their great hands towards the sky, threatening to capsize the raiding party’s ships with every gust. The men of the Klóra Karfi watched in horror as a maelstrom opened beneath the Hjarta Hvassi and Skelmir Hlíf, spinning them around and around one another in endless circles as their crews attempted to furiously row their vessels to safety. The men watched as the efforts of those in the other longships were unsuccessful and the whirlpool snapped the oars that competed against its currents one by one, eventually swallowing both ships whole and beginning to pull at the lone Viking longship that remained.
As the Klóra Karfi spun in the very same current that its sisters perished within, a great wave submerged the deck, taking three of the crew overboard and into the watery depths. The remaining men clung to the ship, white-knuckled and fearful, as the maelstrom’s grip tightened and their fate seemed set in stone.
When the intense storm finally abated, Kortan Sigurd and his men remained aboard the ship adrift in a dense fog, obscuring their vision of everything past two or three feet in every direction. The mist was so thick that when the men stood at the stern, they were unable to see the bow of the Klóra Karfi at the other end. The sun above them, showing barely through the haze, appeared as an illuminated, ghostly disc and worse still, not a single one of the men could remember how they survived. They could recall the onset of the typhoon, the terrifying whirlpool and watching their sister ships being crushed as they were sucked down to the bottom, but the memory of how they escaped that fate themselves was a blank void–as if it were wiped from their minds.
Amongst Sigurd’s men was one woman who went by the name of Aud Olofsdotter; a fierce shield maiden and soothsayer or “völva” as she was known in their native tongue, who claimed to have received a prophetic vision during the storm. Over many years, the men learned to listen to her and listen closely when she shared her visions with them, as she was a skilled storyteller and her prophecies became truths quite often. She spoke of a great kraken; a monstrous spear-headed sea creature with dozens of great, reaching tentacles, emerging from the depths at the very center of the maelstrom and pulling at the Klóra Karfi into the spinning waters.
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According to her vision, as it began to capsize, instead of allowing the longship to overturn, the great beast held it upright and level for a moment. It raised it up and above the waves for just a moment before it pulled the ship into the maelstrom’s center and underwater entirely. Instead of becoming submerged beneath the viciously undulating surface, the crew found themselves traveling through a mystical tunnel beneath the waves–a water-passage that encircled the ship above and below and seemed to stretch endlessly before and behind them. She claimed that this underpass beneath the surface of the water was a place of unremembering where the passage of time and the movement of the ship became entirely meaningless. The span between the storm and waking in the fog, which seemed to the men to be mere moments, was actually, she claimed, to be over three weeks. Some of the men who heard her telling of this vision claimed that this simply could not be so and at this, she urged them to check their stores of food and fresh water.
“You will find them nearly depleted.” she said, “I tell you, it has been nigh on a month since we sailed through this otherworldly realm, as guided by some unseen force and in that time, we have consumed nearly all of our provisions.”
Their stores of food, which were mostly stolen during the raid, should have lasted them nearly 20 days and what remained of their supply of fresh water was barely enough for four, although the barrels should have been nearly full for their journey was only meant to last a week or two and no longer. At this revelation, the men were dismayed and disoriented and looked to Kortan for leadership and guidance.
Knowing no other means of escape from their plight, he ordered them back into the hull and to begin rowing in a direction that, unsure of their location and lacking means of navigation through the fog, he chose arbitrarily–desperately hoping it would lead them safely to land and salvation.
For five days they rowed and the thick blankets of mist hanging in the air never lifted. Morale plummeted as hunger and thirst gnawed at their resolve to continue onward and some of the men began to believe and share in whispers that they surely must be dead. Their reasoning was that the maelstrom actually crushed their longship, like it had done to its sisters, and while the other crews made it to Valhalla, they somehow found themselves lost along the way. On the sixth night, shortly after the first of their numbers was found dead of malnutrition and dehydration in his bunk below decks, the waters around the Klóra Karfi were discovered to be glowing with a neon green phosphorescence and illuminating the fog with an eerie light. Both things were interpreted by most of those aboard the ship as a malevolent sign.
No one knew why he chose that night, when the water shimmered with an eerie glow, but even the most rational among the crew could be tempted to drink the seawater at this point, driven by their relentless thirst. Perhaps this man, unlike the others, saw the neon waters as a divine omen. The first to drink was Vontell Eriksson, who lowered a bucket into the glowing sea and raised it to his lips, swallowing nearly half without even attempting to skim the luminescent algae from the surface. In the waters around Echo Bay, the phosphorescent green glow is a familiar sight and is caused by psykothrix algae. This algae, more abundant before the Bay was settled, is still illegally harvested, dried, and processed for its consumption to this day. Known for its vivid glow and psychedelic properties, psykothrix algae poses a significant risk if not properly prepared. Studies reveal that improper processing can lead to severe irrationality and bouts of inexplicable violence, especially in those with weak or compromised constitutions. Thus, when the six starving and thirsty crew members were convinced by Vontell to drink the water with him, each of them fell into a state of frenzied madness. These seven men became the crew’s undoing.
That night, driven by insatiable hunger and the effects of psykothrix, the intoxicated men determined Aud Olofsdotter to be the weakest of the crew on board. They stabbed her to death and cut away strips of her stomach, which they began to eat raw. It wasn’t until they began to consume her uterus, intestines and liver that they were witnessed by another crewman who happened upon them in the midst of their gruesome act. Being greatly outnumbered by the madmen, he retreated above deck to alert Kortan Sigurd about what he’d seen happening below.
Most of the men gathered on the deck, drawn by the eerie glow of the eldritch waters. Kortan, rallying his remaining best fighters, descended below deck to confront the madmen-turned-cannibals. A brutal battle ensued, with the intoxicated men holding the advantage; the uncured algae granted them unnatural strength and cunning. In a short time, they overpowered Sigurd and his fighters, capturing Sigurd and binding him tightly to a beam.
As the remaining crew discovered the mutiny, they attempted to reclaim their ship, descending below deck to attempt to overthrow the mutineers and free their leader. However, the madmen’s enhanced abilities led to a bloody slaughter. One by one, Sigurd’s men fell until only Kortan remained, shouting at the mutineers and demanding to be released. The madmen taunted him for hours, their eyes gleaming and wild the entire time. Before the night was through, they mutilated their captain, severing his arms at the elbows and cutting off his legs, tossing them into the glowing sea. Kortan was strong and his strength and desire to live never faltered, even at the end when they threw him, still alive, into the freezing neon waters as well.
This marks a pivotal moment in Seãkwa tribal history where legend and myth become one, for Kortan Sigurd did not perish. Indeed, what transpired next endowed him with everlasting life. Xaigon, eternal and undying, in this time period was already inhabiting the waters of Echo Bay and was already living there in his dream state for eons. His followers on land were already brewing Cetacean Essence and undergoing the telltale transformations and adaptations necessary to live with him beneath the waves for several hundred years. At this time, the Shining City in the fabled Coral Caves was considerably smaller than its present size. By 824 AD, Depth Departures were occurring in small, unrecorded numbers within the Seãkwa tribe, with the Xaigonian Fishpeople beneath the black waves of Echo Bay numbering between 750 and 900 souls.
It is crucial to note that the true scope and size of the Shining City has never been accurately counted or estimated with any degree of success. By the time of this publication in 1934, it is thought that over 5,000 souls reside in the Shining City. The Xaigonian Fishpeople do not permit outsiders, particularly census takers, to enter their great, secret city, and likely never will, rendering these numbers unverifiable. Experts concur that the population of the Coral Cave’s Shining City is at least double that of Echo Bay. However, many argue that this undersea population is easily three times larger than the land-based population.
For more information on Xaigon, Xaigonian Enclave, Xaigonian Fishpeople, Cetacean Essence or Depth Departures, refer to Chapter 12, "The Lore and History of Xaigon" beginning on page 137.
Having been noticed by Xaigonian scouts two days prior, the Klóra Karfi was already being watched closely by the residents of the Shining City and as Kortan Sigurd’s body sank beneath the waters, it was collected by three Xaigonian Oracles. Moving hastily and employing the use of their dark magic, the Priestesses dismembered a giant lobster attaching its limbs, tail and legs to Kortan Sigurd’s torso, thus saving his life.
When Kortan awoke beneath the sea, his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim, otherworldly light filtering through the water. Confusion gripped him as he took in his strange surroundings; an underwater temple filled with bioluminescent sea creatures and phosphorescent algae. Before him stood the three Oracles, pleasure painted across their scaled faces, satisfied with their work. For a short time, he strained to comprehend the alien environment. When they spoke to him, he did not understand their words and he slowly began to grow agitated.As realization dawned, this confusion and agitation gave way to a burning wrath. The annals of Viking mythology are clear: a slain warrior's rightful place is within the hallowed halls of Valhalla, where he would feast and fight for eternity. Yet, by some cruel twist of fate, Kortan found himself denied this glorious afterlife. His resurrection beneath the waves was not a blessing but a curse–a theft of his warrior's reward.
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Fueled by this perceived outrage and denial, Kortan's rage intensified. His once noble visage twisted with fury, he turned on the very Oracles who saved his life. These mystical seers of the deep, revered for their wisdom and power, unwittingly incurred his vengeance. He saw their actions not as a salvation but as a condemnation, a denial of his divine right.
As their mangled bodies began to turn the waters of their sacred temple red, Kortan breathed heavily of their mystic blood as it commingled with the seawater. In breathing this blood, he was further imbued with the dark magics of the Xaigonian Priestesses.
This act of destruction and desecration within the sacred confines of one of Xaigon’s temples, nestled in the secretive Shining City of the Coral Caves, did not escape notice. Xaigon himself, a nightmarish entity with a slick, reflective black form, both squid-like and humanoid, bearing a colossal obsidian shell upon his back, stirred from his eternal slumber. Waking from his dreamstate and rising up from the Abyss, he ascended through the chasmic cliffs of his sleeping crevice, swimming directly to the temple where the massacre transpired. Within moments, his formidable tentacles rent the walls of the sacred sanctuary to rubble, and upon discovering Kortan still within, a titanic clash between the two ensued.
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Xaigon found himself facing an evenly matched adversary in the transformed Viking. The battle raged with ferocity, hand-to-tentacle, for nearly an hour. When Xaigon’s powerful and whip-like appendages succeeded in tearing the newly attached claws from Kortan’s arms, it seemed as though victory was within his grasp. Yet, in a twist neither combatant anticipated, something extraordinary occurred.
Lobsters possess the remarkable ability to regenerate their claws through a process of molting their exoskeletons. This regeneration process begins immediately upon the loss of a limb, with a bud forming at the site of the wound. In an ordinary lobster, it may take several molts to fully restore a missing claw or limb and depending on the age of the lobster, this may be a process that takes anywhere from a year to five years total for this remarkable ability to allow for eventual regrowth.
However, imbued with the supernatural blood of the Oracles, Kortan’s regeneration defied the natural order. To the astonishment of both Xaigon and Kortan, his claws began to regenerate instantaneously. The exoskeleton formed and shed multiple times within mere seconds. In less than a minute, the missing claws were fully regrown from where Xaigon severed them.
Defeated and bewildered, Xaigon retreated into the spiraling abyss of his onyx shell. Once fully ensconced, the ominous sound of stone grinding against stone echoed through the depths as he blocked off the shell’s opening and sank slowly to the ocean floor, leaving behind a trail of bioluminescent mucus in his wake. Kortan continued his assault on the impenetrable shell where it lay at rest on the ocean floor for quite some time, his relentless blows failing to make a dent in the unnatural and unholy barrier that shielded the ancient god.
At last, conceding the futility of his efforts, Kortan abandoned the fight. He swam back to the surface, resolute in his determination to attend to other unfinished business that awaited him above the waves.
It did not take long for Kortan to locate the Klóra Karfi, despite the dense fog enshrouding the surface. Finding it was easy for him amidst the eerie, glowing waters. His newly transformed limbs, both dexterous and surefooted, allowed him to scale the side of the longship with ease, and with a mighty heave, he hoisted himself aboard the deck, where the mutineers were still celebrating their ill-gotten victory, their minds still twisted by the hallucinogenic effects of the psykothrix algae.
Kortan cleared his throat, a sound that sliced through their carousing and caused the startled men to turn and face him in horror. The only remaining vestiges of his humanity were the intricate patterns of tattoos on his chest, his furious bearded face, and his long, elaborately braided hair.
With his newfound power, Kortan exacted a brutal revenge on the mutineers, slaughtering them for their betrayal and casting their severed limbs into the sea. Having satisfied his vengeance, Kortan left the ship and ventured into the vast ocean depths. For many months, he explored the underwater realms, encountering many creatures native only to Echo Bay. Creatures both wondrous and terrifying. His journey was marked by continuous clashes with the Xaigonian Fishpeople who still believed they might find a way to best him in battle and earn the glory and recognition of Xaigon. Every Fishperson who attempted to fight him in the sand at the depths of the open waters was repaid for their efforts with death.

