#Andrew: No one takes an oath more seriously

[bookburners]

Everybody is wrong actually

Neil: Bard

Andrew: Paladin

Kevin: Wizard

Renee: Monk

Aaron: Cleric

Matt: Fighter

Allison: Rouge

Dan: Paladin

Nicky: Bard

[justagalwhowrites]

Lavender - Ch. 20

Life in the QZ gets worse and you're called outside the walls again. A continuation of Lavender Ch. 1-19 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader (broken up), Tommy Miller x Reader

Warnings: Mild smut, talk of extreme police action, description of injuries. No use of Y/N. Minors, DNI 18+ only

Length: 6.5k

Saturday, June 11, 2011 - One Year Later 

“I can only keep them off your back so long,” Elias was all but stalking you into an operating room as you made sure your hair was tucked below your scrub cap. “At some point…” 

“I’m not asking for you to keep them off my back,” you said, pausing at the door to go scrub in. “Don’t need to lie, don’t need make up an excuse. Tell them I think they’re fascists and that I’m not going to prop up their dystopian police state.” 

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. 

“They’re going to do it with or without you there,” he said. “This isn’t the hill you want to die on…” 

“I think it’s exactly the hill to fucking die on, actually,” you snapped. 

“And if they decide to execute you, too?” He demanded. “What then?” 

“Sounds like you’ll need to find someone to fill in for me on Saturdays,” you shrugged. He glared at you. “Can I go do this hernia repair now or are you going to keep trying to get me to be a tool in the continued downfall of humanity?” 

“Sometimes we can’t solve everything ourselves,” he said. “Sometimes we have to go along with awful things because we can do more good if we survive it.” 

You sighed. 

“They don’t know shit about medicine, right?” You said. He nodded once. “Great. Tell them you really just can’t spare me because I’m the only one who can do some stupid common surgical procedure so you need me here when I’m on duty. Because it’s just raining appendicitis here in the QZ. I imagine that will satisfy them and they can figure out how to check the pulse of someone they’ve hanged themselves without dragging me into it…” 

“Might work,” he sighed. 

“None of us should be a part of this,” you said. “Not just me. None of us should. It goes against our oath and even if it didn’t, it’s cruel and wrong.” 

“I agree,” he said. “But imagine how many people would die if they executed the entire clinic for insubordination. Oaths are complicated things. Sometimes, we have to look beyond just ourselves and consider what’s best for the whole.” 

“What’s best for the whole is FEDRA not executing people who have broken curfew one too many times because suddenly they’re dissidents,” you replied and then you sighed. “I do need to actually operate, I’ve got another hernia repair after this one… I’m sorry you’re stuck dealing with this shit. If you can keep me out of it while letting me keep my head, I’d appreciate it.” 

“Just… try not to call any of the guards fascist to their face, alright?” He said. “I’d rather you not end up shot in the street.” 

“I’ll do my best.” 

You went in to scrub and ground your teeth. Things had been steadily going down hill with FEDRA for the last six months. 

Patrols had increased drastically. They instituted a curfew about 10 months back that people didn’t take seriously at first - especially not the speakeasy crowd. Being home by midnight seemed outrageous. 

Then the executions started. 

They waited a few months before they started killing people. Gave people citations. Warned them that they’d be seen as conspirators with the Fireflies, the militarized resistance to FEDRA. From what you’d heard on your regular visits to the radio - you were still hoping against hope to find Cassie one day, though you were far less certain of her survival than you’d ever been of Joel and Tommy’s - that the fireflies were gaining strength across all the other QZs. People were angry that things weren’t getting better. You didn’t blame them. 

The first sign you had that you, specifically, needed to worry about getting roped in was when Andrew showed up to your apartment one evening, looking distraught. 

“Hey,” you frowned, pulling him inside. You led him to your couch and he sat down, almost in a daze. “What’s going on?” 

“Guards just came by, they took Jess, said they needed her, they’re doing something outside the walls, I don’t know what they need her for out there, it doesn’t make sense,” his voice cracked. “I don’t know what they need her for, what if something happens? She’s never been out there, she’s from Boston, she came right here, what if…” 

You pulled him into a hug, his arms going around your waist, his head buried in your stomach and he let out a choking sob. 

“It’s OK,” you ran your fingers through his hair. “It’ll be OK, they’ll look out for her. She’s going to be OK.” 

He spent the night that night, you sandwiched between him and Tommy (“This is weird, right?” Tommy said. “I mean, I’m fine with it, I just want to know that I’m not crazy.” “It’s weird,” you and Andrew said together.) Jess came back the next day, shaken but otherwise OK. It was the first of numerous trips for her outside the walls of the QZ. They were trying to use her to justify increased militarized presence through psychology, how that would help keep raiders under control. They were trying to prove their own worth. It was only a matter of time before they started roping in medical staff and teachers, too. 

Meanwhile, the Fireflies were getting more outspoken, more vocal and more violent. The tighter FEDRA seemed to squeeze, the more people wanted to back the Fireflies. It was so incredibly stupid on FEDRA’s part it took all you had to not walk off both your jobs. The only thing that kept you going was the fact that it was the best way you could help people. There were no schools or clinics that weren’t run by FEDRA. If you wanted to teach, if you wanted to heal, there were no other options. 

And you could use your connections to keep Tommy, Joel and Tess safe. 

They were still making their smuggling runs. You tried talking Tommy out of it every time he was about to leave for another one, all but begging him to stay with you instead of going out again.

“What, and leave Tess and Joel without all my skills to back them up?” He kissed your forehead. “C’mon. I’m basically the only reason they’re still alive, Sweetheart. Can’t let them go it alone.” 

So you kept them stocked in trauma supplies, stealing things from work with even greater regularity. Tommy kept showing up at your door battered and bruised. You’d taken to keeping a suture kit at your house, regularly needing to stitch his wounds closed. 

“I really fucking hate this,” you said one night, stitching a knife wound to his shoulder closed as you sat behind him on your bed. 

“Sweetheart,” he sighed. 

“No, I mean it,” you said. “I really hate it. I really hate seeing you hurt, I really hate patching you up, I really hate that you feel like you have to do this. I really fucking hate it, Tommy, and I wish you’d stop going out there.” 

You tied off the suture and got the kit cleaned up, stashing what was unused and still sterile back in your abused at home supply kit. 

“Hey,” he took your hand and pulled you between his legs, looking up at you. “I’m not goin’ out there for nothing…” 

“You’re going out there for ration cards,” you snapped. “Which is damn near nothing.” 

“Goin’ out there for shit we can’t get here,” he said, untying your robe and unwrapping you slowly, like you were a gift. He pressed his lips to your bare stomach, kissing up your body to your breastbone. “Some of it is important shit. And I have to try to keep Joel and Tess safe. I’m not tryin’ to get hurt, I’m really not tryin’ to hurt you. I’m doing it because it’s important and it’s the only damn way I got to do something important in this fuckin’ place.” 

“You’re important to me,” you said quietly, running your fingers through his hair. “Be important that way.”

“And you’re important to me,” he kissed your chest again. “But would you listen if I asked you to stop working at the clinic?” 

“I’m not risking my life at the clinic.” 

“You’ve got your brain to offer,” he half smiled up at you. “I’m a soldier. All I’ve got’s my body, so I’m usin’ it.” He tugged you closer. “Hopin’ you’ll let me.” 

You sighed, straddling him, kissing him, your arms draped carefully over his shoulders so as to not disturb his fresh sutures. 

“Really don’t encourage a lot of physical activity so soon after a medical procedure,” you said as he slid your robe to the floor and trailed his lips down your throat. “Should probably make you wait…” 

“Swear to God I’ll lose my mind if you don’t let me inside you,” he growled and you laughed. He took the opportunity to pick you up and lay you down with a surprised shriek. 

“And you really shouldn’t be doing that,” you said between kisses. “You’re going to rip your stitches out!” 

“Worth it.” 

He quickly pulled off his pants and thrust into you, making you gasp and moan. “Fuck, Sweetheart, Goddamn,” he groaned. “How do you always feel this fuckin’ good?” 

You ground your hips into him and he pressed his lips to the hollow of your throat with a delicious moan, starting to work himself in and out of you. He knew just how you liked to be fucked now, knew all the places inside you to find, how to work your clit, touch your skin, suck your nipples into his mouth. He pulled you tight and close to him as his pace increased and your orgasm built and you fell apart together, gasping for breath as he lay on top of you. You lifted your head just enough to see his sutures before collapsing back down into bed. 

“You got fucking lucky, Miller,” you panted. “Because I’d never fuck you again if you made me redo those stitches.” 

“I’d seduce you eventually,” he said, kissing your shoulder and sliding out of you. You rolled your eyes. “Only took me 10 years the first time…” 

Your relationship with Tommy had been one of the few, surprising bright spots in the last year. It was oddly easy, being with him. There wasn’t much about him that wasn’t easy. He was sweet, he was fun. It was what you’d imagined a relationship to be like in college before you’d started dating Joel. With Joel, it had been heady and intense from the beginning. You’d been head over heels for him from the start. There was no other option, it was all in or nothing and nothing didn’t feel like it was on the table. 

Tommy was the opposite. But that was, in part, because you couldn’t seem to actually fall for him. Even when you tried. Even when you focused on it. 

It didn’t seem to matter what he did. He took you dancing at the Speakeasy. He brought you bottles of wine from outside the QZ. He got you a small TV/VCR combo from the underground market and a copy of You’ve Got Mail on VHS. You were almost giddy with it while trying to tell him it was way too much. 

“Nah, I had to,” he smiled. “Found the tape when we were outside, knew how much you loved that movie. Then I just had to make sure you could actually watch the damn thing.” 

Tommy was probably a damn near perfect boyfriend. He just… wasn’t Joel. 

It didn’t matter that you hadn’t seen him - not even in passing - since the conversation near the clinic. Tommy always came to your place. You always dealt with him or Tess when it came to resupplying their medical stash. He had done a thorough job of making sure you never saw each other. 