Közeron and the Seãkwa Tribe

The Seãkwa Tribe were living along the coast of Echo Bay for generations prior to 825 AD, their existence deeply intertwined with the rhythms of the tides and the whispers of the ocean. They held a profound belief in the spirits dwelling within the watery depths, chief among them Xaigon himself. Their rituals and traditions were inextricably linked with the natural world of the sea, as they considered themselves the guardians of its enigmatic mysteries.
According to Seãkwa tribal historians, Kortan emerged from the waves in Twilight Cove, located on the north side of their village, one sunny afternoon. He was first spotted by a pair of tribesmen who were fishing on the shore. Horrified and awestruck by his appearance, they abandoned their belongings, including a basket containing their substantial catch, and ran back to the village to alert the tribe. Kortan observed these men, picked up their abandoned basket in his claws, and followed them with a curious demeanor.
Upon his arrival at the village, Kortan found it seemingly deserted. The fishermen, known for their serious dispositions and honesty, recounted their encounter to the tribal leaders. The elders, trusting their word, sounded the alarm by blowing three times into a conch shell, prompting the entire tribe, except for one, to flee the small village. The elderly and infirm hid among the high sand dune grasses, while the young and able-bodied quietly and quickly ascended the hidden paths within the Twilight Pass cliffs. Everyone halted where they stood when Kortan arrived, with many crouching in the seagrasses along the rocky path and others watching from the cliffs with shocked amazement.
Kortan briefly surveyed the village before sighing and leaving the basket of fish at what he supposed was the village center. Observing this, the one man who had stayed behind decided to emerge from his hiding place. Talanook, a trusted member of the tribal shaman, approached Kortan with cautious reverence, sensing an immense power radiating from him. After several minutes of circling Kortan, who stood unmoving, Talanook beckoned to the villagers, signaling that it was safe to return.
No one living on land had ever seen Xaigon, so when Talanook proclaimed that this being was the manifestation of the deity in physical form, the tribe fell to their knees, offering respect and pledging their devotion. Kortan, unable to understand their language, did nothing to correct the misunderstanding and seemed to accept their worship. The tribe celebrated their fortune, believing they were in the presence of a divine entity from the sea.
As days turned into weeks, Kortan remained among the Seãkwa, gradually learning their language and lifestyle. His presence became a central part of their daily lives, integrating himself into their customs and routines. Yet, a schism began to form within the tribe, as not all members were wholly convinced of his divinity. A young warrior named Mako, known for his strength and perceptiveness, started to question Kortan’s true nature. Over time, Mako's suspicions grew, and he became convinced that this creature was not Xaigon. He began to quietly whisper to others, suggesting that Kortan was a mere usurper seeking to disrupt their sacred traditions. His skepticism resonated with many in the tribe, finding a receptive audience among the doubtful.
The division reached a breaking point when Kortan, struggling with his newfound language, mispronounced words that evoked laughter from a crowd of onlookers. Losing his temper, Kortan destroyed one of the tribe’s sacred totems, throwing it into a bonfire before retreating hastily back to the sea. He was not seen nor heard from for many days. This act of desecration was too much for Mako and his followers. They accused Talanook and the shamanic council of leading the tribe astray, sparking a fierce debate among the Seãkwa people. In a matter of days, the once-unified tribe stood on the brink of civil war.
Unable to reconcile their differences, the tribe split into two factions. Mako and his followers, steadfast in their belief that Kortan was not Xaigon, chased Talanook and his supporters out of Twilight Cove. Mako declared Twilight Cove a sacred site, insisting it should belong only to the true believers of Xaigon as the one true sea god. Talanook and his followers, still devoted to Kortan, relocated to Veil Reef Beach, on the southern end of Echo Bay.
When Kortan emerged from the waves once more, the faction remaining in the original village acted as though he were invisible. Using his limited understanding of the Seãkwa language, Kortan attempted to apologize, having finally realized that the people worshiping him believed him to be Xaigon. Despite his efforts, they ignored him entirely until one of the elders broke the silence. The elder, using simple words that Kortan mostly understood, explained where those who still loved and followed him had relocated.
Over the following weeks, Kortan learned much more of the language from his devoted followers. He gradually dispelled their misconception, explaining that he was not Xaigon. As his grasp of the language improved further, he recounted to the elders of the exiled faction how he had defeated Xaigon in hand-to-hand combat months earlier. He described how the deity had retreated into his shell to escape him. In recognition of his deeds and power, Talanook bestowed upon him the name Közeron, solidifying his new identity among the Seãkwa.
The two factions of the Seãkwa tribe continued their fierce struggle for many months, but the relentless conflict began to take a heavy toll on both sides. Leaders from each faction started to recognize the futility of their strife, and in a rare moment of unity, Talanook and Mako agreed to meet under a banner of truce. They convened at the rocky outcrop known as Spirit’s Reach, a neutral ground sacred to both factions. There, they discussed peace and the pressing need to preserve their people and traditions.
After several days of intense negotiation, a tentative peace was established. Both factions agreed to respect each other’s territories and cease hostilities. The Közerians would continue to inhabit Veil Reef Beach, while the Xaigonians would remain at Twilight Cove. They decided to share the waters and resources of Echo Bay, cooperating only when absolutely necessary to avoid further bloodshed.
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This fragile peace was maintained through a grudging commerce. The Közerian faction, with their access to the groves near Veil Reef Beach and Közeron’s knowledge of shipbuilding, excelled in crafting canoes. They traded these canoes to the Xaigonians in exchange for the right to fish the abundant waters of Twilight Cove. Even the Seãkwa who had splintered from the faction that remained at Twilight Cove recognized that these waters were the richest fishing grounds in Echo Bay. They remain so to this day, a testament to the continued devotion and sacrifices of the Xaigonian Enclave.
This arrangement, though fraught with tension, allowed both factions to thrive. The Közerians used their shipbuilding skills to explore new waters and expand their trade, while the Xaigonians, with their deep connection to Xaigon, continued their sacred rituals and maintained the fertility of their fishing grounds. The peace forged at Spirit’s Reach endured, a delicate balance of mutual respect and necessity, shaping the destiny of the Seãkwa people for generations to come.
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This week's book club list is as follows (enjoy reading and comment which your favourite is below):
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1. Nelson: Love and Fame by Mr. Edgar Vincent: Legendary for his exploits in war and love, Admiral Horatio Nelson comes into clear view in this captivating new biography. “This is a wonderful book, the best modern biography of Britain’s greatest admiral.” —John Keegan, Daily Telegraph “A great biography and a poignant love story.”—Benjamin Schwarz, Atlantic Monthly “A masterly biography, cool and sharp in long shots, intimately persuasive in close focus, at all times difficult to put down and as timely as it is suggestive in its implications.” —Hilary Spurling, New York Times Book Review “A splendid biography, not only because it is well written and well researched, but also because it neither seeks to demean the hero nor excuse the man. Heroism becomes the more remarkable when it is shown by people who in other ways are very like ourselves.” —L. G. Mitchell, Times Literary Supplement “Vincent has written a masterful biography of a military man that examines the nuts and bolts of leadership in an entertaining and compelling way. If you only read one biography of Nelson among the hundreds available, it should be this one.”—Paul Carbray, The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec) • Named one of Atlantic Monthly’s Books of the Year • A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Since his retirement as a senior manager from ICI, Edgar Vincent has been researching and writing about Horatio Nelson.
2. Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson: Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other great teachers were born with brains built essentially like anyone else's. Then they used their minds to change their brains in ways that changed history. With the new breakthroughs in neuroscience, combined with the insights from thousands of years of contemplative practice, you, too, can shape your own brain for greater happiness, love, and wisdom. Buddha's Brain joins the forces of modern science with ancient teachings to show readers how to have greater emotional balance in turbulent times, as well as healthier relationships, more effective actions, and a deeper religious or spiritual practice. Well-referenced and grounded in science, the book is full of practical tools and skills readers can use in daily life to tap the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater peace and well-being. If you can change your brain, you can change your life.
3. Live in a Better Way: Reflections on Truth, Love, and Happiness by Dalai Lama: Imbued with a friendly tone and pithy wisdom, this handsome handbook to approaching life "in a better way" includes six of His Holiness The Dalai Lama's most accessible and inspirational public lectures. Following each talk are the original question-and-answer sessions in which His Holiness opens himself up to his listeners and-now-to readers everywhere. His characteristically candid guidance on living fully and responsibly, especially at the start of a new millennium, focuses on specific themes that range from religious tolerance to compassion and nonviolence. The book also includes a practical and highly readable introduction to Buddhism and The Dalai Lama's own spiritual heritage, written by the renowned Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.
4. The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness by La La Anthony, Karen Hunter: Star of VH1’s La La’s Full Court Life, actress, entrepreneur, and wife of New York Knick’s star Carmelo Anthony, La La Anthony found love and success on her own terms. But before La La was a strong woman balancing a growing career, a high-profile marriage, and motherhood, she suffered through bad dates, tumultuous relationships, and backstabbing friends. She learned the hard way how to rise above it all to live the life she loves. And now, for the first time, she channels her most rewarding and challenging lessons into a personal playbook, providing empowering, go-to advice for healthy relationships and a happy life.
5. Absolute Tao. Subtle is the Way to Love, Happiness and Truth by Osho,Osho International Foundation: Moving beyond the usual interpretations of this classic Chinese text — that of using it as an indicator of what to do next or attempting to predict the future — Osho is using the Tao Te Ching as Lao Tzu intended: to ignite the flame of individual awareness and insight. His commentaries on these seven verses burn through every idea we may hold about ourselves until we can see with the same crystal clear light as Lao Tzu.
6. Beyond Willpower: The Secret Principle to Achieving Success in Life, Love, and Happiness by Alexander Loyd PhD. ND: Did you know that most self-help programs that follow the standard success blueprint have a 97% failure rate? The truth is that the typical personal improvement mantra of tapping into your willpower and activating the power of positive thinking is actually a recipe for failure. In Beyond Willpower, bestselling author and psychological counselor Alexander Loyd, PhD, ND, reveals a unique, highly effective program to help you finally achieve the life you want and the success you deserve. Science has proven that stress, or internal fear, is the primary source of virtually any problem we encounter– physical, spiritual, emotional, and even circumstantial. New research has shown that fear is literally programmed into us at the cellular level, which is why most of us are unable to turn off our stress response by willpower alone. For the first time, this book teaches you how to change your cellular programming from fear to love, triggering a natural chemical chain reaction that fuels you for your best success. Rooted in science, ancient wisdom, and proven therapeutic techniques to remove personal obstacles that sabotage us, Beyond Willpower offers a revolutionary 40-day holistic program based on more than 25 years of clinical experience. With this program you will identify and clarify what fundamentally defines success for you. Then you’ll receive the three simple tools you need to internally shift from fear to love physically (using the Energy Medicine tool), mentally (using the Reprogramming Statements tool), and spiritually (using the Heart Screen tool). You'll also have free access to the unprecedented "Success Issues Finder" test, which accurately diagnoses your unconscious and subconscious issues related to success and failure, happiness and unhappiness. No matter how you define success – as wealth, career satisfaction, healing of health issues, or resolution of relationship problems –Beyond Willpower will help you achieve it once and for all, quickly and for the long term.
7. Get the Life You Love, Now: How To Use The Lightning Process® Tool Kit For Happiness And Fullfilment by Phil Parker: This book combines new thinking, cutting edge neuroscience, humour and Phil Parker's upside-down perspective to life's problems and their solutions to help you become happy and fulfilled. This book helps you to learn how to: use the power of language to release 'stuckness' and create change; recognize and interrupt negative thought patterns to change the way your brain works; develop awareness of exactly what you need to do differently, so that you can become your own coach; choose a new future; and make sure that it happens! Based on two decades of research and Phil's world-changing Lightning Process[registered], Get the Life You Love, Now takes you step-by-step on an amazing journey of self-discovery unlike anything you've ever experienced before.
8. Do What You Love: And Other Lies About Success and Happiness by Miya Tokumitsu: The American claim that we should love and be passionate about our job may sound uplifting, or at least, harmless, but Do What You Love exposes the tangible damages such rhetoric has leveled upon contemporary society. Do you love what you do? This mantra is so often repeated that it has become part of the American ethos. Find a career that you’re passionate about. Work hard and maintain a good attitude, be persistent, and all good things will come to you: wealth (or at least material comfort), job satisfaction, a sense of self-worth, and the happiness that comes from achieving success in a profession that you have chosen and find fulfilling. Except, as this penetrating, fact-filled book reveals, most of these ideas are lies, and have been co-opted by corporate interests as a way to pay their employees as little as possible, and to strip away the hard-won benefits and protections that wage earners used to enjoy. After all, if you truly love what you do, pedestrian concerns about salary, health care, and retirement savings can take a back seat. Passion and devotion are what matter. Therefore, unpaid internships abound (they’re opportunities!), full-time positions are being replaced by freelance and contract work (it’s flexible!), and the amount of debt that one has to incur even to get in the game can be crippling. Both a rallying cry for a disempowered workforce to reclaim its footing on the economic ladder, and an eye-opening exposé of the ways that “doing what you love” can actually make your goals less achievable, this compact, insightful, and brilliantly argued call-to-arms might just spark a much-needed workplace revolution.
9. Happiness: Reaching your True Potential by doing what you Love: Dreams, Success, and Self-Esteem by Jackson, Joanna: This book is excellent for you if you wish to Unlock Your Happiness and Discover Your Dreams.
10. The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions for Abundant Health, Love, and Happiness (Updated and Expanded Edition) by Bradley Nelson: "I believe that the discoveries in this book can change our understanding of how we store emotional experiences and in so doing, change our lives.The Emotion Code has already changed many lives around the world, and it is my hope that millions more will be led to use this simple tool to heal themselves and their loved ones."—Tony Robbins. In this newly revised and expanded edition of The Emotion Code, renowned holistic physician and lecturer Dr. Bradley Nelson skillfully lays bare the inner workings of the subconscious mind. He reveals how emotionally-charged events from your past can still be haunting you in the form of "trapped emotions"—emotional energies that literally inhabit your body. These trapped emotions can fester in your life and body, creating pain, malfunction, and eventual disease. They can also extract a heavy mental and emotional toll on you, impacting how you think, the choices that you make, and the level of success and abundance you are able to achieve. Perhaps most damaging of all, trapped emotional energies can gather around your heart, cutting off your ability to give and receive love. The Emotion Code is a powerful and simple way to rid yourself of this unseen baggage. Dr. Nelson’s method gives you the tools to identify and release the trapped emotions in your life, eliminating your “emotional baggage,” and opening your heart and body to the positive energies of the world. Filled with real-world examples from many years of clinical practice,The Emotion Code is a distinct and authoritative work that has become a classic on self-healing.

So, which one are you picking up next or have read? Let us know with a comment and upvote and share this post and our sub bodychemistry to stay tuned for more reading lists every week!
Love, marmalada

📌 Introduction: The notable names in the political sphere listed below are persons who’ve appeared on H&M’s radar: past and present. (Mostly past, thankfully.)
📌 First Ladies:

1. Akshata Murty - Multimillionaire heiress and wife of Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the UK. On May 8th, 2024, Akshata attended Harry's Invictus Games 10th anniversary service at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Also in attendance: uncle Charles Spencer, auntie Lady Jane Fellowes, and other Spencer family members [source]
2. Hillary Clinton - In 2019, Hillary accepted Meghan's invitation to visit Frogmore Cottage where she met Meghan and 6-month old Archie. Following the Oprah interview, Hillary commented: "It just was heartbreaking that this incredibly accomplished woman Meghan Markle, who falls in love with Prince Harry, was not fully embraced by not just the so-called Firm, which is the name for the permanent bureaucracy that surrounds the royal family, but by the media in the UK." Hillary also participated in Meghan's 40x40 project [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]
3. Jill Biden - At an awards ceremony following the Oprah interview, Jill wore an Oscar de la Renta lemon dress pattern. It was similar to another Oscar de la Renta lemon pattern dress Meghan wore to a Spotify event the month before. Sewer Squadies claimed that Jill's dress was a subtle nod of support to H&M. Meghan even sent Jill a basket of lemons in thanks. After the funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth II, H&M reportedly asked to fly back to the US on Air Force One but they were denied [source 1 // source 2]
4. Michelle Obama - When Meghan guest-edited British Vogue's September 2019 issue, she lied about a "casual lunch of chicken tacos with Michelle Obama". In reality, it was an email interview. Following the Oprah interview, Michelle thoughtfully responded: “My hope is that when I think about what they’re going through, I think about the importance of family, and I just pray that there is forgiveness and there is clarity and love and resolve at some point in time,” Michelle Obama said. “Because there’s nothing more important than family.” The Obamas have great respect and admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II [source 1 // source 2]
5. Oluremi Tinubu - Following H&M's tour of Nigeria, First Lady Tinubu gave a speech in which she remarked: "We don't accept nakedness in our culture." Her comments were widely interpreted as a critique of the Meghan's clothing choices in Nigeria. Nearly a week later on May 30th, in an *alleged* email reply to AFP Fact Check reporter Tonye Bakare of Nigeria, the office of the First Lady *allegedly* clarified: "At no point did she say anything about Meghan's dressing." [source]. Was this the sinister work of Misan Harriman, Christopher Bouzy, and the Sussex Censorship Industrial Complex? Plausible deniability by First Lady Tinubu? Was First Lady Tinubu silent or was she... silenced?
6. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau - Former wife of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Meghan's 'dear friend' Sophie participated in the 40x40 project and the Archetypes podcast. In May 2024, Sophie publicly distanced herself from Meghan: "I know her,” she says, before adding that they haven’t spent much time together, and telling me how terrible she feels for Kate Middleton after her cancer diagnosis (“my heart just sunk when I saw what was happening.”) [source]
7. Zita Oligui Nguema - First Lady of Gabon, photographed with H&M during their May 2024 visit to Nigeria [source]. Will First Lady Nguema invite H&M to visit Gabon for their next faux royal tour?

📌 Other notable names:

1. Ari Emanuel - CEO of William Morris Endeavor (WME) and famed Hollywood super agent who signed H&M in May 2023 to become power players in film and TV production, brand partnerships, and endorsements. Ari is a prominent Democratic Party donor and his brother Rahm Emanuel is the former mayor of Chicago, former Chief of Staff for President Obama, and currently U.S. Ambassador to Japan [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]
2. Donald Trump - When H&M relocated to Los Angeles in March 2020, former President Trump tweeted that they'd have to pay their own way. Trump has great respect and admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II and he's also a fan of King Charles. However, he is *not* a fan of Meghan. As for Harry, Trump said: “I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he’s gonna need it.” [source 1 // source 2 // source 3 // source 4]
3. Doug Emhoff - husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, aka the 2nd Gentleman. H&M met with Doug at the Project Healthy Minds summit in New York City on World Mental Health Day 2023 [source]
4. Gavin Newsom - Governor of California. Allegedly two (2) weeks before the 2020 election, Meghan had an hour-long virtual meeting with Newsom. Newsom had been under pressure to appoint a woman of color, possibly Meghan, to replace California senator Kamala Harris if she became Vice-President. In May 2024, Gavin publicly defended Archewell Foundation's "delinquency" status [source 1 // source 2]
5. Ivanka Trump - During President Trump's term, Ivanka made national paid leave for families a significant part of her portfolio as Senior Advisor. Her goal was to expand upon the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide for paid coverage. In a significant policy win for Ivanka in 2019, Congress voted to provide all federal workers with 12 weeks of paid parental leave [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]. This was two (2) years *before* Meghan's open letter to Pelosi and Schumer. Important to note that Meghan was very much an Ivanka fangirl for many years and even interviewed Ivanka for The Tig [source 1 // source 2]. 👉 slideshow of Meghan cosplaying Ivanka through the years
6. Jacinda Arden - Former Prime Minister of New Zealand was among seven “extraordinary leaders” interviewed on Live to Lead, a Netflix documentary series inspired by Nelson Mandela. It was presented by H&M and co-produced by Archewell Productions. However, upon the release of this documentary in 2022, Jacinda's office immediately distanced herself from the Sussexes stating that her interview actually took place three (3) years prior in 2019 and that her involvement had nothing to do with H&M, who were only brought in at a late stage. In 2023, Jacinda was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Prince William's Earthshot Prize [source]
7. Jessica Mulroney - M's former bestie, stylist, and maid of honor is married to Ben Mulroney, son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Jessica was also fashion adviser to Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, former wife of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Jessica and Ben Mulroney are close friends with Justin and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau [source 1 // source 2]
8. Johnny Mercer, Member of Parliament (MP) - In April 2024, Harry was found by a High Court to have "breached a confidentiality ring" when he emailed information to his friend, the Veterans Minister and MP Johnny Mercer concerning his legal battle over his UK security arrangements. Harry was ordered to pay 90% of the Home Office’s legal costs of defending his challenge [source]
9. Justin Trudeau - Prime Minister of Canada first met Meghan in 2016 through the One Young World summit. Harry and Justin also connected in 2016, over the Invictus Games to be held in Toronto the following year. When Megxit was announced, Justin said that he was supportive of Harry and Meghan’s move but refused to say whether or not Canadians were paying to protect the royal couple. More than 80,000 Canadians signed the Canadian Taxpayers Federation petition telling Trudeau they were opposed to paying for H&M's security costs with taxpayers’ money. After public backlash and immense pressure from Canadian taxpayers, the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] ceased providing its protective policing services for H&M as they had formally stepped down as working royals [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]
10. Kerry Kennedy - Daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy, former wife of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. In 2022, H&M were awarded the "Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope" human rights award. According to Kerry, H&M were given the award for "standing up to structural racism" [source]
11. Members of Parliament (MPs) - In 2019, more than 70 women MPs signed on to a letter of support for and solidarity with the Duchess of Sussex. Their letter was in “solidarity” with Meghan Markle, as she waged a legal battle against the “often distasteful and misleading” press [source 1 // source 2]
12. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer - In 2021, Meghan sent an open letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) advocating for Congress to pass a federal paid parental leave program, even though Congress had already passed the program by the time M released her open letter [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]
13. Ndileka Mandela - In 2023, Nelson Mandela's granddaughter and social activist criticized H&M for using the former South African president’s name to pull in Netflix audiences in their Netflix documentary Live to Lead, saying: “It’s deeply upsetting and tedious.” [source 1] Shortly thereafter, Ndikeka clarified her comments saying that she was misquoted by international media and that she actually supports H&M for the courage of their conviction towards social activism [source 2]
14. Peter Cosgrove, Governor General of Australia and his wife Lady Lynne Cosgrove - In 2018, H&M undertook an official tour of Australia. The Governor General of Australia and his wife and family live in Admiralty House in Sydney. Harry and Meghan were accommodated in the guest wing, as is customary for visiting guests. Meghan demanded the whole house for her and Harry, and when refused, allegedly told Lady Lynn Cosgrove: "Don't you know who I am?" [source]
15. Rory Kennedy - Youngest daughter of Robert F Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy, sister of Kerry Kennedy. Together with Liz Garbus, they run Moxie Firecracker Films, a film production company. Liz Garbus was the director of Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries [source 1 // source 2]
16. Susan Collins (Republican Senator of Maine) and Shelley Moore Capito (Republican Senator of West Virginia) - In 2021, Meghan cold-called Senators Collins and Capito on their private numbers, using her Duchess of Sussex title to lobby for paid paternity leave. She was given their private numbers by Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic Senator of New York. Meghan wanted to be part of a Senator Gillibrand's 'working group' to formulate policy [source]
17. Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela - In 2022, Nelson Mandela's grandson and the tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council criticized Meghan for suggesting that South Africans celebrated her wedding the same way they rejoiced his grandfather Nelson Mandela's release from prison after 27 years. Mandla said: "Overcoming 60 years of apartheid is not the same as marrying a white prince" [source 1 // source 2 // source 3]

📌 Notes:

• Originally inspired by South Park's sweet 'n savage takedown of Meghan as ‘First Lady Botherer’ [source 1 // source 2], I then fell down the rabbit hole when I came upon so many other notable names. So, I thought it would be a good idea to keep track of "who's who" in H&M's political orbit and get a bigger (and better) picture of H&M's political motivations and machinations: past, present, and future
• A LOT of sources come from our amazing SMM community here but unfortunately, SMM subreddit post links are not allowed as they are automatically removed by Reddit -- ARGH 😖
• Thanks again for all the great comments and feedback on my previous popular post: "Megalist of everyone associated with MM via ARO, Archetypes Podcast, and 40x40"
• If there are any notable names in H&M's political sphere missing from these lists, please comment below 👇
• P.S. grammaformatting/clarifications

I am not OOP. OOP is u/dragonredx. They posted on EntitledPeople

Do NOT comment on Original Posts. See rule 7. This sub has a 7-day waiting period so the latest update is at least 7 days old.

Editor's Note: for those in the US, a caravan is an RV or camper trailer.
My Aunt stole my inheritance. Then Karma struck, and her life fell apart. February 13, 2023
(Sorry if anything is misspelled, I have horrific dyslexia)
My aunt was one of two kids my Grandparents had. My mother was the polar opposite of my aunt. She worked from the age of 12 in my Grandfather's shop, never asked for anything, and eventually managed to start her own business. My aunt never held down a job till the age of 26, was constantly stealing from her parents, and was constantly in trouble.
Despite this my aunt was spoiled by my grandmother, and so were her kids (she had 3 kids from 3 different men, and her first husband was not one of them if you know what I mean.) Didn't matter what my aunt or her kids did, my grandmother would always jump to their defence. She never had time for my mum and her kids, unless it was to get something from us. The only reason my mum would visit her was because she loved my grandfather.
My grandfather passed away in 2004, and a few months after my nan decided to write up a new will. My mother and my aunt were both present for it when she signed it, so they knew what was in it. It made it so that when she passed away, her home would be sold and the money split 25% each to my Mum and aunt, and the remaining 50% would go evenly to the grandkids. At the time, the home was worth more than £500,000, so it would be a nice little inheritance, but nothing life-changing.
In 2010, my mum died after an accident and did not have a current will in place. As she no longer had her business and was renting a house, she didn't have anything of much monetary value. The only thing she was concerned about was what would be done at her funeral should she have passed away, but had told me everything she wanted. The music, the flowers, the coffin colour and even what people were to wear at the funeral (She wanted people to wear bright warm colours).
So when she passed, my aunt and nan took over all the arrangements and tried to undo all the things I'd told them. The songs were going to be songs I knew mum didn't like, the flowers were all the wrong colours, and they picked a hideous coffin. With the help of my siblings, we were able to change a few of the things back to what they were supposed to be, but the coffin couldn't be changed for some reason, and my nan refused to let people come "dressed as clowns", so it was all black. It was frustrating.
After the funeral, my nan had her will changed. My siblings and I were told by our aunt that she didn't have any involvement with the writing of the will, and our Nan told us that she changed it so that Mum share would go to her kids instead. All good, we thought. After mum passed away, my nan just stopped talking about my mum. At first, we thought it was because she was still recovering from losing her daughter, but even 5 years after mum passed, she still wouldn't talk about her. Even if you brought up a story about mum, nan would very obviously try and change the subject (usually about how hard my aunt and her shitty kids had it). And if you went to talk to her about your own problems, she would somehow bring it back to my aunt (I had suffered a mental breakdown after my mum's death, so you can imagine how much it hurt to hear "Well, X has had it so much worse!")
In 2016, my nan passed away. She had written down what she wanted to be done for her funeral, and it was basically all the same things she had picked out for my mum's funeral (even the music to be played!). I don't know why she tried to have a dress rehearsal funeral using my mum as the stand-in, but it was obvious that's what she was trying to do.
So after a couple of months, our siblings and I were waiting to hear about the will reading, and my aunt kept telling me "Oh, it'll be another month before we can do the reading". I didn't mind. I wasn't fussed about the money, to be honest. But my oldest brother was hoping to use the money to pay for a honeymoon for him and his then fiancé, and my younger brother was about to start Uni, so it would be a hell of a help. Eventually, my dad bumped into the solicitor my grandmother had used to deal with her will and asked what was happening. The solicitor let slip that the will had already been read and that it left everything to my aunt. When my dad questioned this, the solicitor told him that my aunt had been present when the will was written, despite promising that she had nothing to do with it.
When confronted, my aunt initially tried to deny but eventually admitted to lying to all of us. She showed us the will, and it confirmed what we already knew. The house and ALL its contents were now my aunts. This included my Grandad's war medals (he fought in the Second World War). When I told her that he had promised them to me before he died, she said, "Well, unless you have it in writing, you will have NOTHING in this house. Anyway, I already gave them to Clive!" My heart sank. Clive (not his real name obvs) was her eldest son, and the dictionary definition of a fuck-up. He'd been in and out of prison for stealing and dealing drugs. I knew that the moment that prick had got his hands on my Grandad's medals, they would have been sold off.
We looked into taking her to court over the will, but everyone we spoke to said that we probably wouldn't get anything out of it. She immediately put the house up for sale at close to £750,000! She had pissed off too many people in our town, so she was gonna sell the house and move closer to her daughter, who lives in a big city. An offer was made on the house, and she put down a deposit on a house near the big city. And I thought that was that.....
Here's where Karma comes into play! The people who wanted my nan's house had a survey done on the house to see if there were issues. And oh boy was there! Turns out that the land the house was built on was way too soft for the type of house it was, and it was sinking. It has sunk about 2CM in the 40+ years my nan and grandad had lived there, but the sinking was accelerating to 1CM PER YEAR! This meant that within the next 3 years, the house would need some serious work, or be knocked down. The new value of the house? £60,000!
The buyers immediately pulled out, having not even put down a deposit. She couldn't buy her new house, but still had to pay the deposit on it. And while this was happening, she let Clive move in with her into the house that she rented from the council. He wasn't allowed to live in any of the council houses because he had trashed every single one he'd ever been given. Someone reported this, and she was kicked out of her home. She was forced to move into my nan's old home as she couldn't live anywhere else.
So there she is, living in a crumbling house with her shithead son and her partner. She was stuck there for 2 years. Every time I saw her, she would try and start talking to me, and I would just ignore her and walk off. One time as I was walking away, she screamed, "YOUR MOTHER DESERVED TO DIE FOR HAVING A R**ARD LIKE YOU!!" In the middle of a busy street. Someone reported her to the police, and she had an official warning from them and was ridiculed on Facebook. Every time I saw her after that, she looked more and more miserable.
Eventually, she sold the house for something like £85,000 and moved in with her daughter in the big city. I lost contact with her and her kids after this. I thought Karma had been issued. Oh, but Karma still wasn't done with her.
I bumped into one of her former friends, and she told me what happened after she left our town. She moved into her daughter's home (let's call her Sue), but they only had a 3-bedroom house, and 3 kids. My aunt and her partner had to live in the smallest room in the house while my aunt looked for a job and a home to rent (even with £85,000, she couldn't afford a home anywhere). After about a month, my aunt's partner ran off after emptying her account. She was left stranded in Sue's house, not contributing anything because all the money she makes goes into bingo. Eventually, Sue and my aunt got into a screaming match and my aunt said something along the lines of "I should have aborted you!" Sue immediately kicked her out of her house.
So, again, there's my aunt, in a city where she knows nobody, no money, no home, and the last bridge she had a smouldering wreck. The last anyone had heard, she was living in a caravan in the roughest part of the city, and she could no longer work because she was suffering from early-onset arthritis and could no longer move her hands.
I know I shouldn't get joy out of something like this happening to another person, but is does bring me some peace as to what happened.
TL;DR My Aunt lied, left me and my siblings with nothing from our inheritance. But now has lost everything and is living in a caravan.
There were several fun, snarky comments like:

Karma's a bitch, but so's your aunt, so...
Enjoying the warmth doesn't mean you started the fire.

But also some heartfelt ones:

I’m so upset about those war medals. I feel the same about my own grandpa’s medals. I’m so sorry. This doesn’t make up for that. It’s nice to know that people sometimes don’t get away with things like this, especially because I’m currently involved in a situation with someone like your aunt.

OOP replied to this one:

Thank you for your kind words. Although I'm still upset about the loss of the medals (I even tried to find who he sold them to, but he wouldn't tell me the prick), I'm happy that I still have the stories he told me of time in the war. And I'm glad I get to share them with his Great Grandchildren.

Another commenter replied to this with helpful advice:

I don't know about the UK (I'm assuming UK?) but here in Australia, there's websites where you can report the medals as missing/stolen and people in the militaria collectors field will keep an eye out for them if you ask. Most people are willing, if not outright determined, to return medals to their rightful owner, so if you can connect with that community, they will almost certainly help. The buyer likely doesn't know the medals are claimed and bought them in good faith. If your cousin didn't sell directly to a collector, they've probably ended up with a militaria/numismatist dealer somewhere (coin and militaria collecting often cross over). If you contact the ones in your area and explain the situation, they will very likely keep an eye out for you. Sometimes a local news outlet will run a story about you looking for your grandfather's medals, if you approach them in the right way. Don't say anything negative about how they were "lost", just emphasize that they've "disappeared", you're looking for them and maybe someone has come across them. I used to be the curator of a military museum some years ago and have helped people find military memorabilia related to their family in the past. Good luck :)

This commenter talks about what "caravan lifestyle" might be like in the UK:

Glad to see Karma at its best and most deserved! I'm disabled and we bought a RV travel trailer to travel for business and pleasure across the U.S. before buying a house in a new State (part of the great California migration) for a bit less than a year.

My Aunt stole my inheritance. Then Karma struck, and her life fell apart. (UPDATE) May 28, 2024
Hello all. Around a year ago, I told all of you about my Aunt stealing my and my sibling's inheritance, and I thought I'd make a quick update. But I wanted to answer and correct a few things.

1. I have tried to find my grandfather's war medals, but because I do not have his service number or his death certificate, I can't even get access to his records. After I found out my cousin had taken and sold the medals, I did search local stores and Facebook groups looking for info, but no luck. I know he hadn't won any major medals (he was a mechanic and driver in the Royal Army, so thankfully had a rather uneventful war), so it would have just been the campaign and service medals.
2. Someone did ask for specifics about the signing of the will, pointing out that my aunt couldn't have been a witness to the signing of the will due to laws preventing it. I don't know the full specifics of what she and my nan had done, but her solicitor did let slip that my aunt had known what was in the will before it was written, I just don't know the full details. I'm ignorant when it comes to solicitors and the such, and it was my eldest sister who read the will in full and relayed it to the rest of us. We did ask if there was anything we could fight it, but everyone we talked to said there wasn't any case. Sorry if that was confusing.
3. I have seen a few comments on Reddit and on YouTube videos (super weird seeing in the wild btw) using she/her to describe me. Well, I guess that's why now people on here give their age and gender at the start of these stories because I'm a man. 32/M in case you were wondering. I wasn't annoyed or upset about it, I just thought it was funny, lol.
4. Someone asked what a caravan is. They're what we call travel trailers in the UK. Think of a fibreglass/aluminium box on wheels. People in the UK use them for short holidays, and they are not fun to live in for an extended period of time (I have experience of this, and it sucked).

Anyway, onto the UPDATE:
So when I last left off, my Aunt had been left abandoned in a big city and stuck in a caravan with crippling arthritis. Well a few weeks after my first post I had gotten news that she has somehow found a new BF. How I don't know, because my aunt had the look and build of an obese Pug, and that was when she was in her 30s. So what she looks like now in her mid-60s doesn't bear thinking about. Well, she and her new boy toy (I think I just threw up a little) decided to move to a seaside town and start a new life.
Well, you can guess what happened. Boy Toy must have gotten sick of her, or found out she had no money, so abandoned her. During an argument with her landlord, she suffered a heart attack. And while in hospital, she suffered another. She has recovered but is even more disabled than she was before. She's been given a home by her local council. But it's OK guys, because Clive has come to live with her.
Oh my god, Clive! (the fuck-up who sold my grandfather's medals and lost my aunt her home). The man is a walking episode of Jeremy Kyle (Editor's Note: for those outside the UK, Jeremy Kyle was a tabloid TV show similar to Jerry Springer in the US). After my aunt left my hometown, things started to look up for Clive. Someone took pity on him and gave him a job as a labourer, and for a few months, he was doing well. Looking clean and well, despite everything that had happened, I was glad he was getting his life back on track. Well, it turns out not. He was given a work van to go from job to job, and one day came to work with a black eye and no van. He told everyone that he'd been carjacked and the van stolen. Sadly (for Clive), they found the van. And a very confused man wondering why the police were arresting him. After questioning and a text exchange, they found out that Clive had sold the van to the man and gave himself a black eye to make it look like a theft.
Clive was arrested. He was massively lucky because his boss didn't press charges (the boss told me later that he only did it out of respect for my Grandfather), and all the police did was fine for wasting police time. After burning through all the money he had, he was again homeless. His only lifeline was his younger brother (let's call him Colin). Colin was in the armed forces and a pretty high rank from what I've heard. Colin was away from home most of the time on deployment but had managed to buy a nice home in our town. He let Clive live in his house on the agreement that he pays part of the mortgage.
You know where this is going. He stopped paying, stopped maintaining the house, and treated it like a drug's den. Colin asked him to leave, but Clive used “squatter rights” to prevent removal. Because Colin was overseas, he couldn't come back and sort it out and kick him out in person and had no one in the area to wait for Clive to leave and change the locks behind him. So Clive lived in the house for 6 months. That was until a pissed-off father broke in and beat the shit out of Clive. You see, the father had found out that Clive (who is 41 btw) had been sexting and selling weed to a 13-year-old girl. After that, Clive abandoned the house and ran off to mummy. From what I've heard, Colin had stripped the house and is selling it to move closer to his base.
We found most of this out from my aunt's daughter Sue (the one who kicked my aunt out). You see, my brother was on holiday in Turkey, and just so happened to be in the hotel room next to Sue! She was very apologetic to my brother and thought we might like to know what had happened. She seems to have a nice life and family, and no longer lives in the house she shared with her mum. I am generally happy for her. Although, I don't think I will try to mend our relationship. Sue had said some spiteful things to me in particular and had never reached out to apologize. I might still feel a little bit bitter for that.
As for my aunt, I don't know how to feel. I do hope she gets better and grows enough of a spine to kick Clive out, as it will only lead her to more trouble. In some ways, I do wish I could rebuild a relationship with her. She is the last living link to my grandfather and grandmother, as well as my mother's only living sibling. But I know I could never trust her, never not see that face and the spitefulness that she had for me and my family. She chose money (or what she thought was money) over us and I don't think I can forgive that. But I'm not going to go out of my way to do her more harm. I'm just happy that I am in a better place now.
More pithy comments followed:
Commenter:

Once in a while, karma shows up.

Another commenter replied:

As a saying goes, “The Dildo of Consequences rarely arrives lubed”.

Commenter:

A Series of Karmatic Events 🙂‍↕️

Commenter:

“The man is a walking episode of Jeremy Kyle” That is one of the best descriptions of someone I’ve ever heard. I can certainly think of a few people I know who would fit that. Might start using it.

Other commenters are still trying to help OOP find his grandfather's medals:
Commenter:

You can access his dd214 if you file online. I got my dads and all I needed was dates of service and date of death.

OOP replies:

Only works if you're a child, spouse, or sibling, not grand child. Thank you though.

Another commenter replies to that:

Hey, I'm in UK and into ancestry. I have full access to Fold3 site military records. Found my nans full WW2 military enlistment records just putting in her name. You could pretty easily find your grandads on there. More than happy to look it up for you if you don't want to pay for a subscription. Just do me a message if you do.