And it didn’t make a damn difference. 

There was a second every morning Tommy spent the night where you thought you were waking up next to his brother. It was one moment - a sweet, if brief, moment - where everything felt right. It was one of your favorite moments of the day, the second there your mind tricked yourself that you were still with the person you loved most. And then came the letdown followed by the shame of it. 

“What the fuck is my problem?” You asked Andrew one afternoon as you worked in your lab. “Why can’t I get the fuck over him? Tommy… he’s basically perfect, why can’t I just love him? Why do I have to want the person who doesn’t want me back? And at what point do I fucking tell Tommy ‘hey, I know you’ve basically done nothing but be the best boyfriend a girl could ask for for the past almost year but I’m still in love with your brother who, as it happens, is kind of a dick.’”

“The heart wants what the heart wants, I guess,” Andrew shrugged. “I can’t imagine loving anyone but Jess. You could drop Halle Berry in front of me, make her love all the same shit I do and I’d still want Jess. Just how it works sometimes.” 

“This is such a fucking mess,” you groaned. 

“He said he understood what he was getting into,” he shrugged again. “So, if I were you, I’d keep it to myself until he drops the L-word on you. Then you’ll have to come clean. But, until then, I think you’re in the clear.” 

“Why am I this stupid?” You asked. “Seriously. I’m not this stupid with anything else, how was I this fucking stupid?” 

“Eh, you’re pretty stupid with at least some other things,” he said. You glared at him. “You are an absolute shit partner to have in bridge. You cannot strategize for shit, you are really stupid at bridge.”  

“Thank you,” you said sarcastically. “That makes me feel so much better.” 

“Always happy to be of service.” 

It had been a few months that you’d known, for a fact, that you couldn’t fall in love with Tommy. It didn’t matter how hard you tried, how much you wanted to, it wasn’t going to happen. You still weren’t sure what to do about it. 

You thought about it more when he wasn’t around. So you were thankful, that Saturday, to have surgeries to attend to. Tommy, Joel and Tess were outside the QZ yet again. Not only were you always worried the whole time they were gone, your brain went into overdrive trying to figure out what to do about the Tommy situation. Surgery was a pleasant distraction. 

It was late when you finally finished everything on the docket that day. The sun had set and you felt like you were ready to fall asleep standing up. 

“Want to come over later?” Andrew asked as you leaned against the front desk. “Feel like you might need the distraction.” 

“Yeah…” you sighed, looking out at the empty waiting room. “Probably a good idea…” 

The bell on the front door rang and you instinctively looked. Tess ran in, eyes wide, blood dripping from her shoulder. 

“Fuck,” you swore. You were running before you even really knew you were running, grabbing one of the clinic’s go bags. 

“Andrew,” you said as you went for the door. “Keep an OR ready for me, do NOT shut down until I get back, understand? See if you can get someone else to stay, please…” 

“I’ve got it,” he said. “Go!”

Tess led the way to the hole in the fence. 

“What happened?” You asked, the two of you walking as quickly as you could without drawing the attention of anyone patrolling. 

“We got pinned down, about a mile outside the QZ,” she said. “We took everyone out eventually but Tommy and Joel…” 

“Tess,” your voice cracked. 

“They were alive when I left,” she said. 

“Fuck!” 

You slipped out of the fence, past the search lights and the debris field, and you ran. 

You’d never been an athlete. You liked hiking and swimming and walking and were in fine shape but you’d never been a runner. That didn’t seem to matter then. 

You raced toward where Tess pointed you, her falling back. You started watching for the bodies that would be around wherever they’d stashed themselves, the telltale signs of the showdown Tess mentioned. 

When you spotted it, you practically tore into the small storefront, yanking a flashlight out of your pocket. It didn’t take you long to find Joel and Tommy. 

“Hey Sweetheart,” Tommy smiled a little at you. He was breathing heavily, his gun lying across his lap. Tess ran in behind you. 

“Hey, you idiot,” you smiled a little back. Joel was silent on the ground. “I need to evaluate you both and figure this out, try to stay conscious for me, OK?” 

“Anything for you,” he said, wincing a little. 

You took off your backpack and put your flashlight in your teeth, looking Joel over first. He was unconscious but he had a pulse and was breathing. Good signs, even though his breath was shallow. There was a penetrating chest wound and a compound fracture just above his left knee. 

“Jesus Christ, what the fuck did you guys get up to?” You asked, pulling out your stethoscope. “Do you know how fucking hard it is to break your femur?” 

“Had to jump off a roof,” Tommy winced. “Think I just sprained an ankle, Joel landed wrong…” 

“Wrong is a fucking understatement,” you muttered, checking his heart rate and his breathing. “Think he’s stable for the moment…” 

You moved to Tommy. 

“Why do I feel like we’re gonna be in a fight after this?” He asked. 

“Because we are,” you said. “Show me what’s wrong.” 

“Got shot,” he angled his leg with a groan so you could see the wound. It was to the thigh but had missed the major arteries, so not terrible. “Sprained the ankle…” 

“Tess,” you said. “I’m going to need…” 

There was a sudden gasping sound from behind you and you spun. Joel was still unconscious but he was struggling to breathe. 

“Doc!” Tess ran to him. 

“Move!” You ordered, rushing over and thrusting the stethoscope into your ears. You pressed it to his chest and listened. “Fucking hell…” 

You yanked your bag to your side and started ripping through it. 

“What?” Tess sounded panicked. “What is it?” 

“He had a fucking pneumothorax that I missed and it just changed to a tension pneumothorax,” you said, thrusting the flashlight to Tess. She took it, shining the light down at the bag. You found a scalpel and some tubing. 

“What’s that?” She asked. “What does that mean?” 

“It means there’s air in his chest that’s trapped and making it so his lung can’t inflate and I need to get it out or he’s going to fucking die,” you snapped, ripping his shirt open, sending buttons flying and pointing to a spot on his rib cage. You cut off a short length of tube. “Light here.” 

She obeyed and you made the cut, thrusting the tubing in to hold the incision open so the air could escape. He took a deep, shuddering breath and you relaxed. 

“Thank fuck for that,” you sighed, really looking at his face for the first time. 

You had to fight the urge to touch him. He was still so fucking beautiful it made your heart ache. Seeing him again was like getting hit by the train. All this time, you’d thought you’d just been holding steady, that you just kept loving him the same way you always had. 

You hadn’t. It had become a dull roar. It hung on the edges of everything but you could forget about it sometimes, when he wasn’t there to remind you. But the second you saw him, it was all consuming. You felt it in your skin, your chest, your marrow. Loving him was built into you like any other vital thing, there was no excising it. You could quiet it, avoid it but it would never cease to exist. Not for you. 

“Tess,” you said after a second. “Hold pressure on the lower chest wound, leave the one I just made the fuck alone.” 

You went to Tommy and started looking at his gunshot wound. 

“How are you feeling?” You asked. “Lightheaded?” 

“Nothin’ I can’t handle, Sweetheart,” he smiled a little. “Just having a hard time walking is all…” 

“Yeah, that’s going to be the sticking point here,” you glanced to Tess.

“What?” She asked. 

“You and I are going to have to do some heavy lifting,” you said. 

“I can do that,” she nodded. “I can do that.” 

You grabbed some gauze and a brace from your bag, wrapping Tommy’s gunshot wound and giving him some ankle support before you looked him in the eye. 

“Alright Miller,” you said. “Time to boot and rally, you were in the army, you can do this. You’re going to go with Tess to the fence and head for the clinic. Andrew is waiting for you guys.” 

“What about you?” He asked. 

“I’m going to wake up Joel and I’m taking him to the main gate,” you said, getting to your feet and offering Tommy your hand. 

“That’s a fucking death sentence, you can’t go to the main gate!” Tess gaped up at you. 

“We can’t get him through the fence,” you said. “There’s no way in hell, not with a compound fracture, an open chest wound and a pneumo. Main gate might be a death sentence for you but I can get us in. It’ll be tricky but I can get us in.” 

“That’s too big a risk,” Tommy said, taking your hand. You pulled him to his feet and slung his arm over your shoulder. “You can’t…” 

“I can’t just leave him out here,” you looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “I need to get him to the clinic before shit gets worse and that’s the only way…”

He cupped your face, looking in your eyes and you knew he saw it. What you felt. Why you couldn’t leave Joel behind. Not now, not ever. 

“It’s gonna get you killed, Sweetheart,” he said softly. 

“Don’t have a choice,” you smiled sadly. He pressed his lips to your forehead. 

“Tess?” You said, still looking at Tommy. She came alongside you and you held up his arm. She stepped into place. “Straight to the clinic, OK?” 

“You sure you’ve got Joel from here?” She asked. 

“Yeah,” you said. “Get yourselves out of here, we’ll be right behind. The clinic. Andrew’s staying there, he’ll help you.” 

She nodded and they left you there with Joel on the ground. 

You ran to his side, checking his breathing. Still solid. 

“Well at least there’s that,” you muttered to yourself. You quickly bandaged the wound at his chest. Looking closer, you were pretty sure it was a stab wound and not a bullet hole. You tried to keep it so it wouldn’t be jostled and have him start bleeding out. You moved onto the leg. 

You were going to need to at least partially set it, there’s no way you could carry him and he couldn’t put any weight on it the way it was now. It was just going to hurt like a bitch. Which is part of why you’d sent Tess and Tommy along. This part was not going to be pretty and there was a good chance he was going to scream loud enough to attract every clicker and raider in a five mile radius. 

“OK Miller,” you grabbed the length of tubing you hadn’t used to open his chest and put it between his teeth, making him bite down on it. “You can do this, you can get through this you stubborn asshole, you’re going to be fine, hear me? I will never forgive you if you’re not fine so you’re going to be fucking fine…” 

You grabbed the stuff to make a splint from your bag and set it up around his injured leg before you put one knee on his hip, hoping to help hold him still. 

“Here we go,” you took a deep breath. “One, two, three…” 

You winced as you started pushing his bone back into alignment. He gasped and flung his hand out, catching you in the side. 

“It’s me!” You said quickly, pushing the bone back into place. He groaned, the sound choking and gasping. “Bite down on the tube, I’m setting your leg enough that you can put weight on it, I know it hurts, I’m almost done just stick with me…” 

The bone disappeared below the skin and you stopped pushing. Joel went slack, panting for breath. You grabbed gauze and quickly bound the point where the break had come through the skin before setting the splint. 

“You still with me over there, Miller?” You asked, not able bring yourself to look over at him, afraid of what you might see. 

“Still here,” he was panting for breath. 

“Good,” you said, sitting back on your heels for a moment, out of breath yourself. You looked over at him. 

He was watching you, a soft look on his face. Your heart swelled with it.

“Hey Kid,” he said quietly. 

“Hey,” you half smiled at him. 

“Tess and Tommy?” He asked. 

“Headed for the QZ,” you said. “Sent them on ahead because they’re taking a different route in than us.” 

“What route are we taking?” He frowned. 

“Main gate,” you said, starting to pack up your supplies. 

“No,” he shook his head. “No, we can’t…” 

“You can’t without me,” you cut him off. “But I can. And you can’t get under the fence right now, Joel, not with your leg like that coupled with the fact that you’ve got a penetrating chest wound and I had to give you an incision to relieve a tension pneumothorax.” 

“Then you’re leavin’ me out here,” he started trying to prop himself up on his elbows and you went to help him. “Not riskin’ you bringing me in through the main gate…” 

“Shut the fuck up, Miller,” you said, helping him sit up all the way. He glared at you. 

“Always knew there was a risk of not comin’ back, Kid,” he said. His eyes kept ranging over your face. 

“You don’t get to just die on me out here,” you snapped. “We’re not doing that, got it? I didn’t come all the way out here to save your ass just to have you die on me so we’re going to the main fucking gate.” 

You stood up and put on the pack before offering him your hand. He glared at you. 

“I swear to God Joel if you don’t I will go to the main gate myself and make them come get you in a patrol truck,” you snapped. “Guessing this is a smuggling hide out for you, I will bring them here, I don’t give a shit.” 

“You’re the most stubborn damn woman I’ve ever met,” he muttered, taking your hand.

“Put as much weight as you can on the good leg,” you ordered. He glared at you. “What, you’re saying dumb shit like I should just leave you out here to die so I have to state the obvious. Ready?” He nodded once. “Alright, one, two, three.” 

You pulled and he hissed in pain as you helped him up. He almost collapsed and you caught him with your shoulder tucked into his armpit. 

“See?” You said as he panted for breath. “We’ve got this.” 

It didn’t take long for you and Joel to fall into a rhythm that kept his pain from getting worse as you walked. It was slow going but you made steady progress. 

“Why’d you do this?” He managed after you’d walked half a mile. 

“What do you mean?” You frowned. 

“Come out here,” he said. His breaths came in short, gasping pants. “Save me. Why?” 

You were quiet for a moment.

“You know why,” you said eventually. 

He ground his teeth. 

“We’re not good for each other,” he said. 

“I know.” 

“Told you I didn’t want to see you.” 

“Trust me, I remember.” 

“You’re with Tommy.” 

“I know.” 

He growled. The searchlights of the QZ perimeter were getting close. 

“When we get up there, let me do the talking,” you said. “Keep your mouth fucking shut. I’m going to get us through this in one piece but you have to do what I say for a change, got it?” 

He just grunted in affirmation. 

The guards spotted you quickly. It wasn’t like you were trying to hide. 

“Hands up!” Their guns were drawn. You raised the hand you could. “I fucking said hands up!” 

“Can’t put them all up, I have an injured man with me,” you called back. “I’m a doctor at the clinic, I got word of an injured person outside the fence, I’m bringing him in for treatment…” 

The voice shifted. 

“Doc? That you?” 

You squinted against the searchlight as the guard came closer. You smiled a little. 

“Hi Tim,” you said. You’d known there was a good chance one of your former students would be at the gate. It was just luck that it was one who remembered you fondly. He lowered his gun. 

“What are you doing out here?” He asked, coming over and taking Joel’s other side. Joel just gaped at you. 

“Helping the injured,” you jerked your head in Joel’s direction. “That whole hippocratic oath thing, I couldn’t just ignore it once I knew about it. I was hoping you could let us in here.” 

“Doc, you left the QZ…” he said quietly. 

“I know,” you said. “And I don’t want to compromise you or your job in any way. But I had to do my job, too. If you need to write me up or take me into custody you can, but I need to get this man to the clinic first…” 

He looked Joel over. 

“You’ll make sure he does intake?” He asked.

“Of course,” you replied. He pulled out a scanner and took a sample from each of you. The screen glowed green. His jaw twitched. 

“Alright,” he said. “But we have to move quick and you never saw me, OK?” 

“Thank you,” you said, moving as quickly as Joel would allow. Your heart was in your throat until you were through the gate. 

“Get to the clinic by curfew,” Tim said. “You’ve only got 20 minutes.” 

*** 

Joel wasn’t sure what hurt more, his leg, his chest or seeing you. 

He’d managed to avoid you for a year. A whole year of not seeing your face, the longest he’d gone since he’d come to the QZ. He hated every goddamn second of it. 

It was the right thing to do, though, trying to let you go. He kept fucking failing you and he’d keep fucking failing you the more he was around you. And being around you hurt. 

He wasn’t sure it would be better or worse if you were his. Everything he’d lost was all tied up in you. The life he’d been inches away from having wound around your limbs and lips and hair. He didn’t think he could just be next to you and know that. But fuck, not seeing you… 

One of the hardest things he’d ever had to do was say goodbye to you that day on the street. But he couldn’t keep drowning you in his misery. As much as he’d hated Tommy for touching you, for picking you, he couldn’t hate him for pointing out the obvious. He’d been cruel to you. As much as he was angry, hurting, wanting to hate you, you didn’t deserve that. You deserved better than what he could give you. You were too much for him to take and he couldn’t seem to stop hurting you. It had to end. 

But he was relieved that he could gauge how you were doing by Tommy’s mood. He didn’t like much else about the fact that you were with him but when Tommy came home from seeing you in a good mood, he knew you were happy. If he were a little off, he knew you probably had a bad day at work. If he were irritable it meant you were upset about something. He didn’t dare ask what but he knew it was something. 

It was strange, knowing you existed in the world but not knowing much of anything about it. He clung to what he did know. Wished he didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to see you. Wished he didn’t want to look at you. 

But now you were close - so fucking close - and it hurt. Andrew helped you get him onto an exam table and he could barely hear what you were saying, giving him some kind of pill and making him breathe in some shit that made his head swim as you made him lie down. 

“Don’t want you workin’ on me,” he managed. You frowned. 

“Well I’m the only option you have, Miller, so suck it up,” you said, not looking up from your work at his side. 

“Don’t want to want to look at you,” he muttered. 

“Then don’t look at me,” you said, stitching up his side. 

“Can’t help it,” he mumbled. “Too fuckin’ pretty…” 

“Sounds like a personal problem, Miller,” you said. “Stop talking so much, you’re making it hard to sew.” 

“Sorry,” he said. “Just missed you.” 

You looked at him for a moment. 

“Missed you too.” 

You went back to sewing. He just watched you work, soaking up what he could of you. He didn’t know when he’d see you again. He wanted to hold onto this. 

He fell asleep watching you heal him. 

***

By the time you finished with Joel, you were exhausted. You were going to have to just sleep in an exam room, it was past curfew and you wouldn’t want to be far, anyway. But, for that moment, you just wanted to slump against the wall in the hall, not able to make yourself move any further. 

You slid to the floor, leaning your head back against the wall and taking a deep breath. Your legs and arms ached. You were pretty sure your abs would, too, in the morning after you hauled Joel all that way. 

Tess came out of an exam room and looked surprised to find you on the floor before siting next to you. 

“How is he?” She asked. 

“He’ll be fine,” you sighed. “Won’t be able to make any runs for at least two months while his femur heals, though.” 

She nodded slowly. 

“Can I ask you something?” She asked after a moment. 

“As long as it’s nothing philosophical,” you replied. “Brain is fried. Ask me how to do surgery, that I can do with my eyes closed.”

“What are you doing with them?” She asked, watching you. You frowned. “You’ve got Tommy wrapped around your finger. You’ll put your life on the line to save Joel. What are you doing with them?” 

“Nothing that I really have a say in,” you looked at her, too tired to try to dodge the question. “If I could stop… feeling the way I do, I would. I hate it, I hate what it’s done to me, what it’s done to him, what it’s doing to Tommy and I just… I don’t want it anymore. I don’t want to feel like this anymore. I want it to be over. 

“I keep thinking that loving people, that’s the reason we’re here. That’s what we’re supposed to do with life, we’re supposed to love people as much as we can for as long as we can but that doesn’t work anymore, does it? Maybe it did before all this happened. Maybe it didn’t and I was just too naive to know it but that’s what it felt like we were supposed to do. But I can’t keep loving him and I can’t just let this keep going with Tommy and I just….” Your voice cracked. You were too tired to try to fight off tears. 

Tess tugged you over so your head was on her shoulder. You blinked in surprise. 

“I was married before,” she said. “I told you that. I didn’t tell you that I had to shoot him, in the outbreak.” 

“Jesus…” you breathed. 

“Even knowing how it was going to end, I’m glad I had it while I did,” she said. “But I’m still too afraid to ever love someone like that again. Love like that wrecks you, utterly destroys you. It’s why I make the choices I make now. And yeah, it’s safer but my God is life sweeter when you have it.

“Joel’s broken like that, too,” she said. “Part of why we get along. I’m not sure he’ll ever get his shit together. It’s too big a risk for him. But I think you still can figure it out. It hasn’t broken you yet. You still wear ribbons in your hair. You’re not broken yet.” 

You stared at the wall for a moment. 

“I need to talk to Tommy,” you said eventually. 

“I’m really sorry, Doc,” she said quietly. 

“Me too.” 