Another commenter later also says:

I haven't started reading but if your grandfather served in the UK army then you essentially just have to reach out to the UK historical army records with his name and date of birth. They should be able to help you further. Bonus points if you knew his battalion.

Yet another commenter helps OOP find his grandfather's death certificate:

You can get hold of copies of death certificates from here: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

And I'll leave with this positive-leaning comment:

You are wrong, your link your grandparents is your memories and the lessons they taught, don't give that woman that role, your best revenge is living a good life.

Reminder: I am not OOP. Do NOT comment on Original Posts. No Brigading! See rule 7.

Infobox: STV
Also known as: STV-6
Type: Free-to-air television network
Country: Philippines
Broadcast area: Nationwide
Headquarters: Pasay City, Mega Manila area
Programming:
Language(s): Filipino (main), English (secondary)
Picture format: 16:9 720p/1080i (HDTV) (downscaled to 16:9 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership:
Owner: Leonard Lorenzo
Sister channels: 24DigitalTV
History:
Launched: 2008; 2010
Founder: Leonard Lorenzo
Closed: 2 January 2009 (first license revocation), 4 April 2023
STV (Filipino TV channel)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-----
STV (formally known as Salamin TV), sometimes called STV-6 and "Channel 6", was a Filipino TV network owned by Leonard Lorenzo, best known for its talk show, Leo Lorenzo Live. Although it had a large audience, the channel had very often been criticized for its excessive use of sensationalism and tabloid journalism. On 4 April 2023, the channel was shut down as its license was revoked by the Philippine Congress and the National Telecommunications Commission for not having paid a large sum of money consisting of fines received in the past years, and also for having repeatedly violated Filipino broadcasting rules.
History of the network
First year and first shutdown
STV was launched in 2008 as Salamin TV (salamin being the Filipino word for mirror or glass) by Leonard Lorenzo, following the imminent acquisition of SBN-21 by the Solar Entertainment Corporation. Lorenzo had previously moderated a talk show on SBN, which was called Kagila-Gilalas!. From the beginning, the network's main show has been Leo Lorenzo Live, a tabloid talk show lasting several hours, from early evening until late night, and featuring obscure guests such as spiritual mediums, Pinoy music singers, and local petty criminals.
In 2009, due to violations of laws regarding television content, the National Telecommunications Commission sent a resolution to the Philippine Congress demanding license revocation, which was approved within a week. This interruption in STV's broadcast lasted for a year and was seen by the general public as an act of censorship from President Gloria Arroyo's government. Lorenzo claimed the ban on his station's broadcast was because he refused to sell a 51% stake of STV to Noli de Castro, who was vice-president at the time.
"Investigation series"
In 2010, after regaining its congressional franchise, STV resumed its broadcasts. It featured three news crawls at the bottom of the screen and various on-screen text captions showing words such as "Incredible", "Sensational", and "Extraordinary". The subjects debated on Lorenzo's talk show maintained their tabloid style and included scenarios of a looming doomsday, investigations into "mystery deaths", revelations from alleged religious figures, and scandals among Filipino celebrities.
Starting in 2012, STV became notorious for its investigation into the "mysterious" disappearances of students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Kadapan, a subject that was debated for 241 continuous evenings (called "chapters" by the channel), which attracted a significant number of viewers. After the Empeno-Cadapan series, other such subjects (such as the disapperance of crypto scammer Ruja Ignatova) received similar coverage. The 2016 Media Ownership Monitor report noted that: "STV 6 has a history of offering Filipinos extreme forms of news and live infotainment. Its founder and owner organizes long talk shows with bizarre characters, and the main topic is often various crimes and disappearances. From 2012 to 2013, STV organized several hundred so-called chapters about the mysterious disappearances of Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Kadapan, two university students who were abducted by military personnel. In one chapter, Lorenzo instigated a hacker to break into Jovito Palparan's email inbox, and show his personal emails live on air. Cadapan and Empeno became more and more popular, although they continue to be missing. Meanwhile, the mainstream media took over the case and followed STV's example in revealing personal details about their alleged killers." Other TV channels soon started similar late night talk shows, in a process which Lorenzo called "the "Estevization" of the Philippines".
Politics
Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines in 2016, was also a guest in Lorenzo's show, where he talked about politics and personal affairs. Lorenzo's support for Duterte ended abruptly in 2017, however, when the former was arrested for allegedly blackmailing two Barangay Captains. A few days later, after he was released, Lorenzo announced that he would enter politics and set up his own political party.
After Lorenzo's announcement that he would enter politics, the subjects debated on his show started to deal with cases of alleged corruption by various politicians, which the network called "manloloko" (roughly meaning "swindler"), and to criticize government institutions and national-level decisions that were thought to be against the people. At the same time, they prepared the ground for the new political party, which was to be called Pambansang Demokratiko Partido (National Democratic Party) by announcing the measures and reforms that the party would take after having come to power. The first point of the party plan was that every citizen would be given 250000 pesos (roughly 4700 to 4800 USD as of mid-2018) upon reaching adulthood, which could be spent as the receiver wished. The network soon started caling itself "Telebisyon ng Bayan" (People's Television) and Lorenzo started calling himself "the future President of the Philippines".
The National Democratic Party was officially registered on 28 September 2018, albeit under the name National Democratic Party of the Philippines (Pambansang Demokratiko Partido ng Pilipinas), because Duterte's party was already abbreviated as PDP. Purple, violet, gold, and white were chosen as the party's distinctive colors and several graphical elements of the STV broadcasts soon turned purple. The PDPP's first congress took place on May 2019 and was broadcast live on STV. Leonard Lorenzo, the president of the party, said in his speech that he "would be the Corazon Aquino of the 21st century", that the "dictator" Rodrigo Duterte would be ousted, and that Robin Padilla and Bongbong Marcos were "his [Duterte's] people".
When the protests against ABS-CBN's shutdown turned violent, STV maintained its sensationalistic approach while reporting live on the violent events in Pasay City. The text running on the screen claimed that STV had become "the emergency service of the Philippines", that an EDSA Revolution was underway, that STV was "the only news station on the Mega Manila airwaves", that most transportation would be frozen, and that protesters were coming to STV's headquarters "to ask Lorenzo to become President". These claims were debunked by independent fact-checker VERA Files, who called the claims "fantasies" of Lorenzo.
License revocation attempts by the National Telecommunications Commission
Following repeated violations of the broadcasting rules, most notably propaganda for Lorenzo's political party, the NTC and Congress decided to diminish the remaining lifespan of STV's congressional franchise at the time. On July 15th 2020, STV's license was shortened by six months, meaning STV would have to end its broadcasts on June 2022. Lorenzo claimed that this decision was commanded by President Duterte and his show that evening featured a relatively large number of people at the studio, waving the Filipino flag and singing party anthems. Nevertheless, the show didn't bring much attention from the public, placing STV only in 7th place on the ratings leaderboard that day.
One month after this decision was made by Congress, the same sanction was imposed again, on the grounds of continued propaganda for the PDPP, taking six more months off the remaining timespan of STV's broadcasting license. Following this second sanction, STV was due to be shut down on January 2022.
On November 11th, the same sanction was imposed for the third time, effectively halving the license timespan for STV, an unprecedented event in Filipino broadcasting. STV was then due to be shut down on June 2021. Leo Lorenzo Live started later than usual in that evening, after an announcement written in laqrge black characters on a white background that read in Filipino "Today, the People's Television was banned by President Rodrigo Duterte for political reasons." had been broadcast for several hours. In addition, a yellow text crawl at the bottom of the screen said that Lorenzo was going to "make some important announcements on STV for the final time". At about 11 PM, Lorenzo appeared on air and held a relaxed free speech, during which he accused various politicians of corruption and further accused members of the NTC of bribery.
After an appeal at the Court of Appeals of the Philippines, all sanctions on STV's congressional franchise were lifted, and STV's license had its original lifespan restored, it was eventually renewed in 2022.
Second license revocation and the Malaysia-based channel
In January 2023, after the members of the Philippine Congress were elected or reelected, a review of all fines not paid by television companies between 2016 and 2022 was made. It had been calculated that STV had not paid fines totalling over one hundred million pesos (approximately 1.8 million USD) during that period. Congress ordered STV's license revoked, and the station was scheduled to be shut down on April 4th 2023. The network was shut down on that day, and the broadcast ceased on pay-TV as well. Shortly afterwards, on June 2023, an online livestream was set up, and is still live as of December 2024. This STV livestream airs motly reruns and recordings of Lorenzo on other TV networks, most notably UNTV and SMNI.
Lorenzo made an attempt at circumventing Congress' decision by setting up a new channel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the Malaysia-based STV making pay-TV content mostly from their studios in Pasay City, but under the name of a Malaysian foreign company. Even so, the Malaysian STV is not available through most Filipino pay-TV providers.
Salamin Night Live on UNTV and SMNI
On December 2023, 8 months after STV's license was revoked, Lorenzo relaunched his flagship show on UNTV and (before the NTC suspended its operations) SMNI under a different name, Salamin Night Live, through blocktime agreements with both stations. Lorenzo stated that he chose those two because "of the television networks, UNTV and SMNI were closer to the pattern of [the former] STV-6", that "studies [had] shown that most of STV-6's audience had turned to UNTV and SMNI after [STV] was killed", and he called the blocktime agreement a "barter", since UNTV and SMNI would air the show through the nights, and the Malaysia-based STV would also air shows produced by UNTV and SMNI through the rest of the day.
Lorenzo's appearance with his revamped show on UNTV and SMNI was interpreted by some, notably politician and lawyer Francis Escudero, as an the effect of the Uniteam Alliance coalition's senatorial candidate slate having guest candidates from the PDP, which had notably used SMNI to badmouth Duterte' critics, and Lorenzo's political paty, the PDPP.
Lorenzo's imprisonment
On March 31st, 2024, Leonard Lorenzo was sentenced to six years in prison, having been charged with blackmailing multiple Barangay Captains, whom he had allegedly threatened with the public disclosure of "real or made-up facts, such as [their corruption] on STV. Reacting to the veredict, Lorenzo said: "Look at what Marcos Jr. did to me. He's shut down my political party, he's shut down my TV network, and now he's shut me behind bars.
Leo Lorenzo Live
Leo Lorenzo Live, often shortened to LLL or L3, was by far the best-known show of the network, and had been its main show from start to finish. Resembling a talk show format, and usually moderated by Leonard Lorenzo, the founder and owner of STV, it debated various subjects, often controversial in nature, in a sensationalistic approach. Subjects debated included scandals among Filipino celebrities, revelations from alleged religious figures, scenarios of a looming earthquake, tsunami, or doomsday, various conspiracy theories, events in the life of LGBT+ people, investigations into "mystery" crimes, and later, alleged cases of corruption of dignitaries and politicians. Many of the guests who appeared on Lorenzo's show were recurring and some had gained popularity just because of their appearances on the show. It was broadcast daily and started at about 8 PM. The ending time has not been a fixed one, the show had sometimes lasted through the night until station sign-off or the early morning hours. Sometimes, the entire show or at least part of it was, in fact, a rerun of the previous one.
Setting
In the beginning, the show was set in a relatively small studio which was actually a room in the Pasay City bachelor's apartment from which STV originally broadcasted. Because of this, STV was somethimes ironically called by the Filipino press "the Pasay bachelor's bedroom". After the network relaunch in 2010, where the Pasay City station had moved to new studio facilities, the show had a large studio, whose table was shaped in the form of an uppercase L letter. The studio also had a large stage and a video wall.
Unusual events and appearances on the show
The live show had been the stage for many unusual events. One of them was the live "trial" of alleged spirital medium Ms. Pasana. She claimed to possess paranormal abilities such as extrasensory perception. To prove this, Lorenzo wrote several times some words on a piece of paper apparent without her seeing or knowing what was written, and asked her to reproduce them using her medium powers, each time with alleged success. As Ms Pasana was using her "paranormal abilities" to find out the secret words, horror music was being played in the background while the lights in the studio were rapidly being switched on and off by the show's crew, for dramatic effect. Pasana's appearances on the show had been mocked many times on satire shows on competing TV networks.
Another unusual event was the arrest of a man who had allegedly broken out of prison. The arrest took place during the live show in the studio, and the man tried to commit suicide before being immobilized.
Another unusual and controversial event was an apparent aggression of the show's host, Leonard Lorenzo, by a recurrent guest who claimed he was disturbed by Lorenzo's insistence to invite him on the show. The guest had brought a trash can and tried to throw Lorenzo into it, without success. This was regarded by many internet users as a staged event, taking into account that neither Lorenzo's reaction nor that of the studio crew to the incident was very strong.
Several times during late night hours, Lorenzo had his guests sing Pinoy Pop and other Filipino music styles during the show in the stage on his studio.
Former stations
The following is a list of former broadcast stations that were part of the STV network.
All stations broadcasted for 24 hours daily, with off-air hours between 3:45 and 4:15 AM on saturdays and sundays for maintenance purposes.

Station name	Callsign	VHF Channel	UHF Channel	LCN	Area served
STV Mega Manila	DWLL-TV	6	22	6.01	National Capital Region (NCR)
STV Baguio	DZRZ-TV	9	22	6.01	Baguio
STV Bulacan	DWAX-TV	6	22	6.01	San Miguel, Bulacan
STV Pampanga	DWSL-TV	6	22	6.01	San Fernando, Pampanga
STV Tarlac	DWTL-TV	6	22	6.01	Tarlac
STV Batangas	DWOW-TV	8	22	6.01	Batangas
STV San Pablo	DZAZ-TV	6	22	6.01	San Pablo, Laguna
STV Iloilo	DYAY-TV	9	22	6.01	Iloilo
STV Bacolod	DYOR-TV	6	17	6.01	Bacolod
STV Cebu	DYAX-TV	6	22	6.01	Cebu
STV Cagayan de Oro	DXXD-TV	6	17	6.01	Cagayan de Oro
STV Davao	DXNG-TV	6	22	6.01	Davao

In October 2024, ABS-CBN has offered a bid to buy STV's former frequencies. If successful, this could lead to ABS-CBN returning as a free-to-air network for the first time since May 2020.
See Also (my source): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTV_(Romanian_TV_channel))

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For the millions of people who sit at a desk for long hours at a time, day after day, you may want to stand up for this. Mayo Clinic research shows that using an active workstation can help you move more and think better at work — without affecting your job. Sitting too much at work or home can increase your risk of certain diseases, says Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and senior author of a study on the topic. “Sitting for eight hours or more a day
6-3-2024

NICOTINE MARKETING STILL TARGETS ADOLESCENTS JUST AS IT DID DECADES AGO, SAYS RESEARCHER

About 37 million children ages 13 to 15 around the world use tobacco, according to a 2024 report from the World Health Organization. In 2023, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product in the U.S., with 7.7% of middle school and high school students reporting e-cigarette use. Cigarettes were the next most common, with 1.6% of middle- and high school students saying they had consumed them in the past month. Research shows that most people who use tobacco start in childhood. I am a public health researcher who studies
6-3-2024

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6-3-2024

NEW STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON THE EFFECTS OF HUMOR IN MEDICAL PRACTICES

A humorous remark at just the right time can go a long way. Benevolent humor helps medical assistants (MAs) cope positively with their stressful working day, according to a new study published in BMC Primary Care by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB). The researchers surveyed more than 600 MAs to find out how they experience their work and what
6-3-2024

FDA WARNS OF BACTERIAL AND OTHER DANGERS FROM RECALLED INFANT FORMULA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning parents about a goat milk infant formula potentially tainted with a bacterium that’s very dangerous to babies. Crecelac brand formula, already under recall since May 24, could contain Cronobacter, which “can cause bloodstream and central nervous system infections, such as sepsis and meningitis” in infants, the FDA warned in a statement issued Friday. Two other Farmalac brands are also being recalled because they failed to meet FDA safety regulations. The three recalled brands are: CRECELAC INFANT Powdered Goat Milk Infant Formula with
6-3-2024

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP AI TOOL TO PREDICT HOW CANCER PATIENTS WILL RESPOND TO IMMUNOTHERAPY

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that uses routine clinical data, such as that from a simple blood test, to predict whether someone’s cancer will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy drug that helps immune cells kill cancer cells. The machine-learning model may help doctors determine if immunotherapy drugs are effective for treating a patient’s cancer. The study, published June 3, 2024, in Nature
6-3-2024

A DARK SIDE TO DARK CHOCOLATE? NEW STUDY FINDS VERY MINIMAL RISK FOR KIDS FROM METALS IN CHOCOLATES

Chocolate lovers may have been alarmed by a 2023 Consumer Reports finding that some dark chocolate brands could contain harmful levels of lead and cadmium. However, a new study by Tulane University published in Food Research International has found that dark chocolate poses no adverse risk for adults and contains nutritionally beneficial levels of essential minerals. The study sampled 155 dark and milk chocolates from various global brands sold in the United States and tested for the presence of 16 heavy metals ranging from the toxic (lead and cadmium) to
6-3-2024

LACK OF INSURANCE KEEPS MANY AMERICANS FROM BEST CANCER MEDS

A cutting-edge class of drugs is saving and extending the lives of cancer patients. But the drugs, called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), are so expensive that some uninsured Americans can’t access them, a new report finds. New policies are needed “to improve health insurance coverage options and to make new treatments more affordable,” the American Cancer Society (ACS) said in a news release outlining the findings. The study was led by ACS researcher Dr. Jingxuan Zhao. Her team presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society of
6-3-2024