You made yourself stop crying before you knocked on Tommy’s door and opened it quietly, half hoping he would be asleep when you went inside. 

No such luck. 

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he half smiled at you. 

“Hey,” you half smiled back. “How are you feeling?” 

“Been better,” he shrugged. “Been worse.” 

You nodded. 

“The nurse - Kristen, I think? - said Joel was fine,” he said. You nodded again. 

He just looked at you for a moment, like he was memorizing you. 

“I never had a shot, did I?” He asked. 

You smiled tightly. 

“I told you I wasn’t sure I could ever love anyone else,” you said softly. 

“You did,” he nodded. “Just hoped I’d convince you.” 

“You and me both.” 

He smiled at that and held out his hand for you. You took it, letting him tug you to him. 

“You’ve been the most fun I’ve had since the end of the world,” he said. “Glad we got to figure it out.” 

“Me too,” you sniffed, trying not to cry. 

He smiled and kissed your forehead. 

“Go sleep,” he said. “You look like you’re about to fall over.” 

“Yeah, I think I am,” you laughed. “Your brother is fucking heavy, I’m never hauling him anywhere again…” 

He laughed at that, too. You looked at him. 

“I really tried,” you said quietly. “But…” 

“I know,” he said. “Now get out of here before I do something stupid.” 

You nodded and went for the door. 

“Hey,” he said. 

You stopped and turned back to him. 

“Here’s looking at you, Kid.” 

You smiled, shook your head a little, and left him behind. 

A/N: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as things ramp up as we build into the core story of TLOU. Tommy will still be around for a bit but boyfriend Tommy is over. So sorry for all the Tommy Stans! This was always the plan, though. He was here to help Joel figure his shit out and give Doc a way out of her single-mindedness when it comes to Joel.

I do have a tag list, please let me know if you'd like to be added, just comment below! If you've asked and haven't made it on, please ask again. I'm trying to get everyone added but I think people may have slipped through the cracks because I have no organizational system for this.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting and letting me know how the story makes you feel! It's a joy to write for you all, thank you for hanging out with my characters :)

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[greatneedtotakeanap]

i binge read

the finale, episode 15 - the tower of nero

!!!SPOILER ALERT FOR THE TOWER OF NERO!!! this post under the cut will be completely riddled with spoilers, as it is a personal account of my views on the book as a whole. 

it will be spoiled!!

(obviously.)

I’m almost too heartsick to write this omg. It’s been such a long, heartwarming journey, and it came to such an electrifying ending.

I’m quite proud of Apollo. I knew I was going to be, but the way he realized it, the way he realized everything... how Nero’s abuse mirrored Zeus’ and affected him just the same, how much of an asshole he’d been because of it. He made the conscious choice to change, and he decided he could love. He was capable of true love, he was capable of moving forward and being better. And he was. I was just,,, I was so proud of him. Seeing him mature was a really eye-opening experience, especially in this book, when he talked so much about the small complexities of Nero’s abuse, how every move was calculated and how it affected Meg. We’d seen wisps of discussions of abuse before, mostly in the lightning thief (smelly gabe) but we’ve never before gone into the complexities of emotional abuse. The way it was described was fantastically clear, in a way that undoubtedly painted Nero as the true villain, but also gave us the chance to see him try and convince his children that he was good. Apollo breaking down his every move was good for the audience to distinguish the meaning behind his words. Fantastically portrayed. The way it helped him realize his own abuse, too, was good.

And Meg. My sweet darling Meg. What an absolute baddie, I swear. She made the same decision - she went back to Nero to fight him, to test her own strength and power of will. Her decision to drop her rings and refuse to dual wield anymore was strange to me at the very beginning, but I understood it later. It was her refusing to use the weapons he forced her to use, to even defend herself against him. It was her turning her back on the methods he’d armed her with and deciding to take her own path. “The Beast is dead” is the rawest f-ing line in this entire novel, the Beast representing Nero’s psychological abuse. “I killed him” - she liberated herself by believing she was better. I’m so insanely proud of that girl, too. She’s come a long way as well.

Okay. After that analysis, let me just say:

THE GAYS WON.

I spent this entire book terrified that Will Solace was doomed. There was a line in the prophecy about the terrible ending of ‘Apollo’s flesh and blood’, and I figured that meant his offspring - his son, rather than his human form. I kept muttering to myself ‘Will’s gonna die Will’s gonna die and it’s gonna BREAK Nico’. I was just so worried. I didn’t think anyone, even William Andrew Solace, could survive Rick Riordan’s patented Blond Boy Curse.

But he was fine in the end! As fine as you can be. Solangelo boyfriends lived to fight another day. And their development as a couple was also quite nice. I loved their dynamic. We only saw a little of it in the hidden oracle. Though it was great there too, we were able to go more in depth and explore how they truly function. Nico’s dry sense of humor combined with his whole lord-of-the-darkness aesthetic x Will’s genuine compassion and joking nature combined with his glow-in-the-dark-ness was fantastic to see.

Speaking of Solangelo - they not only got stronger as a couple, but as individual people as well. To be completely honest, we really haven’t seen much in the way of Will Solace. He healed, he was nice, yeah, sure, but what about him? What was his personality like outside from other people? In this book we find out. He’s kind, compassionate, easily flustered, overly protective. He craves parental approval, hence him repeatedly referring to Apollo as ‘dad’ and being so watchful over him. He gets embarrassed when asked to glow on command and upset when people mistake him for a lamp. He’s impulsive and a little hypocritical - he follows his instincts (being led off into the tunnels by a random voice) but gets very worried when Nico pulls the same thing. He’s a fantastic character, and his contrasts to Nico and the rest of the ton crew were great.

Nico - he seriously was the hero of this book. Or at least the secondary hero. He saved them all so many times over - he took everyone through shadow travel away from the bulls, he met the troglodytes, saw an opportunity, prepared an offering to said troglodytes because he saw an opportunity, became an underground ambassador, later saved Apollo’s life again by turning a germanus into a skeleton. He led this quest, and you can pry that from my cold dead hands. And that one paragraph about him enduring all this shit?? MASTERFUL. He’s had such a boatload of trauma and still he stands. One of my very favorite consistent Nico traits is this: no matter where he is or what he’s doing or how he feels, he ALWAYS takes the chance to talk with those who feel alone, because he knows what it’s like to be truly fighting one’s battles alone and he’d never wish that on anyone. It’s consistent, too: him being the only one to talk to Hestia at the hearth in Camp Half Blood, him talking to and befriending Bob the Titan, him talking to the troglodytes. And I have really gotten to see his progression firsthand, sped up - I read the Titan’s Curse in my binge read series maybe two weeks ago, back when he was this hyperactive ten-year-old with a Mythomagic obsession and now he’s this prince of darkness saving people with an adorable glowstick boyfriend and man. I love this kid. If he wasn’t my favorite character in this universe, he is now.

Also, even though with this book Rick has closed the gateway to this world (sad), the end alluded to a possible journey through Tartarus again to look for what’s been calling him, but this time he’ll have Will. Rachel Dare even whispered a prophecy at the end, probably pointing to it (but we’ll never know for sure). Will and Nico through the depths of Tartarus - now that’s a series I’d want to read for sure. It’s really too bad we’ll never get to see it in canon. Sigh.

SPEAKING OF CANON.

Another way the gays have won: Piper Mclean.

She has a canon girlfriend!! We really struck gold. I figured she was aro//ace when reading the Burning Maze - her whole monologue about being forced into love - but it turns out she’s just wlw!! I love this, I love this. We seriously won with this book.

Other noteworthy thoughts I had while reading below:

- The scene with Apollo defeating Python and hanging on the edge of Chaos was great. Especially when the goddess Styx came out. I was wondering how all of his broken oaths would serve him and come back to haunt him. It was quite well portrayed. A serious rip to the Arrow of Dodona though. I always loved it,,, a lot. It made me laugh and sometimes grind my teeth in frustration, but it was always a nice presence.

- Apollo’s return to Olympus was better than anything I ever could have hoped for. I was really hoping that returning would give him a new insight, not just of being mortal, but of Zeus as well. And it did. It did! I’ve said it before but I am quite proud of him. His new perspective on the Olympians was refreshing. You can really see the change in narrative if you go back to the Hidden Oracle.

- It is always always always nice to see Sally Jackson. Woman of many talents, including novel writing, blue chocolate chip cookies, and excellent seven-layer dip. She was my favorite character at the beginning of this binge-reading frenzy (as stated in the first post). Now she is still very up there. Definitely top 5.

- Why does Estelle have Percy’s green eyes?? I thought Percy had his father’s eyes????

- Grover knew about Jason dying. If Grover was on the cross-country field trip with Percy and Annabeth, and they didn’t realize Jason was dead until they got to New Rome, then was he just sitting on Jason’s death this whole time??? Rip to Grover, he must have been seriously traumatized for THAT to have happened.

- The last two chapters were basically just Apollo making his rounds and wrapping everything up, so Percabeth isn’t just in a perpetual cross-country ride and Piper doesn’t live out her life forever in a grief-stricken taxi. I’m glad those chapters were there, though. Nice to see everybody again in their element.

Okay but you don’t understand the fear in my heart. I seriously thought Will Solace was a goner. I cried out of relief because he DIDN’T die. It just makes me love the two of them all the more.

This post has been way too long already, but I gotta add an obligatory outro - I read these books once as a little kid, and the past two weeks has been amazing getting back into them. It’s been magical and wonderful, falling in love with these characters, and I’m so sad to leave it.

[bergarachan]

A proposal for the fluff prompt,,, I would Weep™️

So this is gonna sound really weird but ive literally never written established relationship before it was so much fun!! the boys, if they were together, would be lovey-dovey goofballs. :”””D enjoy!

“You ready, Shane?” Ryan asked, coming out to the living room. The two were gettng ready to film an episode of weird wonderful world. Ryan saw Shane waiting for him in the living room and gasped. “Woah, you look...” He looked Shane up and down. His boyfriend was wearing a white button-up with patterned navy blue pants. He had a jean jacket over the button-up. Shane looked good. “...Wow.” Was the only thing that came out of Ryan’s mouth.

Shane laughed. “Is that all you’re gonna say?”

Ryan giggled along with him. “Well, yeah, you usually don’t wear stuff like this.” Okay, that was kinda an exaggeration. But usually Shane would wear something more casual than this during filming. Shane and Ryan had been spending the entire day inside, watching movies and playing board games. They had all day to get ready, and he’d even seen Shane planning his outfit about two hours before he had to leave. 

“I think it looks good.” Shane said goofily, smiling to himself and making Ryan laugh even more. 

“You look look amazing, hon.” Ryan smiled, going on his tip-toes to kiss Shane on the cheek, making his tall counterpart’s smile grow even wider. His boyfriend was such a fucking dork.

The two boys got into the car, Shane immediately sliding in the front seat, a sunny smile on his face. 

“What’s got you so happy?” Ryan asked.

Shane shrugged. “It’s a nice day outside.”

It was a nice day outside. Shane and Ryan never got tired of the sunny streets of LA (okay, Shane did sometimes, but they went to Chicago for most holidays, so he didn’t get to complain) and it was a lovely day in August. The sun was out, kids were playing, people were laughing, and it reminded Ryan of why he loved this city so very much. 

As they drove, they smiled as the sun started to set. “When’s the crew gonna get to the set?” Ryan asked, staring at the scenery outside. 

“They’re gonna be a little late, Ry-guy, so I decided to go out to dinner first.” Shane said. “That alright?”

Ryan frowned. “Late? Why?”

“Brittany texted me a couple hours before we had to leave, she, uh, she said that a couple of the cameras stopped working.”

“What?!” Ryan exclaimed. 

“Yeah, crazy, right? They just stopped, all in like, the same night.”

“Maybe there’s something wrong with the camera brand... or some shit,” Ryan muttered to himself. He was fairly happy with dinner, though. Dinner sounded lovely. “Is this why you took the time to pick out your outfit, fucker?” He asked Shane teasingly.

Shane snorted. “You saw me do that?” He hesitated, “Maybe...” 

Ryan giggled. “You’re such a sap, you know that, big guy?”

“Only for you, babeyyy!” Shane exclaimed, then he launched into song, “I been cheated by you since I don’t know when!”

“Nope, Shane, no, we are not singing Mamma Mia right now-” Ryan tried to cut him off, but Shane continued, of course.

“So I’ve made up my mind, it must come to an end!” The Mamma Mia soundtrack was special to both Ryan and Shane. It was kind of their anthem when Shane was there for Ryan after a horrible breakup, and then the breakup after that. Singing the songs terribly while dancing around a dimly lit room was one of the steps to realizing that they were in love with each other all along. So as much as Shane does sing it, Ryan can never get sick of it. 

Ryan stuck through Shane’s horrible rendition of “mamma mia” all the way to a restaurant beside a beach. It was a place that the two of them had never been together, however they were both familiar with the place. It was minimalistic and atmospheric, and it had bitchin burgers.

When they were both seated and had both ordered burgers, Ryan caught Shane staring at him with what their fans loved to call “heart eyes”. As he always did, Ryan smiled bashfully under Shane’s gaze. Shane always had an effect on him, even after dating for two and a half years. Shane always made him blush, giggle and swoon like a highschool girl. And he knew it was the same for Shane. “What’re you lookin’ at,” Ryan snorted, flushing more under Shane’s stare.

Shane sighed. “Even before we started dating I always wanted to take you here.” Holy shit, what was up with Shane and being a sap today? He told Shane as much. Shane just took Ryan’s hand in his and said, “Just love you, is all.” Ryan was surprised. Shane wasn’t the kind of guy to be gushy and lovey-dovey. He more loved to show people that he loved them, without really telling them so. This was different.

Ryan smiled. “I love you too, Shane.” He squeezed his hand tightly.

Shane and Ryan got into their normal banter over dinner, almost getting louder than the families with children with their usual arguments and bits. They were laughing and giggling the entire time, though, and once again Ryan was reminded why he loved Shane Madej so gosh-darn much. From day one, since filming unsolved, Shane was always Ryan’s best friend. There was no separating them. And then, years ago, with the creation of Watcher, and working every day beside him, Ryan rarely got sick of him. If anything, it helped him realize his feelings even sooner.

After paying the check and getting up from their seats, Ryan asked, “The crew ready, Shane?”

Shane checked his phone, and, after a moment, shook his head. “They’re getting in the car. On their way over. Wanna take a little stroll on the beach?”

Ryan smiled. “Always.” This beach in particular reminded him of their first kiss.

___

“Shane!” Ryan caught up to Shane, bare feet slipping in the sand. It was nearly midnight, and the boys had finished filming season 7 of Unsolved Supernatural. After drinks, Shane suggested eating snacks on the beach. Only problem is, they had forgotten snacks. So they decided to run around like children and play games instead. Ryan panted, hands on his knees as he finally caught up. “I can’t keep up with your stupid long legs,” He wheezed.

Shane laughed. “One of the perks of being six foot four.” Ryan whacked him playfully on the arm.

Suddenly, Ryan noticed the moon, full, bright, and beautiful. He stopped to stare at it. “The moon is beautiful tonight,” He muttered, admiring the sight.

“Yeah,” He heard Shane say beside him. “Gorgeous.” Ryan glanced over at Shane, and his smile fell when he realized that Shane wasn’t looking at the moon.

He was looking at him.

“Shane,” He whispered, as if his name was something secret. Their relationship had taken a turn, recently. The stares had been longer, the touches had lingered, the smiles had been wider. It was unspoken. But now, Shane had spoken it.

Shane wrapped his arms around Ryan’s waist. Shane bent down a little, and Ryan went on his tip-toes. They gravitated towards each other. 

Shane kissed Ryan like he was the most precious gift in the entire world.

___

Ryan smiled dreamily at the memory. It gave him butterflies in his stomach to this day, years later. “Remember that night when we played games in the sand? On this beach?” He asked Shane. The sun was nearly setting, just touching the horizon of glittering water. Not many people were around this part of the beach. It felt like a secret, just for Shane and Ryan.

“Yeah,” Shane replied. “That was a good day.” The two were silent for a moment, before Shane said something. “Ryan?”

Ryan laughed. Shane’s voice sounded serious. Probably a bit, Ryan assumed. “Yeah, big guy?”

“Can I ask you something?” The taller pulled Ryan close to his chest.

“Sure, shoot.” The latter giggled. 

And it was like a movie.

Shane suddenly dropped to a knee. Ryan gasped, laughing all the way. There was no way this was happening. This had to be a bit; this had to be a joke.

And then he saw Shane getting something out of his pocket. “Shane,” Ryan tried, choking up.

“Ryan,” Shane held up a black velvet box. “You are my best friend. To the moment we started being friends, to the moment I fell head over ass in love with you, to now, I’ve realized that I always want you in my life. I always want you by my side.” Shane sniffled a little himself, wiping his eye with a finger, before continuing, “You are… an angel, Ryan Bergara. I know I don’t, uh, believe in that stuff, but sometimes I’ve seriously questioned if the guy upstairs sent me an angel… to… protect me, and whatnot.” They both laughed teary laughs. “I’m not one for saying my emotions out loud, and whatnot, but… I am so in love with you, Ryan. And I think we’re destined, if that even exists, to be together for the rest of our lives. So, Ryan Bergara,” He opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver ring, “Will you make me the luckiest, happiest man on the world, and marry me?”

Of course, by that point, Ryan was in tears, trying to stiffle his sobs. “Yes, fucking,” He sniffled, “Yes, Shane. I love you, yes, yes,” And as he rushed in to hug his partner, he heard a round of applause from behind him. He turned to see, of course, the fucking crew. Brittany, TJ, Andrew, Steven, Mark, everyone, all with cameras. “Wha-? Were you all in this?” Ryan asked, wiping his tears.

The crew all nodded, laughing, cheering and whooping. “Shane and I have been trying to put this together for months.” Steven spoke up, smiling.

“Months?” Ryan’s voice went up, like, five octaves. “Shane…” And, of course, being the emotional guy he was, burst into tears again and ran into Shane’s arms, earning an awww from the crew. Ryan and Shane shared a romantic kiss, and Shane slipped the ring onto Ryan’s finger.

“I love you, angel,” Shane whispered into Ryan’s ear, only for him to hear, and Ryan doesn’t think he’s ever been more happy. This is it. This is the best day of his life.

“I love you, Shane. Forever and ever. We took an oath.”

(Later, the video was posted on the Watcher channel, titled, “How I Proposed to Ryan”. Fans, of course, went fucking crazy. Ryan wouldn’t have anything any other way.)

[hazelenergy]

What happened that final night.

One year ago today was my last Elysium in Atlanta. And in a mere 48 hours, I will have betrayed and killed my adoptive sire, blood bonded myself to the wild sister of two famous Malkavians, and lost two people I loved. 

A few days prior to this night was the beginning of the end. A bloodhunt was called in Atlanta. Not for me. Not for the other thinbloods. A salubri had entered the city. Our adoptive sire, Mary Andrews and primogen of the Tremere (and the only Tremere in the city..I dont know actually why she was alone but I have theories) ordered her children, myself and my two shovelheaded broodmates to bring this man to her alive. We complied. At first. 

Solomon had been working closely with Reverend Clancy, the primogen of Clan Brujah. We never knew Solomon’s bloodline, but he vibed with the righteous and nonviolent nature of Clancy’s leadership. Clancy told us the other half of the history of clan Tremere and the Salubri. We were devastated. And now our adoptive sire wanted this man and would probably experiment on him like she did to us. And it would be worse. He can heal. He’d be able to endure what she did to us. So Clancy asked us, two lowly thinbloods, to help him and his clan free this man and get him out of the city. We said yes without questioning the consequences. 