UNDERSTANDING RISKS AND NEED FOR URGENT TREATMENT

It’s always important to prioritize health by participating in stroke risk screenings. These assessments offer invaluable insights into personal health profiles, enabling you to address potential risk factors head-on. Through simple measures such as monitoring blood pressure, measuring cholesterol levels, and adopting healthier lifestyle choices, you have the opportunity to dramatically reduce your susceptibility to stroke. Whether accessed online, in public programs, or through primary care providers, these screenings can provide proactive steps towards a healthier future. As we delve deeper into stroke awareness, it’s imperative to familiarize yourself with
6-3-2024

STUDY FINDS THAT OLDER ADULTS WITH SLEEP APNEA HAVE HIGHER ODDS OF HOSPITALIZATION

A new study found that sleep apnea is associated with increased odds of future utilization of health care services including hospitalization among older adults. Results show that participants aged 50 years and older with sleep apnea had a 21% higher odds of reporting future use of any health service compared with those without sleep apnea. Specifically, individuals with sleep apnea had 21% higher odds
6-3-2024

STUDY FINDS MORE WOMEN IN OIL-RICH GULF COUNTRIES BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer incidence has surged in the oil-rich Gulf (GCC) states, with the disease developing its own localized clinical and pathological features, setting them apart from those found in women with breast cancer in western countries, a study published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology finds. The study attributes the hike to the nature of menstrual cycle of women in these countries, hereditary factors, weaning children earlier than expected, prevalence of hormonal treatment, obesity, and use of contraceptives. The research is authored by a panel of nine oncologists from four
6-3-2024

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WANT THIS INFORMATION BEFORE PRESCRIBING THE HIV PREVENTION, PREP, TO ADOLESCENTS, STUDY FINDS

HIV infections among adolescents and young adults continue to be at high levels, with Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 accounting for approximately 20% of all new HIV infections in 2019. However, uptake of a preventive regimen known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in this group remains low. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2012, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV when taken as directed and reduces the risk of HIV from sex by 99% and from injection drug use by 74%. A new
6-3-2024

EXPENSIVE, DANGEROUS AND VERY ‘EN VOGUE’

When Los Angeles County medical examiners worked last year to determine how Matthew Perry died, they discovered something startling. The amount of ketamine in Perry’s bloodstream was about the same as what would be used during general anesthesia, his autopsy showed. Perry’s death—now the subject of an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration—is putting a spotlight on the growing use of ketamine. There are more prescriptions, dedicated clinics and a burgeoning black market that
6-3-2024

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN TELEMEDICINE AND IN-PERSON CARE

A patient sits in the living room of her apartment in the Brooklyn borough of New York during a telemedicine video conference with a physician on Jan. 14, 2019. Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care.
6-3-2024

MANY PFAS FOREVER CHEMICALS ARE TOXIC—HERE’S HOW TO AVOID THEM

From non-stick frying pans to stain-resistant sofas, some of the most innovative everyday products are made using chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These “forever chemicals”—so-called because they don’t degrade—have been used in a variety of consumer and commercial applications since the 1950s. They can repel water and oil, resist high temperatures and act as “surfactants” by helping different types of liquids mix. There are around 15,000 different PFAS chemicals. Each one has a slightly different chemical composition, but they all have at least two carbon-fluorine bonds.

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Suprabhat, Vannakam, Adab and Welcome to the 2024 LOK SABHA GENERAL ELECTION THUNDERDOME
NO RULES, NO LIMITS, ONLY CHAOS.
Election Commission's official website:
Indian Express commentary page:
The Hindu commentary page:
The Print commentary page:
THE CAGE:-
India is a parliamentary democracy that follows the first-past-the-post voting system, similar to the standard Westminster System. The Lower House of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) consists of 543 seats representing 543 constituencies that send 1 Member of Parliament (MP) each. These 543 MP's then choose a prime minister via simple majority.
For each constituency, a political party gives a ticket to a single Candidate. The Candidate with at least a plurality of votes in a constituency represents that Constituency in parliament as a member of the party.
There are no party level primaries in India, the candidate for a constituency is decided by the party high command and only one person from a party can be on the ticket for a particular seat. You can contest multiple constituencies though from the same party as Narendra Modi (2014 BJP Candidate for both Varanasi and Vadodara) and Rahul Gandhi (2024 Congress Candidate for both Rae Bareili and Wayanad) have done. If no existing political party gives you a ticket, you can contest as an Independent Candidate or form your own party and contest as a member of your own party.
The government can be formed by the party or the alliance that has a simple majority of MP's. When no single political party has a majority of MP's, an alliance of various parties can be formed that contains the majority of MP's. This is called a post-poll alliance, where the parties contest elections separately but might come together after the elections in order to form the government or be part of the government. However there is also the pre-poll alliance where political parties join or form an alliance before the elections. In a pre poll alliance, the alliance party will strategically choose how many and which seats each alliance partner will contest to maximize their chance of winning
KEY NUMBERS

Majority	272
Supermajority	362
Total Seats	543

THE DATES :- 19th April, 26th April, 7th May, 13th May, 20th May, 25th May, 1st June
THE RESULTS :-
THE EXIT POLLS :-
On average, most exit polls gave the following results.
Exit polls are surveys conducted after people have voted, asking them who they voted for, to predict the likely result before the official count is completed.

SOURCE	NDA	INDI ALLIANCE	OTHERS
AXIS MY INDIA	361-401	131-166	8-10
TODAY'S CHANAKYA	385-415	96-118	27-45
CNX	371-401	109-139	28-38
CVOTER	353-383	152-182	4-12
ETG	358	132	53
POLL OF POLLS	379	136	28

More detailed poll results
THE FIGHTS -
Economy & Employment:
The incumbent BJP-led NDA government makes the positive case of economic growth and development under its decade long tenure. It points to strong rejuvenated GDP growth with relatively low inflation, rising wages, a growing middle class, stable macroeconomic positioning, strong spending, slashing of multidimensional poverty, a strong and well administered welfare state, expanded free trade, sharp reduction in regulation, increase in select manufacturing and industry, a revitalized finance sector, and a thriving service market.
The government points to the large-scale infrastructure development undertaken, expanding roadways, delivering expansive electrification, and provisions of basic utility services. They point to the stagnation and policy paralysis observed under the tenure of the last Congress government (UPA 2), and further make point to the opposition's alleged proposed populist economic programs as untenable and unfeasible. They make the case that the opposition has leftist economic policies that are not grounded in economic reality.
The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, makes the negative case against the incumbents, pointing to large scale youth unemployment, even among educated youth. They point to an alleged inability of the government to tie growth to employment. They allege a failure of manufacturing capacity and sufficient industrialization of the economy, highlighting the lack of sufficient private capital inflows. They criticize the growth figures of the economy by casting doubt on the government's statistics, and focusing extensively on growing wealth inequality, alleging that growth only occurs for the rich billionaire class, with minimal relief for the poor, targeting specific attacks against domestic industrial magnates, Adani and Ambani. They allege favoritism on the part of the incumbent government towards their select base, highlighting the state of Gujarat as being prioritized over other states.
In making their positive case, they propose a more inclusive and redistributive model of growth, proposing heightened subsidization programmes, more welfare and support programmes, higher taxation on the wealthy and corporations, leveraging private capital inflows for infrastructure development, and prioritizing equitable growth through a caste census, developing corrective policies for inequalities between castes.
They aim to solve the employment crisis through expanding roles in state enterprises and filling government vacancies, alongside expanding labour intensive industries like manufacturing and mining, whilst pointing to high growth rates of the economy as well as committing to expand manufacturing through reforms and subsidy platforms like the PLI, FAME etc., further claiming that increased infrastructure spending will lead to crowding in effect thus enabling faster industrialization.
Social Justice:
The issues of social equity and justice have become major cornerstones of both the incumbent and opposition electoral platforms. This is most prevalent through the forthcoming section on sectarianism, but also focuses on key issues regarding class equality and - most importantly - caste-based discrimination.
The incumbent BJP-led NDA government point to their solid track record of universal poverty alleviation, targeted successful welfare and affirmative action programmes. The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, point to growing wealth inequality and apparent institutional and systemic discrimination against underprivileged caste communities in academia, employment, governmental programmes, courts, the military, etc. They allege that the government has not committed to taking resolute and definitive action against casteism through corrective policy.
This all boils down to the Reservation system, a large scale, affirmative action initiative, conducted through a systematic quota-based policy of allotment of institutional positions in education, governmental employment, schemes and programmes, direct political representation, etc.
With reservations estimated to have hit 59.5% of Central Government Institutional positions, there are now broader calls to expand the scale and scope of this drive. The opposition wanting to break the cap limits and even introduce this system into the private sector to potentially induce parity, while the government commits to more modest hikes of upto 62.5% while playing into incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's identity as a member of an underprivileged caste community.
While the opposition campaigns on removing limits to the quota system to deliver equity, the government alleges these commitments to be populist and detrimental, while alleging that the opposition seeks to potentially appease its Muslim voter base by introducing expanded reservations for Muslims, thereby allegedly sabotaging the disadvantaged Hindu lower castes, and redistributing their wealth to Muslims, in a bid to gain their votes.
Communalism:
Both the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and the INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition have framed communalism as a lynchpin issue of the Election. The incumbent government points to alleged casteist and bigoted rhetoric against select caste groups and Hindus. They allege the opposition panders to minorities for their votes, whilst not delivering on the real issues. They allege the opposition seeks to drive up divisiveness and shared social harmony in India. They further allege that the opposition engages in divisive rhetoric on key issues of Hindu-Indian culture like that of the Ram Temple, in ways that contradict the spirit of the Indian State.
The opposition on the other hand, accused the incumbent government of being bigoted against minority communities, from the large Muslim community to the lower caste communities of Indian society. They allege use of hateful and divisive rhetoric against these communities and point to select controversial government positions and policies on issues like the Ram Mandir, the controversial CAA-NRC laws, the proposed Uniform Civil Code, among others. They further allege institutional degradation of key offices including policing, academia, and the military in discriminating against minority groups.
Institutional Independence:
The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition alleges institutional degradation and capture of various independent governmental entities by the incumbents. They point to the use of Executive, Investigative, Anti-Corruption, Enforcement, & Tax authorities against opposition figures and media as evidence, highlighting specific cases of the detaining and arrest of two sitting opposition Chief Ministers, and the resignation of one. They highlight alleged selective targeting of opposition figures for raids, charges, and arrests, creating an alleged environment of impunity for the government. The opposition alleges heightened and blatant partisanship of members of the Judiciary in support of the incumbent government. They also allege illegitimate freezing of campaigning funds, crackdowns on press freedoms via capture of media institutions, and also critically alleges institutional capture of the Election Commission, casting doubts on election results primarily critiquing India's Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).
The Government rebukes these claims as part of a strong anti-corruption drive, highlighting a drop in governmental corruption cases since the previous Congress government (UPA 2, infamously riddled with such allegations). The government frames the opposition parties as corrupt and power-hungry, while further disparaging the opposition's alleged unfounded attacks on Indian institutions, apparent partisan attacks on the judiciary and critiquing apparent unfounded claims of election denialism.
THE FIGHTERS –
The election is primarily clash between two large coalitions, and their leading parties. On one side, you have the incumbent government of the BJP-led NDA, or National Democratic Alliance, and on the other, you have the opposition INC-led I.N.D.I.A, or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a new mega coalition of more than 35 parties, with a few unofficial supporters too.
The following is a list of some key players in each of the alliances and is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list of all involved factions.
The incumbent NDA includes:

1. BJP – The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party - "Indian People's Party") is a Hindu nationalist party committed to Hindutva ideology, promoting Hindu culture, opposing Muslim immigration, and creating a nativist country wherein India embraces a fundamentally Hindu social fabric. The BJP government under Modi undertook strong reformist policies in promoting liberalization of the economy through aggressive regulatory reforms, furthering free trade through FTAs and privatization of underperforming state assets. They took aggressive stances on defense and counterterrorism against Pakistan and China, while pragmatically engaging other nations despite criticism on some foreign policy moves for being 'wolf warrior-esque'. They uphold a strong nationalist domestic and foreign policy, that simultaneously does not retreat from globalization. On National Security, they aim to make India a regional power with a strong emphasis on modernization & indigenization of military administration and technology, while also reducing bureaucratic and manpower burdens through varied recruitment windows. BJP manifesto
2. JD(U) - The JD(U) (Janata Dal (United) – “People’s Party (United)”) is led by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and has been in power in the eastern state of Bihar since 2005. It was formed after a series of splits and mergers in the Janata Dal in the 90s. It is credited with doing good work in the state on roads, electricity, and water, however it has failed to provide jobs & spur manufacturing. This, combined with its leader frequently switching between rival alliances, is causing anti-incumbency. The JD(U) left NDA in 2013 due to Narendra Modi's candidature. Then it joined the RJD in 2015 and formed the govt the same year. Then it parted with RJD in 2017 (supposedly due to corruption allegations) and went back to the NDA. NDA went on to win state elections in 2020. In 2022, it parted with NDA again and allied with the RJD, then in 2024, it once again parted with the RJD and joined the NDA. JDU website
3. TDP - The TDP (Telugu Desam Party – “Party of the Telugu Land") follows a pro-Telugu ideology. It was founded as an alternative to the Congress hegemony, by emphasizing Telugu regional pride and serving as the party for farmers, backward castes and middle-class people. Since the 1990s, it has followed an economically liberal policy that has been seen as pro-business and pro-development as well as populist welfarist measures. TDP Manifesto

The opposition I.N.D.I.A includes:

1. INC - The INC (Indian National Congress) is a big tent social-democratic/democratic-socialist party with its foundational pillars being equity, equality, and egalitarianism. They take broad commitments to secularism and class equality to be principal positions. The INC under Rahul Gandhi has taken strong positions on caste issues, shining light on inequities from past and current discrimination, and proposing active policy interventions. While the INC also holds a free-market/pro-liberalization consensus, they emphasise growing social and wealth inequality and seek inclusive and redistributive growth with strong state intervention. They also see some proposed liberalising reforms to further inequality and take an 'anti-corporatist' position. They take a slightly less strong position to Indian foreign policy, stressing a more diplomatic approach (with minimal variance on actual positions to the incumbents). They embrace globalisation in part, while emphasising India's need for domestic development. They aim to industrialise India rapidly through stimulating private investment and aim to subsidise both supply and demand. They seek to maintain the Indian military with a focus on highly trained soldiers. They pioneered multi-alignment as the foreign policy for India. INC Manifesto
2. AAP - The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party – “Common Man's Party"), part of INDIA coalition, currently holds power in two key states - Delhi and Punjab. Its chief figurehead and leader, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under an alleged liquor scam in the run up to elections. Barely a 10 year old party it has expanded very quickly to many states, running two of them, and now has national party status by the Election Commission of India (ECI). It leans centre-left to centre-right, with some play of soft Hindutva, while its economic platform comprises heavy spending in education, health, and free schemes of water and electricity. They rose to power on an anti-corruption program in 2013 and continues to have it as its central plank. AAP website for 2024
3. CPI(M) – The CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)). They commies lol. The CPI(M) is one of the larger and more mainstream communist parties in India. Since they operate within the Indian republic's constitution they have adopted more Indian characteristics. They are primarily against privatisation in the public sector and in favour of universal education and healthcare. Their base has traditionally been in Kerala, one of the more developed states in India in terms of income levels and HCI. they're in favour of private sector reservations and in recent years have also been pro-FDI. They promise non-aligned foreign policy, but largely are very anti-US and pro-China. They promise to restore Article 370 and oppose forceful seizure of land by the government. They're one of the most influential parties in India due to a strong cadre and student union ecosystem. They've had an effect on the farmers' protests as well as economic positions of the INDI Alliance. CPI(M) MANIFESTO
4. DMK - The DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - “Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a big tent broad left-wing party that is foundationally Dravidian (primarily Tamil) Nationalist, with strong emphasis on social equity and caste issues, while being staunchly secular and atheistic, and interventionist, statist, heavily welfarist, and industrialist in economic policy. They are primarily a regional party operating in the state of Tamil Nadu, led by M.K. Stalin, the state's current Chief Minister. DMK manifesto
5. RJD - The RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal – “National People’s Party”) is a caste-based (Muslims & Yadavs) political party in the Indian state of Bihar, which it ruled from 1990 to 2005. Its rule was one of extreme lawlessness & anarchy. It was called the “Jungle Raj”. Between 1990 & 2000, Bihar's per capita income and power consumption fell off a cliff due to mismanagement. Its CM, Lalu Prasad, was convicted of corruption in 2013.
6. SP - The SP (Samajwadi Party – “Socialist Party”) believes in creating a socialist society that operates on the principle of equality. Although the party previously ran on an anti-computer, anti-English, and anti-machinery platform, under its new national president Akhilesh Yadav, the party has made a 180° turn. Now, the Samajwadi Party declares itself to be the party of infrastructure while maintaining its commitment to social justice, with a special focus on teaching computer skills. The party's main base is in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populated state in India, with a population of 230 million. The only negatives associated with the party are the rampant dynasticism within its ranks and its perceived soft stance on law and order issues. SP Manifesto
7. JMM - The JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha – “Jharkhand Liberation Front") currently runs the government of eastern state of Jharkhand. The party has historically centred tribal rights as its central plank and agitated for a new tribal state separate from Bihar until 2000, when their demands were met. It leans centre-left to left with their key issues being tribal control of land, mineral and mining rights, addressing issues of rehabilitation of tribals. The party is primarily run by the Soren family, with Champai Soren being its chief minister candidate in the current government after the last chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the enforcement directorate. JMM is in alliance with the Indian national congress in the state, and part of the INDIA coalition for the Lok Sabha elections. They face charges of corruption and the image of dynastic politics.