Long story short we put our ability to blend with humans to the test at Airport security. We managed to slide through the TSA check with ease- without tipping off the inquisition either. Solomon and I had intercepted the international flight by getting the plane to dock in the incorrect port, allowing the Salubri to slip past the sheriff and his hired guards. Things didn’t go as well as we hoped- as the Sheriff caught on to someone was messing with the radio tower and hopped over to where we were hiding. We had already called the brujah boys to the airfield to intercede the sheriff’s men. A huge fire fight broke out. The brujah were losing so Solomon and I made a rash decision. We used far reach together and launched a fuel tank at the gun fight- fire engulfed the scene. Solomon and I fled into the night- starving, but unscathed. Cue camarilla media blackout and clean up. 

The next night we were ordered to return to the chantry. We refused and gave pitiful excuses saying things like keeping face by going to a night job or Solomon had a legit excuse of needing to write his Yom Kippur service. Instead we tracked down Clancy and the brujah and high tailed the Salubri out of Atlanta. Clancy handled the money for the dark flight and I wore less clothing to convince the guy to bypass security. Our Salubri was in the air and out of Atlanta. But the sheriff was on our trail. Someone had to take the blame. Clancy knew how hard we had worked. He was the only kindred who knew about the safehouse project. He took the fall for freeing the Salubri and let himself be staked by the sheriff as we fled unseen into the night. 

The following night, we did go to Mary’s Haven. She immediately shoveled us into the car and took us to Elysium. She knew we had something to do with this. Or just wanted to see us squirm. Regardless. Clancy had been placed on trial for his crimes against the Prince and the brujah were ready to Throw. Down. The air was tense and violent choleric resonances dominated the room. There is one brujah in particular, Jamal. He was basically an anarch. The only reason he wasn’t a Baron and fighting the Prince was because of his faith and trust in Clancy. He was nearly going to free Clancy then and there- if it wasn’t for Solomon. Sol begged him to let him play the political game first. Solomon  offered himself to the prince as the duskborn primogen. He advised the prince that Clancy’s life was the spindly thread that kept the brujah from rioting. Solomon ruled that Clancy should be exiled but allowed to live. The Prince agreed. The brujah and Jamal backed down- begrudgingly. Clancy was still staked and was to be driven out of the city once Solomon achieved a few goals as his new primogen. Mary was furious. Was it because her ex had arrived in the city and had gotten close to her other child? Oh that was a part of it- for sure. Somehow this night really did not go according to plan and the car ride home was AWKWARD. 

That night Mary tried to get me to drink from her again- which uhhh no. Idk what you all know about Tremere who follow Carna- but they can still blood bond. And that made her even angrier. She was willing to try anything to get either myself or Solomon to comply. We resisted. That’s when I figured out Mary had slipped on some control over us and wanted to reclaim it. So, I left the haven that night and went to get some sweet distractions at Atlanta’s Asylum chain. That’s when I decided to stop being careful and took that final drink- as a huge fuck you to Mary and to give myself the edge I wanted. I’d have the swirling madness and premonitions in my system for a while and could be thinking ahead of her. I didn’t realize how loopy I’d get. I felt higher than ever before and couldn’t keep my thoughts from spilling out of my mouth.  I stumbled back into the chantry and told my adoptive sire this:

“I reject your blood.”

and

“Any kindred that bothers with me is up to something. You. You chose me. YOURE Up to Something And I wont let it happen.”

She looked me in the eye and said, "tell the truth."

I babbled about everything. The page from the book of Nod and how I copied it. The alchemy I kept from her. The thaumaturgy I tried and made a mess. How she blood bonded Tommy. Letting the Salubri go. How I knew about her plan to usurp the Prince- the madness told me what she’d do. We argued until the sun came up. I went to bed, thinking that I’d have to continue the talk in the evening. I didn’t expect to find myself warded into my own room, windows loaded with explosives, security cameras installed, and my girlfriend Lisa trapped with me. Mary had called an emergency Elysium- excluding Solomon. They were planning our executions. I made it out, barely. Mary’s ghoul and Lisa were killed when one of the explosives went off. There was nothing left but her necklace. In a fit of grief, rage, sorrow I don’t know what emotions I was feeling but it was a lot of them. I obliterated the wards around Mary’s private lab and took whatever I could carry. 

We drove off, thinking we’d lay low for a few hours before Mary could use trail of prey on me. We could beg borrow and steal to get our things and get out. I had just parked the car when I vomited the first time. My blood began bubbling and boiling and oozing out of every open surface it could. I had three bullet holes in my stomach- the bullets were pushed out as my blood gushed. I spent the next fifteen minutes in agonizing pain as Mary called my phone. She heard every gag and wretch- and laughed. The ultimatum was to bring me before the Prince to be put out of my misery, and return what I stole. I told her to go fuck herself. Within seconds, my blood was boiling again and I was a mess on the sidewalk. 

The next few hours were agony waiting. I didn’t know if she’d do it again. But the clock was ticking. The Prince had ordered a hunt for us. And Mary’s ritual to dominate the Prince and the entire court was already ignited. We could have just fled right then. Fuck the Camarilla of Atlanta. Fuck everything about this place. Lets leave and never look back.... But Solomon still had too much to lose in Atlanta- and was willing to fight for it. And Cass had old wounds from Mary (they were an item at one point omg). And I wanted to go so badly- but what I wanted more was to see her vitae spilling out onto the floor as I drove my knife through her. So after cleaning myself from the third wave of dagons call and alleycat hunting for the first time- we took what little time we had left in the city to put an end to this. 

We used the first hour before sunset to gear up. I immediately drove out to the few spots to where thinbloods were hiding and told them to RUN. Find a new city or something- just get out. A few times they looked at me with power hungry eyes. It was a perfect opportunity to take a wanted kindred to the Prince and move up the ranks. I reminded them that they are not known by the prince. And to take me in was to also announce themselves- amidst a time when they are using thinbloods as scapegoats for anything gone wrong. And BOY. Is it going wrong. The last stop I made was to my alchemical dealer. I drained my bank account and bought some of the most powerful brews I’ve ever drank. As a parting gift, or grift if you ask me, he let me have his best brew: Potence.

Solomon went to free Clancy with a group of the brujah boys. A minor fire fight broke out. Solomon was a bit roughed up- both physically and spiritually. I think he had broken one of his own oaths and it was weighing heavily on him. 

When we met up at the edges of Mary’s Haven- we didn’t realize how quickly she had redone the wards. As one of the Brujah boys drove up the path it kept twisting and winding to steer us back to the front gate. Eventually I crawled into the drivers seat. Even though I wasn’t welcome anymore- I was the last one to drive this path and now armed with malkavian whispers. It wasn’t my best driving. Certainly creative. But I got us to the bottom of the hill and we could see the lights to the haven. Mary had laid tons of traps as we made our crawl up to the porch. Landmines specifically. Seriously, where the fuck did she get these? Were they always here? 

When we made it to the porch, the sheriff sat illuminated by the single flickering light. That certainly explains why it was so easy to bust Clancy out. Solomon took the diplomatic approach and tried to reason with the sheriff. I knew it wasn’t going to work and hovered one of the explosives over him. If anything happened to Solomon I’d-- two gunshots. Solomon clutched his chest and fell to the ground. There goes the second person I believed was actually good in this world. Thats when fresh vitae rained from above. Yeah, this is where I get frenzy bombs. The brujah boys immediately attack each other. Clancy and I keep our cool. 

I dropped the explosive and the sheriff flies back into the haven. I go to enter the door, and am met with Mary’s hell cat. Far reached the cat aside. I didn’t care. Nothing was going to stand between me and ending this. The sheriff, his skin singed and peeling, turned to me with frenzied eyes. Far reach again. He’ll never lay a hand on me again. I held him still as Cass drove the stake through his chest. We tossed him aside. 

Thats when we realized the basement was warded. It sent Cass flying back everytime she got close. Even Clancy couldn’t get closer than five feet to the doorway. So I pulled out that potence brew and drank it. I slammed my fist into the mahogany floorboards and crashed through two levels of the haven. I fell to my knees surrounded by rubble and looked up to see my adoptive sire performing her ritual- the circle nearly illuminated. “Mom, I’m home.”

When it came down to it, my hand shook and I couldn’t pull the trigger. At first I tried to far reach her out of her circle, but my hunger had gotten the best of me. So instead, Cass took my hand. She fired at my adoptive sire. The Tremere collapsed and fell to ash. I hadn’t seen someone suffer final death before. I stared at the wispy grey ashes fluttering around the room. Suddenly, the house began to crack and crumble. Clancy grabbed both me and Cass and leaped out of the rubble. When we got back to the ground level- the sheriff was gone. Jamal had taken all of him-the last drop. He told Clancy that Atlanta won’t be the same without him- but its going to change in a way he didn’t like. Clancy looked so disappointed. Without a word, He turned and picked up Solomon’s corpse. Sol was now warm. He was dying. He breathed his last breath in Clancy’s arms. The old brujah carried him to his family that night and they got to give him the proper funeral for his faith.

I told Jamal my dark secret and it’s why I couldn’t stay in Atlanta. He told me to get moving and come back when I’m zeroed. “I need a chameleon that can put on charm and take a punch like you.” I was still chased out of Atlanta by a few kindred who wanted that sweet sweet blood hunt boon- but Jamal used it to his advantage. He took them out as I sped away with Cass to Miami. I don’t know what the affairs of Atlanta are like- a mere year later. I know Jamal was going for the Prince since was now without a sheriff missing his two heavy hitting primogen. But regardless of who is in charge- the duskborn trio perished in that haven that night. And we keep it that way.

~HB

_____

Here Jackie, this is the sob story. @ventrue-in-control​

[admiralbell]

The following is a transcript of William Bell’s acceptance speech after being nominated as the Republican candidate for President of the United States, delivered July 2, 2020.

Co-chairs, delegates, friends, and fellow Americans - I gratefully and humbly accept your nomination for President of the United States.