The “It’s Complicated”, Unaligned, Split, and/or other Supplementary Parties include:

1. TMC - The TMC or AITC (All India Trinamool Congress, Trinamool means Grassroots) is a Bengali political party ruling over the state of West Bengal since 2011. It is led by Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. It is a centre-left, welfarist, Bengali Nationalist party. It has been criticised for using heavy-handed authoritarian tactics against opposition leaders in the state, corruption, and political violence. It is credited with ending 34 years of communist rule in the state. West Bengal under the AITC has registered subpar economic performance and is largely stagnant. Pertinent to note Mamata used to be Congress leader till 1998, and AITC, in spite of being sympathetic towards the I.N.D.I.A. alliance at the national level, is fighting the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal on all 42 seats. TMC Manifesto
2. AIADMK - The AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – “All India Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a broad centre-left/left-wing party adhering to foundational Dravidian philosophy, while emphasising Tamil identity. Traditionally being less ethno-nationalist than their sister opposition party the DMK, they adhere to broad welfarist left-wing populism, focusing on social justice and communal equity, while being less economically statist than the DMK. They also focus primarily on Tamil Nadu as a regional party, currently led by Edappadi Palaniswami. AIADMK manifesto
3. Shiv Sena - The Shiv Sena (“Army of Shivaji”) was founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966 as a populist, xenophobic party, although the party gradually added Hindutva ideology to its anti non-Maharashtrian plank. It was the long time senior partner to the BJP in Maharashtra till Narendra Modi's popularity caused a change in the dynamics. After power sharing talks with the BJP failed in 2019, the Shiv Sena switched alliances to join hands with their long time rivals in Congress and NCP in an arrangement that made Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. In 2022 again, The Majority of Shiv Sena politicians led by Eknath Shinde rebelled against the top leadership to ally again with the BJP, taking control of the party and toppling the Uddhav Thackeray government. The splinter group led by Uddhav Thackeray is called SS (UBT) and it is allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance. SS(UBT) Manifesto
4. NCP – The NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) was founded in 1998 by Sharad Pawar and a few others who left the Congress in 1998 after Sonia Gandhi was made Congress president. Despite its formation, the NCP was a long term ally of the Congress sharing virtually the same ideology. In 2023 however, like the Shiv Sena, In a rebellion led by Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit, a Majority of NCP politicians switched alliances to support the BJP and took control of the party. Like the Shiv Sena, the Splinter group led by Sharad Pawar and his daughter is called NCP (SP) and it's allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance
5. YSRCP - The YSRCP (Yuvjana Sramika Rythu Congress Party – “Youth, Labour, & Farmer Congress Party”) was founded by the son of an old congress Chief Minister after he was denied the role of Chief Minister after his father. It's a populist centre-of-left party with strong focus on welfare schemes and cash benefits. It's mired in controversy due to its dynastic nature, its ties to Christian Fundamentalism and American Missionaries targeting the marginalised.
6. BRS - The BRS (Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi – “Indian National Council”) was formed originally with a single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They are largely neoliberal and are credited with rapid economic growth in Telangana.
7. BJD – The BJD (Biju Janata Dal – “Biju’s People’ Platform”) was formed by Naveen Pattnaik the son of the former CM of Odisha, Biju Pattnaik. It’s a Odia regional party with a strong focus on poverty upliftment through welfare policies and equitable economic growth.
8. BSP - The BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party - "Majority Community Party") is a centre-left party in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which was started to uplift Dalits and other marginalised communities in India by Kanshi Ram. Its current party president is Mayawati. BSP is considered as one of the biggest parties in India as per vote share, although it's currently in decline. At its height, this party had a strong base in many states across north India, but now it's only limited to the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the largest states in India with a population of 230 million. There are strong suspicions of BSP working in secret with BJP, and maybe that's why the party is not fighting this election enthusiastically. Although they can still make the competition interesting on a few seats in UP.

OTHER KEY ISSUES -
1. Political Dynasticism:
Although dynastism is thought to be a good fix for internal chaos in a party, the current political leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, is a fourth-generation dynast who has to carry the political baggage of everything which went wrong during the rule of his grandmother and great-grandfather.
Also because one family has been controlling the Congress for decades, it has caused various state-level leaders to either form their own party or join another one. They see no future in the Congress anymore because the door to leadership is always closed for them. This has destroyed the ground level cadre of Congress party in many key states.
Rahul Gandhi’s privilege combined with the lack of any real political acumen so far has led to the INC taking damage due to his infamy.
Nepotism and dynastic politics has been a key issue throughout the last 10 years as BJP positions itself as the ‘common man’s party’
2. The Ram Mandir:
A land dispute originating from the alleged destruction of a Hindu Temple, replaced by a Mosque built allegedly atop the site (the Babri Masjid) in the 16th century allegedly by Mughal Emperor Babur in present day Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, the proposed birthplace of the Hindu deity Lord Ram.
Following a century of sporadic conflict, from 1853 to 1949, a revivalist movement in the 1980's would lead to rising communal tensions, culminating in the 1992 destruction of the Babri Masjid by Hindu Nationalists and devotees.
The legal conflict over the land would continue until 2019, when the Supreme Court of India issued the controversial ruling that the land be handed over to government trust for the construction of the Babri, with separate land being allotted to the local Muslim community for construction of a Mosque.
Almost all elements of the dispute remain mired in controversy. From the historical and religious associations of Ayodhya with Ram, the existence of a definitively Hindu structure, the alleged deliberate destruction of the said temple, the times and events of construction and use, the participants, planning, and events of the 1992 destruction, the ASI Archeological Surveys that served as key evidence for the Supreme Court being tampered and politicized by both sides of the political aisle, the legality of the ruling itself, and other surrounding issues regarding justice against those alleged to have partaken in the destruction of the Babri Masjid.
3. Foreign Policy:
The BJP is campaigning on building a multi-aligned foreign policy where India is seen as the world’s friend as well as an upcoming regional power. This was at its peak during India’s G20 presidency. Many Indians claim the rise of India’s global stature is an electoral issue. This can be seen in the popularity of the government’s anti-terror operations in both Pakistan and beyond. The resurgence of an interventionist foreign policy has proven to be popular in projecting the strongman image of Modi. The country’s commitment to its strategic autonomy and multi-alignment have been a fixture right since Nehru.
SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES:
Election Rewind: Tracking Major Developments
Supreme Court Judgement on Ram Janmabhoomi Case
Timeline: Key Events in the Babri Masjid - Ram Mandir Controversy
Exclusive Interview With KK Muhammed, Archaeologist Part Of Babri Mosque Excavation Team
India's Lok Sabha Election 2024: What are Key Issues?
Education, Aspiration & 3 De-Hyphenations: A Changing Kashmir Votes and Vents
Abki Baar 90 Paar for Congress: Why Even 30 More Seats Will Ruffle BJP
This BJP Govt is Easy to Understand if You Read What Modi, Shah, Nadda Read When They Were Young
Caste Census Politics: What Bihar Thinks Today, Bihar Used to Think Day Before Yesterday
Parties Without Ideology Are Endangered in the BJP Era. Even Congress Needs a Modernised Doctrine
Article 370 to G20: India is in a Kashmir Sweet Spot. Now Tick the Last Boxes
At 43, How Brand BJP Evolved from Vajpayee Vision to Modi Might
Terrorist, Traitor, Namak Haram: Why BJP is Befriending TDP's Naidu Even After Insults to Modi
Himanta Sarma is Reading RSS Modi Politics Wrong. Hardliner Image Won't Help Beyond a Point
Three-Gen Corporate Rule in Indian Politics: How Dynasts Conform, How They Can Break Free
Seven Things Rahul Gandhi Can Do for Congress Revival, But He Won't
PM Modi is Moving on from Vajpayee-Era Mass Leaders: New India, New Parliament, New BJP
4 Years On, Kashmir is Changing. All Because of Modi-Picked Manoj Sinha’s Healing Touch
How Modi’s Independence Day Address at Red Fort in 2023 is Very Different from 2014
Congress Attacks on Ambani, Adani Won’t Fly. Nature of Wealth Has Changed Since Indira Days
It’s a New Rahul Gandhi. A Caste Warrior and Class Samurai

After the gruesome death of Karla Reyes, her memory still haunted me. I found myself constantly thinking about her, replaying our last moments together, and wishing I could change the outcome. The guilt and grief weighed heavily on my heart, and I knew that attending her funeral was something I needed to do, not just for Karla but for myself as well.
Five days after the discovery of Karla’s death, the day of the funeral arrived, and I made my way to the cathedral Catholic church, my heart heavy with sorrow. My family wasn't particularly religious, but Karla's family was, and I wanted to pay my respects in the way they would have wanted.
I entered the church, the familiar scent of incense and candles filled my nostrils, bringing back memories of Sunday school and holidays spent in these halls. I spotted Karla's family seated in the front pews, their faces etched with grief. My own family was there as well, offering their support and comfort during this difficult time.
My dad approached Karla's father, his eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Reyes. Has Karla mentioned anyone who might want to cause her harm? Anyone who wished her ill?"
Karla's father, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen, shook his head. "I can't think of anyone, Sheriff Anderson. Except..." He trailed off, his voice thick with emotion.
"There was a man, part of a pandilla, who wanted to kill my family. He had threatened us, but I never thought he would go after Karlita. I always kept my family protected, but maybe..." Mr. Reyes's voice broke, and he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs.
My mom, who had been comforting Karla's mother, shot me a worried glance, her eyes filled with tears. Mrs. Reyes clutched my mom's hand, her grief-stricken voice calling out, "Porque a mi niña? Why my little Karla? Why you took her away from me so early?"
I made my way towards the coffin, my heart pounding in my chest. The coffin was made of rosewood, adorned with delicate orchids. It was a closed casket, and I felt a pang of sadness that I wouldn't be able to see Karla one last time, to say a proper goodbye. I placed a white rose on top of the coffin, my fingers trailing over the smooth wood. "Rest in peace, Karla," I mouthed out.
One month later, I remembered being in art class, trying to focus on the painting in front of me—a vibrant blue jay perched on a branch. It was a peaceful scene, but my mind kept wandering, my thoughts drifting back to Karla.
Suddenly, someone brushed past me, and I looked up to see Mandy Lake. She was known for her Gothic attire and multiple piercings. "Oops, sorry," she mumbled, taking a seat next to Hannah, who was jamming to Haley Kiyoko through her headphones.
Brandon returned from his bathroom break and slid into the seat next to me. "Hey, Lily, I might have heard some rumors popping up," he signed, his eyes downcast.
I signed, "What kind of rumors?"
Brandon opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Ryan barged into the art room, his eyes landing on me. "Hey, Lily, I hear you're smoking a juul these days. You got hit this ganja with me?" he said with a smirk, walking towards us.
Brandon snapped, "She doesn't do that, Ryan. Leave her alone."
Ryan laughed, a mocking sound that grated on my nerves. "Maybe it's her twin Billie, then." He pulled out his iPhone 6, displaying a Snapchat video of me and Karla smoking a juul. I tried to make out the poster's handle, but Ryan swiped it away before I could read it.
Our art teacher, Ms. Taylor, appeared at Ryan's side, her eyes narrowed. "Get out of my class, Ryan, or I'm writing you up.”
“Geez, Ms. Tay-Tay. You're a buzzkill,” Ryan groaned and made a squealing sound, trying to mimic me. As he turned to leave, I purposely stuck out my foot, tripping him. He landed on his nose, as small specks of bloody boogers seeped from his nostrils. Getting up from his feet, Ryan stormed off, smearing the door with blood.
Ms. Taylor saw the whole thing and sighed in frustration. "Lily, I know you did that to defend yourself, but it's not the right thing to do," she said, her voice firm but understanding.
I signed angrily, "I don't care, Ms. Taylor. He shouldn't have bothered me in the first place.”
“Fair point,” Ms. Taylor's eyes widened at my response, and she shook her head, clearly at a loss for words.
In a rather abrupt manner, the speakers blared, "Lilibelle Anderson please report to the principal's office."
Everyone in the class turned to look at me, letting out ohss and whispers. Brandon had enough of it, slamming his hands on the table, "Shut the hell up, all of you."
“Don't sweat it,” I signed to Brandon, "I'll meet you after lunch," and left the room, my heart pounding.
Passing by the lockers, I stopped in front of one in particular—Karla's. It was covered in sticky notes, drawings, and pictures, along with flowers, all expressing grief and condolences. There was also a letter written by Mrs. Becker as well. The letter read.
“Dear Karla Reyes,
It is a tragedy to have lost a talented student like you. You were potential, shining bright like a star. Whoever monster did this to you deserves hell. Hope you rest in peace, and forever be singing in the choir of the heavens.
With much love,
Your Choir teacher.”
Alyssa appeared behind me, her voice soft. She towered over me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It must be tough, losing a friend. But you shouldn't blame yourself, Lily. You were a victim too."
I looked at her, surprised by her kindness. She gave me a small smile and said, "Take care of yourself, okay?" Then she walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. At least Alyssa didn't look at me like I was the one who killed Karla. Fiona being one of those people who after Karla's death, looked at me like I was a monster.
I continued on my way to the principal's office, my heart heavy. Principal Kelly was waiting for me, his expression kind but stern. "How are you doing, Lily?" he asked, motioning for me to take a seat.
I signed, "I'm okay."
He nodded, his eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Lily. I wish I could take away your pain. But I'm afraid I have some disappointing news. You've broken a rule, and I have no choice but to give you a week of detention."
I signed, "Am I going to be expelled?”
Principal Kelly shook his head. "No, Lilibelle. I understand you've been through a lot, and I want to give you a chance to make things right. But I can't condone vaping on school property."
I crossed my arms, frustration building inside me. "Who told you about the vape video?”
He hesitated, his hands placed up high on top of his balding head. "I can't tell you that. But I want you to know that I'm on your side.”
I shook my head, my anger rising. "I'll find it out myself," I signed, my eyes flashing.
With that, I left his office, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I noticed a group of students huddled together, whispering and glancing in my direction. I recognized Brianne among them, and my heart sank. Whatever rumor was spreading, it was gaining traction.
I quickened my pace, eager to get away from their judgmental stares. As I turned the corner, I collided with someone, sending our books flying. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I signed, bending to pick up the fallen books.
The girl I had bumped into offered me a hand, her eyes warm and sympathetic. "It's okay. Are you alright?”
I recognized her as Sarah Miller, a fellow freshmen from a different homeroom and a member of the Journaling club. She was one of the girls. I always saw them hanging out in the school library, reading newspapers and what not. From word of mouth, Sarah was Alyssa’s cousin and used to be inseparable. Part of me wanted to know more about Alyssa, and maybe just maybe Sarah knew something.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I signed, taking her hand and hoisting myself up. "Thanks."
She smiled at me, her eyes kind. "No problem. Hey, um, I know we don't really know each other that well, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know you've been through a lot lately."
I nodded, my throat tightening with emotion. "Thanks, Sarah. I appreciate it.”
“Mhm. Oh yeah, I was wondering if you had lunch B?”
“Who doesn't have Lunch B. Everyone and their mothers have Lunch B.”
Sarah let out a giggle, tucking one of her honey blonde strands behind her ears. “That's so true. Anyways….you wanna eat together or-”
Seeing how shy Sarah was made me like her a lot. She was endearing in a way, and of course I would want to be friends with a kind individual. “Sure, why not.” I gestured, with a welcoming tone.
After a few classes later, I headed to lunch with Matt and Brandon, my stomach rumbling in anticipation of the school's infamous chicken nuggets. Matt chatted about his plans to go grocery shopping with his mom after school, complaining about having to make the list during Allegra's class.
"I actually find grocery shopping fun," I signed, my eyes lighting up at the thought. "Especially when I get to pick out my favorite peaches."
Matt brows drooped, as he hugged on his gray sleeves. “Groceries can be fun, but try buying groceries in bulk. Mom always says it saves trips, but rolling 6 carts of food kills my back.”
“Oh..”
“Yep. That's one of the downsides of being filthy rich.”
I noticed Brandon's silence, his eyes distant as he lost himself in his thoughts. Matt, ever observant, asked, "You okay, Brandon? Still dealing with what happened the day of Karla's disappearance?”
Brandon lied, forcing a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."
Matt's concerned gaze didn't waver. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything."
Brandon nodded, his eyes flicking to me. "Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you both, but... it can wait."
Matt's brow furrowed, but he let it go, changing the subject. "Why don't you two find a table? I'll go grab our lunches."
As we made our way to secure a spot, Brandon blurted out, "I know who posted the video.”
I froze, my eyes widening. "What?"
Brandon took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I confronted Ryan in the bathroom. Pinned him against the wall and interrogated him."
I could sort of imagine that happening; out of our trio, Brandon was the most developed and could even pass for a sophomore. Some kids are early bloomers, others such as Matt and myself were late bloomers.
"And?" I prompted, my heart pounding.
"Matt suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Ryan freaked out, blurting out the poster's name," Brandon continued, his voice tight. "Matt was confused as to why Ryan freaked out, but I knew it was because he was guilty.”
"Was it someone we know?" I asked, my fingers discreetly moved, mimicking a whisper.
Brandon nodded, his eyes meeting mine. "It's Mandy Lake."
I looked down at my lap, sadness washing over me. I knew it would be one of the choir girls, but to find out it was Mandy….I was surprised. She had always seemed so nice, but I guessed appearances could be deceiving.
Just then, Sarah appeared, her face lighting up when she spotted me. "Hey, Lily! How's it going?"
I smiled, my mood instantly lifting at the sight of my friend. "Good! Sarah, this is Brandon. Brandon, Sarah.”
Brandon shook Sarah's hand, a nervous smile on his face. "Nice to meet you. I'm a fan of your newspaper column, 'Unsolved Cases of Meadows Dale.' It's my favorite read."
Sarah laughed, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Oh, wow! I'm super into mysteries, so I guess it makes sense."
Matt appeared with three trays, placing them in front of us with a flourish. "Here you go, my friends. Wish I could be buff like Arnold Schwarzenegger so I could carry six plates at once."
He turned to Sarah, a teasing glint in his eye. "Have you adopted another stray, Lily?”
I signed, "Yes we did. We're a band of four strays, surrounded by purebred pups."
“Sweet!” Matt grinned, popping a fry into his mouth. "Anyways, well, I heard Brianne Becker started dating Ryan. Talk about the unholy couple."
Brandon groaned, rolling his eyes. "Ugh, I heard about that. They are perfect for each other."
“What? They are dating?” My mouth agape, It was sorta surprising that Brianne and Ryan were a thing, although such a concept wasn't out of reach.
"It's true. I saw them together yesterday, they were sharing a cone together.” Sarah chimed in, as she pulled out some books from her light pink backpack. She then added, "Also, before Brianne, Ryan tried to date Alyssa once, and she refused him."
“Oh really?” Matt nodded, taking a bite of his burger. "Obviously, if I were Alyssa, I'd do the same. Good call.”
I nodded, my eyes dropping to the book she picked up to read. "What are you reading?"
She held up the book, a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. "It's one of my favorites. It's about this shy, introverted freshman and his journey through high school. It's a beautiful story about friendship and self-discovery."
I smiled, recognizing the title. "I've heard great things about it. Maybe I'll give it a read."
Sarah's eyes lit up. "You should! And if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. I love discussing books.”
Brandon raised one of his brows, while he took glimpses of the book. “Wait, was there a movie version with Emma Watson in it?”
“Mhm. That's the one. Emma Watson was so pretty in that movie!” Sarah confirmed, her eyes glued to her book. Brandon looked at me, I could tell his face was flushed in bright pink.
I took a sip of my chocolate milk, my eyes flitting between my friends. "You know, I've been meaning to ask... what exactly happened that day? The day of Karla's disappearance and mine?"
“Lily..”
“Tell me what I want to know.”
“Okay fine,” Brandon cleared his throat, his eyes flicking to Matt. "Do you want us to take you there? To the abandoned shed?"
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. "Yes. I think I need to see it."
Curious, while sliding a Harry Potter book mark inside her book, Sarah spoke, “What shed? You mean the one by the woods located near the Skating Rink?”
Matt winked “Bingo!”
“So you guys want to go there? Today, right?”
Brandon and I nodded, “Pretty much.”
I could hear Sarah darting her hand inside her backpack, loud rustling sounds indicated that she was searching for something. Her mouth formed into a smile, digging out a Polaroid camera out of her now disorganized backpack. “Here! Unfortunately I can't join you guys for your adventure, cuz of Journalism club. I hope this helps.” Sarah plopped the camera in my hands, it weighed a bit in my hands.
“Thanks, Sarah!” I signed in gratitude, fascinated by how it felt in my hands.
“No problem. Just be careful with it. My grandma got it for me on my birthday, okay?”
“Deal. If somehow my fat ass breaks it, you can definitely press charges.” Matt held up his hand as he made an oath. I couldn't help but laugh, while Sarah let out a worrisome whine.
Sarah shook her head with a defeated smile, placing her pink colored nail finger on her teeth. “Ah, I love you guys already.”
“Same-uh I mean nice,” Brandon exchanged a glance with me, sweat dripping in his temple. "Okay," he said, his voice gentle. "Let's go after school.”
We finished our lunches in comfortable silence, my mind racing with anticipation and trepidation. I knew visiting the shed would bring back painful memories, but I needed to face them head-on.
After school, around 6pm we made our way to the shed, located in a secluded area near the skating rink. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows that danced eerily in the breeze. We approached the dilapidated structure, my heart began to pound in my chest. This was the place where I had been held captive, where I had endured unimaginable horrors. Where I saw that video of Karla.
Matt placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to go in if you don't want to, Lily. We can just show you the outside."
I shook my head, steeling myself. "No, I want to see it all. I need to."
Brandon opened the creaking door, and we stepped inside, the musty air thick with memories. The shed was empty now, but I could still feel the weight of the past lingering in the air. With Sarah's polaroid camera, I snapped a few photos. Matt grabbed the photos, shaking them up and down to see if the film developed.
I took a shaky breath, my eyes scanning the space. "This is where he kept me…” I trailed off, unable to continue. Brandon's arm slipped around my shoulders, offering silent support.
Matt's face was grim as he surveyed the shed. "We searched this place after you were found, but there was no sign of the kidnapper. It was like he vanished into thin air."
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the dusty floor. "He was careful. He always wore gloves, a mask... I never saw his face."
Brandon's voice was gentle. "But you heard his voice. Anything distinctive about it?"
I shook my head, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Just that it was deep and distorted, like he was using a voice changer or something.”
Brandon's jaw clenched, his fists balling at his sides. "We'll find him, Lily. I just know our dad's are going to do something about this."
I nodded, grateful for their determination. "Thank you, both. I know it's not easy for you either."
We stood in silence for a few moments, each of us lost in our thoughts. Finally, I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "Let's go. Being here brings back too many memories."
Matt squeezed my shoulder, his eyes understanding. "Of course, Lily. We can come back another time if you want, but for now, let's get the heck out of here.”
We stepped back into the fading light, the shed's creaking door closing behind us with a soft thud. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, grateful to be away from the suffocating confines of that place. Just to only feel a set of eyes watching me from the woods.
As we walked back towards town, Matt asked, "So, what's the plan for tonight? Movie night? We could do a horror flick, maybe something with Arnold Schwarzenegger."
I shook my head, signing, "No horror movies for me. I've had enough scares in real life."
Brandon laughed, punching Matt's arm playfully. "Come on, man, Lily's right. Let's go for a comedy or an action flick.”
Matt feigned hurt, his hand over his heart. "Fine, fine. No horror. But we're definitely watching 'Predator' next week. It's a classic."
I rolled my eyes, signing, "Fine. But only if we get pizza and ice cream."
Brandon grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Deal! Extra cheese and pepperoni for me."
That night, as we settled in for our movie night in my house. It was much closer, so I asked my Mom if Brandon and Matt could sleep over for the night. Mom was setting the pepperoni topped lasagna inside of the oven, as she said, “Sure they can stay! Just make sure you make them call their parents for permission, okay?”
“I will.” I assured my mother, before running back to the living. I hopped on one of the sofas, catching Brandon off guard.
“So…” Brandon and Matt asked.
“What happened?”
Matt brought up the topic of The Masked Man once again. "Lily, is there anything else you can remember about him? Any small detail could help us track him down."
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the TV screen. "I've told you everything, Matt. I never saw his face, and his voice was distorted. I'm sorry."
Brandon spoke up, his eyes thoughtful. "What about his scent? Did he wear cologne or anything distinctive?"
I furrowed my brow, trying to recall. "I... I think he might have worn cologne. Something woody and musky. It was faint, but I remember catching a whiff of it a few times."
Matt's eyes lit up. "That's something! We can ask around, see if anyone recognizes that scent. It could be a crucial piece of the puzzle."
I nodded, a glimmer of hope sparking within me. "Okay. I'll try to remember more details. Maybe there's something else I've missed.”
The movie began, and we settled in, our bowls of popcorn and soda within reach. Funny enough after watching Forrest Gump, we had fallen asleep on top of each other. About three hours later, I woke up, disoriented, and realized I had fallen asleep on the couch with Brandon and Matt. Brandon was sleeping on the edge, his limbs dangling off the couch, while Matt was hugging me in his sleep. I carefully slipped out of Matt's arms, not wanting to wake him, and groggily walked towards the darkness of the kitchen.
The glass back door loomed in front of me, and I remembered the night before, my dad had recently started to put his deputies to watch over our house every night. I had felt safe with them, and that was the reason I wanted to invite Matt and Brandon to have a sleepover in my house.
I yawned and stretched, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. The kitchen was quiet, the only sound the ticking of the clock. I made my way to the back door, my heart pounding. I knew I shouldn't open it, but something compelled me to do so.
With trembling hands, I unlocked the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. The backyard was bathed in moonlight, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I took a deep breath, the scent of freshly cut grass filling my lungs.
Suddenly, I heard a noise. It sounded like a twig snapping. My heart raced, and I froze, my eyes scanning the yard. I couldn't see anyone, but I knew I wasn't alone.
"Who's there?” Signing cautiously, I wait for a response. It could have been a cat or dog walking around. However it sounded like a hard boot walking.
No answer. I took a cautious step backward, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged. It was tall and broad, dressed in black from head to toe. That same mask covered their face, obscuring their identity. It was him again.
I backed away, my heart pounding. "Stay away from me, please.” I tried to communicate with the figure, my fingers becoming slippery with sweat.
He didn't respond, but continued to advance, their steps slow and deliberate. I turned to run back inside, but the door was locked. I frantically tried the handle, my heart pounding in my ears.
"Let me in!" I frantically waved my hands and screamed an awful ear piercing screech. My fists furiously banging on the door.
The Masked Man was getting closer, and I knew I had to act fast. I searched for a weapon, my eyes landing on a garden rake leaning against the wall. I grabbed it and swung it at the figure, connecting with their arm. They let out a pained grunt, but didn't stop. I swung again, this time hitting their leg. They stumbled, but quickly recovered, their eyes fixed on me.
I backed away, my heart pounding. "Stay back!" I tried to shout, my voice scratchy and whistling. None of the words that came out of my mouth were incoherent. It was horrible, that even my own voice betrayed me.
The Masked Man lunged at me, and I swung the rake again, this time hitting them in the chest. They fell to the ground, and I took the opportunity to run back inside, locking the door behind me. I leaned against it, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
Brandon and Matt rushed into the kitchen, their eyes wide. "What happened? We heard you scream," Brandon said, his voice full of concern.
I signed, my hands shaking, "There was someone in the backyard. They tried to get in."
Matt looked out the window, his face pale. "I don't see anyone out there now. Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"
I shook my head, my heart still pounding. "I'm sure. I hit them with the rake. They fell, but then they got back up and kept coming."
Brandon's eyes widened. "We need to call the police. This is serious, Lily."
I nodded, my hands still shaking. "Okay. But first, let's make sure all the doors and windows are locked. I don't want them getting in."
We spent the next few minutes checking every door and window in the house, making sure they were securely locked. My Dad and police arrived soon after, and we explained what had happened. They searched the backyard but found no sign of the intruder.
The officer took my statement, his face grim. He informed my Dad with instructions. "We'll increase patrols in the area, but in the meantime, stay vigilant. Keep your doors and windows locked, and be aware of your surroundings, Sheriff.”
“Thank you, Officer Devins,” My dad thanked the officer, before heading in my way. He looked at me with concern, before rubbing his eyes in a worried manner. “Hey Lilibee. You should go to sleep. Daddy's going to be staying awake for the night. It's to keep you safe.”
“Okay,” I hugged my father, my heart was still pounding from the encounter. That night, I had trouble sleeping, my mind replaying the events over and over. The Masked Man had found me again that night. I didn't know how or when, but he was back. I had a good feeling this wasn't his last appearance.
I hurried down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. It had been a long day, and I was eager to get this detention over with and go home. When I approached the office, I saw the old secretary, Mrs. Miller, gossiping on the phone, her eyes glued to her screen. I took the opportunity to slip past her unnoticed and make my way towards Dr. Wells' office.
The door was slightly ajar, and I knocked gently before pushing it open. Dr. Wells looked up from his laptop, a soft smile spreading across his face when he saw me.
"Lily, what a pleasant surprise," he signed, motioning for me to come in. "How are your painting classes going?"
I signed back, while sitting down on the couch. "They're going really well, thank you. I'm enjoying it a lot."
Dr. Wells laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's wonderful to hear. And how are you doing otherwise? Still dealing with the aftermath of what happened that day?"
I kicked my feet awkwardly, feeling a rush of emotions as I thought about the kidnapping. "I went back to the spot where he held me," I confessed. "I thought it would give me closure, but then I started having nightmares about him again."
Dr. Wells tilted his head, his expression concerned. "And how did that make you feel?" he asked gently.
I nervously averted my eyes to the paintings hanging on his walls, beautiful landscapes and abstracts in rich colors. "I thought I was doing better," I signed. "But then he came back again, and I realized I'm still scared. My dad is the sheriff, though, and he has cops outside my house, so I know I'm safe."
Dr. Wells' expression remained neutral, almost pensive. "It's good that you're taking precautions and seeking support," he said slowly, his lips twitching slightly as he formed the words. "I'm always here if you need to talk, Lily."
I nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude for this kind man. "Thank you, Dr. Wells," I signed. "By the way, why do they call you 'doctor'? I thought you were just the school counselor."
A soft laugh escaped his lips. "Well, I do have my doctorate degree in forensic psychology," he explained. "I often work with the police on cases, especially those involving youth. It can be quite fascinating, although it keeps me busy at night."
"No wonder you always look so tired," I teased, a smile playing at my lips. "Did you get the degree to impress all the ladies?"
Dr. Wells laughed heartily, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Maybe," he joked. "Or maybe I just wanted to pay off my student loans someday."
Changing the subject, he stood up and opened a small fridge behind his desk. "Speaking of which, are you hungry? I have some bacon-chicken salads here if you'd like one."
"Sure," I signed, my stomach rumbling at the mention of food.
Dr. Wells pulled out two plates, each with a generous serving of salad. He handed one to me and took a seat across from me at the small table in the corner of his office. I dug into the salad, and it was delicious—the perfect combination of crispy bacon, tender chicken, and fresh greens. I savored every bite, feeling grateful for this unexpected meal.
As I popped a slice of hard-boiled egg into my mouth, Dr. Wells asked, "So, Lily, do you have detention today?"
I nodded, signing, "Yes, I do. I got into a bit of trouble for vaping, so I have to serve an hour of detention with Ms. Asinley."
Dr. Wells' expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. "I hope it goes well. Just remember that I'm here if you need any support or if you want to talk about anything."
"Thanks, Dr. Wells," I said, feeling a warm blush spread across my cheeks. "You're so sweet."
Before I knew it, an hour had passed, and it was time for me to head to my detention. I stood up, stretching my legs, and bid Dr. Wells goodbye, feeling a sense of warmth and contentment in my heart.
"Take care, Lily," Dr. Wells signed, his eyes warm and friendly. "Remember, I'll always keep an eye out for you."
I smiled and waved as I left his office, feeling a boost of confidence. Dr. Wells had a way of making me feel like everything was going to be alright. Making my way down the hallway towards the U.S. history room, I spotted Ms. Asinley, the pregnant teacher who was overseeing my detention. She smiled at me gently and motioned for me to take a seat wherever I liked.
The room was quiet, with only a few other students serving detention that day. I chose a desk by the window, the afternoon sunlight streaming in and warming my face. I pulled out my algebra homework and began to work, grateful for the peaceful atmosphere.
Ms. Asinley walked over to my desk, her hands resting gently on her swollen belly. "How are you doing today, Lily?" she asked softly, her eyes kind. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
I shook my head, signing, "No, thank you, Ms. Asinley. I'm just working on my algebra homework. It's nice to have a quiet place to focus."
She smiled and patted my shoulder gently. "You know where to find me if you need anything," she said, before moving on to check on the other students.
I settled into my work, grateful for this unexpected moment of calmness. As I worked through the equations, I felt a sense of satisfaction and peace wash over me. Detention didn't seem so bad as I thought, and I was making good progress on my missing assignments. That was until the door burst open, and two figures stormed in, bringing with them a gust of fresh air and the scent of grass and sweat.
Alyssa and Emma, dressed in their red and black soccer uniforms, strode into the room, their faces flushed from practice. "Hey, Ms. Asinley," Emma called out, waving a paper assignment in her hand. "Sorry this is late. I completely forgot about it."
Ms. Asinley, her hands resting comfortably on her pregnant belly, smiled brightly at the girls. "It's quite alright, Emma. No need to apologize." She took the assignment from Emma and made a note in her book.
Alyssa, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, turned to Ms. Asinley and asked, "So, when's the baby coming? You must be getting close, right?"
Ms. Asinley's face lit up, and she placed a gentle hand on her belly. "I'm due in about four months," she replied, her voice warm and happy. "I might start planning the baby shower soon, although I think I'll wait until I'm closer to seven months."
"Ooh, a baby shower!" Alyssa exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. "I can't wait! I love babies."
Emma smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and added, "We'll definitely be there. Just let us know when and where."
Ms. Asinley thanked them, and the two girls were heading to the door, still chatting excitedly about the upcoming baby shower. Alyssa caught my eye and waved before leaving the class. I waved back, feeling a sense of warmth despite my earlier envy. Alyssa had always been surprisingly friendly to me, and I never quite understood why. Honestly, I was just an asshole as a kid, and I wished I didn't need to be this way.
As I shifted in my seat, I realized I needed to use the bathroom. I raised my hand and caught Ms. Asinley's attention. "May I please be excused to go to the restroom?" I signed, feeling a bit self-conscious.
Ms. Asinley nodded and signed, "Of course, Lily. Take your time."
I gathered my things and headed out of the classroom, grateful for the opportunity to stretch my legs. As I walked down the empty hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. I told myself it was just my imagination running wild after last night's incident, but the atmosphere felt off.
I quickened my pace, eager to reach the girl's bathroom at the end of the hall. As I pushed open the door, I spotted a familiar figure—Mandy, one of the popular girls from my grade. She was taking a drag from a raspberry lemonade Juul, the sweet-smelling vapor hanging in the air.
"So, you're the one who showed the video to Principal Kelly," I signed, my eyes narrowing.
Mandy froze, her eyes widening in surprise. "Who told you that?" she demanded, her voice shaking.
I shrugged, signing, "Does it matter? You should be careful, Mandy. Maybe it's your turn to face the consequences now."
Mandy's face paled, and she took a step towards me, her voice urgent. "You can't tell Principal Kelly about this, Lily. You just can't."
I crossed my arms, a challenge in my eyes. "Why not?" I asked.
Before Mandy could respond, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the bathroom, causing us both to jump. Mandy grabbed my hand, her eyes wild with fear. She dragged me out of the bathroom, our footsteps echoed through the halls. “Come with me! Now!"
I followed her, my heart pounding in my chest. We ran down the hall, Mandy's grip tight on my hand. "What happened?" I frantically signed.
"There's a man—a masked man. He was peeking at us through the gap in the stall door," she whispered, her voice shaking.
My heart hammered in my chest as I frantically signed, "What? Are you serious?"
Mandy nodded, her eyes darting around the bathroom nervously. "We have to tell an adult," I signed, taking a step towards the door.
"No!" Mandy hissed, pulling me back. "We can't. He could still be out there. We need to hide."
I felt a rush of fear as I realized the gravity of the situation. "Where can we go?" I asked, my eyes scanning the bathroom for a possible hiding place.
Mandy grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. "Come on, we have to get out of here. We'll find a teacher and alert them, but we can't stay here."
I followed Mandy, my heart pounding in my chest. We rushed down the hallway, our eyes darting around, searching for any sign of the masked man. The school felt eerily quiet, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the walls.
Mandy led me towards the gymnasium, her eyes darting around nervously. "In here," she whispered, pushing open the door. "Hide in the storage closet near the mats. I'll try to find a teacher and come back for you."
I nodded, my heart racing as I stepped into the dimly lit gymnasium. The large space felt oppressive in the fading light, the rumble of the air conditioning adding to the eerie atmosphere. I hurried over to the storage closet and slipped inside, pulling the door shut behind me.
The closet was small and cramped, filled with stacks of mats and sports equipment. I sat down, hugging my knees to my chest, and tried to calm my racing heart. The darkness and the constant rumbling noise made me feel on edge, and I found myself straining to listen for any signs of Mandy's return.
As the minutes ticked by, I became increasingly aware of the need to use the bathroom. The urge to pee was plaguing me, and I shifted uncomfortably, willing my bladder to cooperate. The darkness and the silence, broken only by the hum of the air conditioning, made the time feel endless. Just as I thought I couldn't take it anymore, I heard the door to the gymnasium open. I perked up, my heart racing as I waited for Mandy to enter. But it wasn't Mandy who stepped into the room.
The Masked Man stood in the doorway, his blood-smeared mask sending a chill down my spine. He crouched down, his eyes locking with mine, and placed something metal on the ground—Mandy's brow piercing.
Just as he walked away, almost like a cat dropping off a dead mouse, I felt a warm release between my legs. I had lost control of my bladder, the warm liquid spreading across my pants and soaking through to the floor. I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me, and I could do nothing to stop it. However, I was scared shit less to even react, and there I knew Mandy was gone.
Soon enough, the next day, the gym teacher, Mr. Woods, and his male gymnastics students were checking on the mats when they made a gruesome discovery. One of the gymnasts unfolded a mat, and there, wrapped up like a present, was fifteen-year-old Mandy Lake. Her jaw was ripped open, her ribs shattered, and her nails were peeling off, almost as if she had been clawing at a hard surface. Similar to Karla, Mandy's larynx was missing, ripped out of her throat.
Just like Karla Reyes….
I later found out why Mandy hadn't wanted me to tell the principal about her situation. You see, Mandy came from a single-mother household, and her mother worked at an adult-themed diner. Some busybody neighbors thought this wasn't a good influence on the children and called Child Protective Services, or CPS, on Ms. Lake.
Thankfully, CPS saw no issue with the situation. However, if Mandy were to cause any trouble or draw negative attention, it could risk not only her but also her siblings being taken away. Mandy was like a second mother to those kids, and her death hit Ms. Lake hard. Last time I heard of Ms. Lake was about a year ago. She was battling with a methamphetamine addiction, and that resulted in her death. All because of me. All because of him.
In the end, Mandy Lake was the second victim, but wasn't the last one. They're are 6 Choir Girls left.