[cheers and applause]

I stand before you tonight as a man who understands and appreciates the immensity of what lies ahead of us. I say us, because from the very start, this campaign was never about me. It took on this challenge, well over a year ago, because I believed that Americans needed a representative in our nation’s highest office who would lead, but would not dominate. Would not purport to think that his own decisions would stand above scrutiny. I believed that America needed a President who remembered a world, a way of living, that was not clouded by the haze of years in dirty politics - where self-centered wheeling and dealing stand above the needs of the people.

I believe that this country deserves someone who will put its people first.

I come from a long tradition of men and women who understand the nature of sacrifice. Of men and women who stand up where others will not, because to them, the defense of freedom and the American way of life are more important than anything else. 

Our nation is able to be what it is today because of that bravery - that selflessness. I chose a life in the Navy because I believed in those ideals above everything else. I would gladly have died for them - in 2007, I nearly did. If given the chance, I would volunteer to do it again. And again. Because America - this great country, this community - is and will always be worth it.

In the same spirit, I will use the opportunity that has been given to me tonight, by all of you here and by the American people, to defend these ideals from the highest office, where they have too long been neglected by short-sighted politicians, who put self and party and their agendas first.

America is at a crossroads. Last year, we weathered a moment of immense tragedy. Theresa Wright was our commander-in-chief, and a woman who I always regarded with the utmost respect, despite our many differing views. Respect is a value which transcends all boundaries - parties and politics. Her death was a profound shock to me, and, indeed, to all of us.

What shocked me further was the seeming eagerness of the current administration to take this tragedy and use it as a tool to strike directly at the heart of the rights and values which make this country what it is. It seemed no time at all had passed before this administration jumped at the chance to politicize the event and use it to further a short-sighted agenda against the second amendment, despite the fact that Americans stood against such a choice. 

This, more than anything, assured me that what America needs now is someone who will place the rights guaranteed to us by our Founders above everything else - something that the President of the United States swears to do from the first moment he or she takes office.

Tonight, I promise you that I will take that oath seriously - just as seriously as I took the oath when I joined our nation’s Navy more than 30 years ago.

America deserves better. That is the belief that brought me to this stage tonight. America deserves better than what it has received for so many years. It deserves better than a White House that turns its back on personal and national security by striking out at our most valued rights, while at the same time ignoring crime. Ignoring that right now, there are people coming into this country with the intention of causing harm to its citizens. Real harm is caused every day by these policies, and it is time that someone stands up to prevent it.

It is shameful. It makes America look weak. We cannot and should not tolerate a country that looks weak - not when there is so much good in it worth fighting for. Since our founding, America has served as a beacon of freedom, of strength. If we abandon that responsibility now, what will we be left with?

As someone who has always been proud to be a member of our military, to be a leader in our nation’s military, I can tell you this - the current administration does not understand what real leadership looks like. The sacrifices and triumphs. The work and thought that goes into every decision, because you know what is at stake if you make the wrong choice. The struggle that comes with being the one to make those calls.

Let me share with you all a story which I have not shared before - what made me decide to pursue this office. In my time spent at the Pentagon, I had the privilege to serve beside a number of extraordinary men and women. One was a young man named Andrew. When I met him in 2015, Andrew was just 34 years old. He had served for several tours in Iraq, and Afghanistan. He had a family - a wife and three children, like me. He was a good husband, father, and friend, and an even better soldier. 

[A long pause here; this is difficult]

But Andrew struggled, and he didn’t get the help that he needed. And so in the fall of 2016, Andrew took his own life. I attended his funeral, as I have attended all too many similar funerals. I realized that day, and have never forgotten since, that we can do so much better. We, as a country, failed that young man - and we have been failing ourselves, in a broader sense. It’s time that we change that. I will do everything in my power to change that - for Andrew. For all the men and women who have similarly suffered. For all Americans.

To somewhat paraphrase the  immortal words of the great Republican, Abraham Lincoln: ‘It is for us, the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced. That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’ When Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, he showed that he understood the core of what America is, and what lengths the men and women of this country would go to protect its values.

I am honored to accept this nomination, so that together, we can begin to work toward making America what it can and should be - a government for the people. 

To the American people, let me say this - I stand with you. I stand for you. Unlike so many, I have not forgotten what it is like to be one of you.

I was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the greatest cities in this nation’s heartland. My father worked in a factory, a laborer. I don’t claim to be anything more than what I am - a man who came from one of the most typical of American experiences. I swore never to forget my roots, and I have carried that attitude with me for all of my life.

I would not be where I am today without the strength and support of my family. 

My parents, who gave me so much from the start. They taught me the value of respect, of hard work, of standing for others before yourself. They taught me to be humble. To stand up for what I believed in.

My sisters - my companions from childhood, who showed me love even when it was hardest.

My wife, who is standing with me tonight, just like she does every night. She has truly been my rock, the person who keeps my grounded, who shares every joy and every hurt with me. I am unbelievably lucky to have her supporting me, and the mission in front of me, with every step she takes, and to have her love as my guiding light.

My children. I can’t begin to explain how deeply proud of them I am, as I have always been. They are grown, now, leading their own lives, participating in their own communities, and I could not love them more. 

I am grateful, too, for everyone who supported and believed in this campaign from the start. Every staffer and every donor and every person in this country who took their chance and supported this mission with their time and energy, with their voices and their votes. I will do my absolute best to make you proud, and to carry the torch for all of us.

My fellow Americans, my mission is far from over. Tonight is only the beginning. I vow to you all, right here and right now, that I will do everything within my power to see this through to the end - to fight for this campaign, to fight for this country, and to fight for all of you, every American.

I will use every last bit of my energy to fight for a stronger America. Now, and always.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you, and God bless you. 

God bless this great country. 

Let’s get to work! Good night.

[untitledpoliticalblog]

Alrighty, so a chap named @outmoded-on-locker asked me this via DM:

Will you tell me your opinion why Dem decided to start impeachment inquiry even though they knew they couldn't get him out? Or if they didn't know, they (especially presidential candidates) definitely don't want President Mike Pence. I think they just want to show voters "we're doing something for you" or "we're the rebel fighting against a corrupted empire" thing.

I think they started the inquiry for two reasons: 1. Trump tried to pressure a foreign government to dig up dirt on someone who he might very well face in the next election. 2. They were waiting for him to do something impeachable that wasn't tied to the 2016 election or the Mueller investigation. Personally, I think the blatant corruption would have been more than enough, but this Ukraine scandal is just perfect.

And as I said in a post the other day, Trump is almost certainly going to be impeached and is just as almost certainly not going to be removed from office. Remember, it takes a 2/3s vote in the Senate to convict and thus remove a president. My understanding is that would require twenty Republicans to defect and vote with all of the Democrats plus the two Independents.

They ain't getting twenty. I would be shocked if they even get one Republican.

And as such, the chances of Mike Pence becoming the 46th President of the United States is moot. Or moat. There may or may not be snakes and alligators involved. But even if by some chance Trump is removed from office, I seriously doubt that Pence is going to do anything other than act like a lame duck for the remainder of Trump's first term as the GOP scrambles to field candidates to take his place on the ballot.

I don't think the impeachment inquiry is any kind of grandstanding or "rebels against a corrupted empire". The decision was made with deliberation and care that was maddening and frustrating for those of us who have wanted them to launch this inquiry sooner. This was and is a big risk to the Democrats because the impeachment could blowup in their faces and help get Trump re-elected. Keep in mind that Clinton's popularity soared about his impeachment and he left office with one of the highest approval ratings ever, I believe. The GOP, meanwhile, suffered defeats in the midterms that shortly followed. The same thing could happen here, so care had to be taken.

And here's the thing about both this impeachment inquiry and impeachment in general: it doesn't matter if whether it leads to Trump's or any president's removal from office. Impeachment was created by the Founding Fathers as a way, a method for the Congress of the United States of America to rebuke, to punish, to snapback an errant Presidency. Congress, not the President, is the body that is elected to represent the citizens of this Republic and impeachment is the tool that can and should be used to show the President the displeasure, the scorn of that citizenry.

I also want to note that I support the use of impeachment regardless of whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat. If they're found to have committed impeachable offenses, to have broken the law, then they should absolutely face the consequences. Andrew Johnson deserved to be impeached because he broke the law. Yes, the Republicans set him up by passing the Tenure of Office Act and waiting to see if he'd violate it, but the fact remains that he broke a federal law, which is impeachable. Richard Nixon deserved impeachment too, if he hadn't resigned ahead of it. Same with Bill Clinton. His impeachment had political motivations to be sure, but he did lie under oath and then tried to obstruct justice, which are both impeachable offenses. If whoever the next Democratic president is - whether it be Warren, Sanders, Biden, etc. - similarly violates the law, then I wholeheartedly support their impeachment too. I don't give a single, solitary fuck if I like and support them: if they break the law, violate their oath of office, or commit an impeachable offense, then must face the consequences of their actions. Simple as that.

I hoped this answers your question.  Thanks for asking. Be kind, please rewind and always tip your waiter/waitress.

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.justsecurity.org/65021/mueller-hearing-risks-narrowing-the-range-of-impeachable-offenses/

Mueller Hearing Risks Narrowing the Range of Impeachable Offenses

by Ryan Goodman and John T. Nelson | Published July 23, 2019 | Just Security | Posted July 23, 2019 |

Let’s assume that former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony remains strictly within the boundaries of his public report, as he suggested it would and as the Justice Department  said it must. Within the four corners of Mueller’s public report is far more evidence of impeachable offences than the 10 potential cases of criminal obstruction the report outlines. That’s because “high crimes and misdemeanors” is a category of misconduct that includes abuses of power by a President that are not limited to whether such actions meet the elements of a federal crime. The report is replete with incidents that cross the line. We detail below some of the most significant allegations. Our analysis is important even if the House never goes down the road of impeaching President Trump. Regardless of what Speaker Pelosi ultimately decides, it is important that the public understand and that the historical record is clear on the abuses President Trump has committed.