This idiom describes your husband's flirty co-worker's attire at that last work function. It's designed to malfunction as clothing, and work as a weapon against purity. It's obvious what action this person is dressed for. You know a doctor by his white coat and stethoscope. You know a policeman by his uniform and badge. They are clearly dressed for action. Our clothing sends messages about who we are and what we do.
The Bible tells us that we Christians also send messages to others by what we're dressed for.
There was a day when I tried to blend in, so as not to draw attention. As the culture and styles of clothing changed, I'd be shocked and horrified for awhile. As those style became the norm, new, even more shocking clothes became available. Thinking I had no other option, I chose the lesser of two evils. Then one day the sweet little old lady I cared for said something about my "average" clothing. She was blunt, but not disrespectful. I won't repeat it. Then I read this verse and it hit me a whole new way:
Luke 12:35-36 (ESV)

35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.

We stay prepared for ministry by guarding our "robe of righteousness." (Job 29:14, Psalm 132:9, Romans 13:14) Righteousness is being right with God. No wise person puts on their best clothes for an event and then rolls in the dirt before they get there. Every interaction with our fellow human is an opportunity to be a conduit for God's love. We can be the "light of the world" when Jesus isn't obscured from view by our personal darkness.
To represent Jesus effectively, we can make a commitment to God's standards. Psalm 119:9

How can a young person keep his way pure? By conducting himself according to Your word.

Am I more committed to God's way, or do I think I know better than He does about me and the things He has created? God loves us. His boundaries are there to insulate us from the impurities of the world. Moral decisions have spiritual, emotional, social, legal and physical implications. God wants to protect us, He not only wants to keep us living, but living well. (Matthew 11:27-30, John 10:10)
God has reserved some things for a husband and wife within marriage. (Matthew 5:27-32, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Leviticus 20:10) These sacred things have life-altering implications for humanity when taken outside marriage. When we see what looks like an on-ramp on the freeway, but it's an off-ramp, there is a sign saying, "Do not enter." We don't complain that the sign is impeding our freedom. As adults, we know why it's there. Should we disobey God's directives because we're not educated enough to understand them? (Job 31:1-3) Isn't the state of the world's children enough to educate us?
Psalm 119:105

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Keep your lamps burning: Our lamp is the Word of God, which shows us the way to live so that our deeds promote life. It's a tool that only works if we keep it burning: alive in our hearts, obedient to its instruction.
Humble, modest dress and behavior, allows our good deeds to shine a light on our Messiah without a word. (Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Peter 3:1-4)
Please join me in this prayer. "Father in heaven, your authority is over all authority, and yet your word says our government is given by you. You see the AIDS orphans, the children abandoned, adopted and aborted because of our sin. Please forgive the part we've played in treating your sacred gifts as common toys. Give us a new heart and mind so we can follow your laws dutifully and joyfully. We live in a world that continues to censor Biblical values. Help us have spiritual and physical adornment that preaches your message without words.
Scripture references:
Luke 12:35-36 NKJV

35 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 "and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.

Job 29:14 NKJV

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.

Psalm 132:9 NKJV

9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy.

Romans 13:14 NKJV

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Psalm 119:9 NKJV

9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Matthew 11:27-30 NKJV

27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

John 10:10 NKJV

10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Matthew 5:27-32 NKJV

27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 NKJV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

Leviticus 20:10 NKJV

10 'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Job 31:1-3

1 "I have made a covenant while having eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? 2 For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

Psalm 119:105 NKJV

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV

14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

1 Peter 3:1-4 NKJV

1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Penny's pursuit week 225 featuring Gumnut: "Pop Your Collards"
Duration: from the 3rd June to the 10th June 2024
Rift event: 23
Zombies at Level 1, Level 4, Level 7.
Perks: Jalapeño Popper, Penny Shield, Sun Break, Instant Gargantuar (Gives Boosted Hypnoshrooms), Score Boost, Poison Zombies, Boss Buster
Number of Perk lvls: 63
N.B: This PP is a complete rerun of PP weeks 31 'Promoting Zynergy' back in September 2020 featuring Hot Date, 102 'Pop Your Collards' back in January 2022 featuring Grapeshot and 158 "Bunz and Brainz" in February 2023
LEVEL 1: Arena lvl
Lvl reference: #101
Objective: Survive for 2.5min
Bonus objectives: - Reach 2.5M - Reach 4M + Defeat 200 Zombies - Reach 6M + Defeat 200 Zombies
Zombies: ZCorp (basic), WW (Prospector, Pianist), Jester, All Star, Tombraiser
Features: Sandstorms with Pianist - Jester
Restricted plants: Blover
Amount of sun: 1700/1500/1250
Sun drop: standard
Plant food zombie: none
Zombie Setup: - Between 2:00 and 2:30: Sandstorms with 2 Pianist, at 2:24 and 15-20s later - Between 1:40 and 2:10: Sandstorms with 2 Jester, 10s after the one with the 2 Pianist, and then 15s-20s later. - From 1:40: Sandstorms with either 2 Pianist, 2 Jester or 1 Pianist and 1 Jester every 15-20s
Note: - nothing really hard to perform. Defeat 200 Zombies is just a formality. To reach 6M is easily doable using aoe plants (like sbr, imppear on pf, pokra, ...). Just be careful with Pokra cause even at max lvl she won't kill Jester without him returning one of her projectiles. - Best perk: Sun Break or Jalapeño Popper - Non seedium strat: LB, spear-mint, squash, LR and sun-shroom
LEVEL 2: Conveyor lvl in MD playground
Lvl reference: #102
Objective: Survive 1 wave
Bonus objectives: - Protect the endangered plant - Protect the endangered plant + Electrify zombies 10 times - Protect the endangered plants + Electrify zombies 10 times
Zombies: Modern Day (basic, cone, bucket, Garg), Ancient Rome (basic, cone, bucket), Poncho, Bot, Jetpack
Features: - 1 Electric Blueberry blueberry on C1-L3 - a line of 7 MD Tombstones on L1/3/5 from C2 to C8 (no Tombstone on C2-L3)
Plants given: 5 BB (Bowling Bulb), 5 to 10 LR (Lightning Reed), 2 to 4 Ghost Pepper
Plant food zombie: 5
Zombie Setup: - 4 bot swarms during the lvl - 2 Gargs: one before the final wave and 1 at the last wave
Note: - Very easy lvl on Mild and Hot. On Extra-hot, you may struggle if you got low lvl plants. Would suggest to use Ghost pepper against Jetpack and bots as BB can't attack Jetpacks. - Especially if you play the lvl on Extra-hot, I recommend you picking ' Jalapeño Popper' Perk. It's the best perk as you deal easily with bots and clear a lane of Graves and Zombies very easily. One inconvenient is that you may not be able to pass the 'Electrify 10 Zombies' bonus objectives - One other good perk is 'Penny Shield', you'll have time to plant a few more BB and more LR, but on Extra-hot it does not really change much the fact that you inflict low damage with low lvl plants.
LEVEL 3: Minigame "Cannons away + Conveyor + Bowling" in PP Playground
Lvl reference: #103
Objective: Score at least 250k
Bonus objectives: - Reach 350k - Reach 750k + Defeat 10 ZCorp Inc. Zombies - Reach 1.5M + Defeat 15 ZCorp Inc. Zombies
Zombies: Far Future (Jetpack, Blastronaut), ZCorp (basic, cone, bucket), Healer
Features: - 5 Coconut Cannons on C2 - no "wave", just huge groups of zombies
Plants given: - 5 more Coconut cannon - 10 Homing Thistle - 1 Tumbleweed - 1 boosted bowling bulb - 1 Arma-mint
Plant food zombies: none
Note: - Very annoying but very fun lvl, especially with high (mastery) lvl due to the different mini games gimmicks. - Maybe the 2nd hardest Cannons away lvl, make sure to pick 'Jalapeño Popper' perk to be able to reach 250k at least. - Try to save Arma-mint or the boosted Bulb for the appropriate moment, aka when there are many zombies, in order to increase your score significantly. Otherwise it's just a waste and the boosted Bulb won't bounce.
LEVEL 4: Conveyor lvl in MD Playground
Lvl reference: #104
Objective: Survive 2 waves
Bonus objectives: - Protect the endangered plant - Protect the endangered plant + Don't let the zombies trample the flowers - Protect the endangered plant + Don't let the zombies trample the flowers
Zombies: ZCorp (basic, Conehead, Buckethead), Wizard, Octo zombie
Plants given: up to 7 Citron, up to 15 Spore-shroom, 1-2 Power Lily, up to 2 PPM
Features: - Flowers on C4-5 on Hot, C5-6 on Extra-hot - 1 Zoybean Pod as endangered plant on C6-L3 - 5 Frozen Octo zombie on C7
Plant food zombie: none
Zombie Setup: - 1st zombie is an Octo zombie on L3 - Group A: 5 ZCorp, 2 Wizards, 2 Octo zombies - Group B: 5 ZCorp, 2 Wizards - Wave 1: 12 ZCorp, 2 Octo zombies - Group C: 5 ZCorp, 2 Wizards - Group D: 8 ZCorp, 2 Octo zombies, 3 Wizards - Group E: 4 Wizards, 1 Octo zombie, ZCorp - Group F: 2 Octo zombies, 3 Wizards, 6 ZCorp - Last wave: 5 Wizards, 5 Octo zombies, 15 ZCorp
Note: - Fun lvl which becomes a nightmare if you don't get rid of Wizard and Octo zombie pretty fast - When you have a PPM, use a pf on it asap - Best perk: Jalapeño Popper to clear lanes or Instant Gargantuar, to summon a Garg to support your defense
LEVEL 5: Timed lvl in PP Playground
Lvl reference: #105
Objective: Survive for 2min
Bonus objectives: - Reach 250k - Reach 350k + Chill Zombies 75 times - Reach 500k + Chill Zombies 100 times
Zombies: ZCorp (basic, Conehead, Buckethead), Bot, Swashbuckler
Features: - 3 Green FF Power tiles on C1-L1/3/5 - 2 Red FF Power tiles on C2-L2/4 - Bot swarm every 18-20s arriving on C5-C6 - Raiding Party every 18-20s, 2s after Bot swarm, zombies arrive on C5
Plant food zombies: none
Note: - Very easy lvl, no struggle at all, there's no annoying zombie. - Best perk: Sun Break or Penny Shield - Strat to succeed easily: Iceweed + Pyre Vine. You immediately pass the Chill objective. Bring Imppear or sbr to clear the score objective, but it's not really necessary, the objective is pretty low. Maybe they should have aim for 5M instead of 500k on Extra-hot, and 10x more too for other difficulties.
ZOMBOSS LEVEL: Zombot Sphinx-inator [Setup 2]
Locked plant: Gumnut
Rewards: 10 seeds, 15 seeds, 20 seeds for Gumnut 5-8 gems per attempt
Zomboss Health: 5, 7, 9
Plant slots: 7, 6, 5
Amount of sun: 2200, 2000, 1750
Zombies: Ancient Egypt (Mummy Imp, Pyramid-head, Pharaoh, Tomb Raiser, Explorer), ZCorp (basic, cone, bucket, Headoffice Impgarg)
Restricted plants: none
Plant food zombie: every 20-25s
Features: - Dave's mold colonies from C7 to C9. Also on C6 on Extra-hot. - Sandstorms with basic zombies, Pharaoh or Tomb Raiser pretty regularly.
Some strats: - the usual Pea Vine, Torch and any other plants - a good old strat: sbr, TP (Turkey-pult), Pea Vine or Pyre Vine and Arma-mint - a variant: TG, sbr, Enforce-mint, and a vine - BB, Pea Vine, Appease-mint, any other plant. - Sbr, 3P, Pea Vine and Wasabi Whip. - pokra, sbr, Spear-mint and Dartichoke - Holy Barrier, Pea-nut, Torchwood, Reinforce-mint - Ice-shroom, Wintermelon, Power Vine, Solar Sage - Electric Peashooter, Power Vine, Lightning Reed, Shine Vine
Note: - Quite easy lvl, there aren't many zombies so you don't get overwhelmed, and they do not have very much health, apart from Headoffice Impgarg. - Any long range attacker is viable: pokra, TG, wasabi whip, as long as you pick the mint with it if it is low lvl.
P.S: - This PP was really fun, with very different zombies and objectives. Overall, I found it pretty interesting and enjoyable to play. - It'd be nice to have Popcap rework Zomboss fights and ban all Power Mints in them. Also while we're waiting for Sharktronic Submarine's introduction in PP, it'd be nice to add puddles Grid items in those fights too. - Best level to farm perks: lvl 4 - Best level to farm ZPS: lvl 5 - Level to avoid: lvl 3 - To check previous and upcoming PP events: - Come join our PVZ2 Discord server: - I'll see you next week for PP event 226 featuring a Power Mint that boosts all defensive plants health and trigger their pf action: Reinforce-mint.