The House hearings with Mueller as the witness will likely obscure this understanding. Mueller’s specific remit was a criminal investigation, and members of Congress (especially on the House Judiciary Committee) will likely focus, understandably, on Trump’s potentially criminal activity. That exercise, however, takes attention away from other facts documented in the Mueller report that demonstrate a profound threat to our system of governance and clearly amount to impeachable conduct.

I. What’s the Standard?

It is well settled that impeachable offences include egregious abuses of power incompatible with the responsibilities of the Office of the President. “High crimes and misdemeanors” is a broad category that includes but is not limited to the most serious violations of criminal law. Nor does it even require violation of a federal statute. High crimes and misdemeanors can include a President’s violations of federal statute or failure to enforce federal statutes, especially if those actions include a gross dereliction of the President’s constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” History and good sense make clear that flagrant abuses of power and violations of the public trust are impeachable offenses.

A 1974 House Judiciary Committee report provides useful guidance on how Congress should consider presidential abuses of power when weighing impeachment. Such abuses encompass “conduct seriously incompatible with … the proper performance of constitutional duties of the presidential office.” The test for determining whether an abuse of power rises to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor requires that the facts “be considered as a whole in the context of the office, not in terms of separate or isolated events.” The question, in other words, is one of the President’s fundamental fitness for office and viability as the chief defender of the nation and its constitution. The inquiry is also a holistric one, taking into account the collection of related events and patterns of behavior.

The House of Representatives’ first impeachment of a president reflected the understanding that abuses of power may be impeachable without being criminal simply because such actions disqualify the President to lead the nation. Congress’ concern over Andrew Johnson’s fitness for office stemmed from his erratic, demagogic and deeply biggoted public opposition to Reconstruction––behavior that was summarized in his Articles of Impeachment as “utterances, declarations, threats and harangues, highly censurable in any, … peculiarly indecent and unbecoming in the Chief Magistrate of the United States.” The House’s charge that Johnson had “brought the high office of the President of the United States into contempt, ridicule and disgrace, to the great scandal of all good citizens,” was itself sufficient to establish the President’s commission “of a high misdemeanor in office.” The House also voted for impeachment based on the allegation that Johnson had dismissed the Secretary of War in violation of a (non-criminal) federal statute. The Senate famously failed to convict Johnson by a single vote. The test for impeachment, however, was clearly understood to be entirely distinct from a prosecutorial determination that the President engaged in criminal misconduct.

Similarly, the second Article of Impeachment against President Nixon listed several acts of egregious (non-criminal) wrongdoing that involved “using the powers of the office of President of the United States … in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” These included Nixon’s abuse of the FBI, the CIA and the IRS to harass his “enemies.”

Finally, it should be noted that impeachable offenses are not limited to actions taken while serving in government, but also include actions a President might take to win election through illicit or illegitimate means. In discussing the need for including the impeachment clauses in the Constitution, George Mason famously said, “Shall the man who has practiced corruption & by that means procured his appointment in the first instance, be suffered to escape punishment, by repeating his guilt?”

II. What’s in the Mueller Report

The lines of inquiry that Congress can pursue along the track of an impeachment inquiry include but are not limited to the specific lines of criminal investigation pursued by the Special Counsel.

Volume 1: Trump-Russia

With respect to Volume 1 of the report, the Special Counsel investigation focused specifically on whether Americans joined the Russian government’s two criminal conspiracies to interfere in the election (the conspiracy involving the hacking and release of stolen emails and the conspiracy involving the social media campaign).

In contrast, for impeachment purposes, Congress is not tied to questions of criminal law. The House could, for example, consider candidate Trump’s systematic public denials of contacts with Russia despite a secret, highly lucrative real estate deal with the Kremlin; the failure to warn federal authorities of the Russians’ secret efforts to support Trump and defeat his political opponents; and undisclosed connections with Russians that may have given the Kremlin leverage over the President and his associates once they assumed office.

This line of analysis is important when considering––for impeachment purposes––whether Trump acquired office through illicit or illegitimate means. Working in tandem with a foreign adversary (Russia) and a “non-state hostile intelligence service” (as then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo described  WikiLeaks) to help win election to the White House could amount to impeachable conduct. That’s true regardless of whether the underlying activity is currently prohibited by federal conspiracy or election law.

This line of analysis is also relevant to consideration of President Trump’s connections to Russia during his time in office. The authors of the Constitution were, in particular, concerned with foreign influence on a President. James Madison explained  that the power of impeachment was an important safeguard because it was “indispensable that some provision should be made for defending the Community [against] the incapacity, negligence or perfidy of the chief Magistrate. … He might betray his trust to foreign powers.”

Volume 2: Abuses of Power in Office

With respect to Volume 2 of the report, the Office of Special Counsel focused specifically on whether the President committed the crime of obstruction. But Congress, in considering impeachment, need not be so narrow in its criteria for assessing serious misconduct. The question is simply not limited to whether President Trump’s mental state, actions, and the effects of his behavior satisfied the discrete elements of the federal crime of obstruction. As the 1974 House Judiciary Committee report explained, the standard is whether Trump’s “conduct [was] seriously incompatible with … the proper performance of constitutional duties of the presidential office.”

Some of the most serious instances of abuses of power documented in the Mueller report include: 

1. The President’s holding onto the Attorney General’s resignation letter as leverage (“Priebus told Sessions it was not good for the President to have the letter because it would function as a kind of ‘shock collar’ that the President could use any time he wanted; Priebus said the President had ‘DOJ by the throat.’”);

2. The President’s ordering White House Counsel Don McGahn to enter a false record denying the President told McGahn to fire the Special Counsel (whether or not that action would deceive the press and the public or interfere more specifically with official proceedings in which McGahn was a witness);

3. The President’s meeting one-on-one with private citizen Corey Lewandowski and dictating a message for Lewandowski “to be delivered to Attorney General Sessions that would have had the effect of limiting the Russia investigation to future election interference only” (in carrying out this task, Lewandowski then contacted Sessions but “did not want to meet at the Department of Justice because he did not want a public log of his visit”);

4. The President’s issuing several orders that White House officials refused to carry out because the instructions were either illegal or otherwise seriously incompatible with the exercise of official duties and oversight of the Justice Department;

5. The President’s asking Attorney General Sessions in a private meeting to “‘take [a] look’ at investigating [Hillary] Clinton,”the President’s former political opponent (also in violation of the Attorney General’s required recusal); and 

6. The President’s intimidation of witnesses who had, in his words, “flip[ped]” or “rat” on him and his dangling of pardons, including through his personal attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Dowd.

This list is illustrative rather than comprehensive and is confined to the subject matter of the report.

Congress will undoubtedly try on Wednesday to focus public attention on criminal abuses of power, but should not lose sight of the fact that an argument over whether the President can be indicted may in the end distract from the full gravity of President Trump’s offenses, criminal or not. The special counsel’s report does, in this sense, speak for itself. But you have to listen in the right way to what it has to say. 

[360ne]

Donald Trump to grant pardons on last day in power

Outgoing US President Donald Trump has “unequivocally condemned” the January 6 breach of Congress by his supporters.

President Donald Trump began his final full day in the White House Tuesday with a long list of possible pardons to dish out before snubbing his successor Joe Biden’s inauguration and leaving for Florida.

On Wednesday at noon, Biden will be sworn in and the Trump presidency will end, turning the page on some of the most disruptive, divisive years the United States has seen since the 1960s.

Biden, a veteran Democratic senator who also served as vice president to Barack Obama, was set to travel to Washington on Tuesday with his wife Dr Jill Biden from their hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Together with incoming vice president Kamala Harris — the first woman ever to hold the job — Biden was due to deliver an evening address on the Covid-19 crisis, from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

By contrast, Trump has remained uncharacteristically silent as the clock ticks down to his departure to a new life in his Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Palm Beach.

Banned by Twitter for his stream of inflammatory messages and misinformation, he has largely stopped communicating with the nation. He has also yet to congratulate Biden or invite him for the traditional pre-inauguration cup of tea in the Oval Office.

Instead, Trump has spent his time meeting with a dwindling circle of loyalists who backed him during a doomed, two-month effort to overturn the results of the November election.

That effort culminated on January 6 with Trump encouraging a crowd to march on Congress.

After the crowd broke through police, killing one officer, and trashed the hallowed Capitol building, Trump was impeached for the second time in just over a year — another first in a presidency of many firsts.

His final Gallup poll as president on Monday showed him exiting with 34 percent approval, his record low. Trump’s overall average of 41 percent since taking office is also the lowest for any presidency’s approval rating since Gallup began measuring in 1938.

Biden, meanwhile, is putting the finishing touches to an inauguration that will feature a small crowd and massive security — more fallout from the pro-Trump riot, on top of existing concerns about Covid-19.

– Pardons –

Trump issued a scattering of last-minute orders on Monday, most notably a lifting of the travel bans imposed because of the coronavirus on most of Europe and Brazil.

Under Trump’s order, borders were to have reopened from January 26, almost a week after he leaves office. Responding almost immediately, Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the measure would not stand.

For Trump, the main piece of unfinished business is now the expected slew of pardons that he is reported to be preparing.

According to CNN and other US outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people he will grant clemency to.

After what The New York Times reports has been an intense lobbying effort, these are expected to be a mix of white-collar criminals and people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice activists.

More controversial possible pardons that have been the subject of speculation for months would be for the likes of Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Trump’s influential advisor Stephen Bannon.

If Trump gave himself or his family a pardon — something currently not expected, according to latest US reports — that would likely harden anger among previously fully supportive Republicans in the Senate, which is expected to start an impeachment trial soon after Biden takes office.

– Unity and fear –

Biden’s inaugural speech is expected to focus on his appeals for Americans to reunite and to take on the Covid-19 pandemic with new seriousness.

He is also set to announce a dramatic shift away from Trump’s “America First” ideology, taking the United States back to its traditions of alliance-building. This will begin with the new president ordering the United States back into the Paris climate accord on day one.

But the 78-year-old Democrat’s fervent appeals for optimism and healing are running up against the hard reality of multiple crises.

Covid-19 is out of control, vaccine distribution is stumbling, and economic recovery remains in the balance. And after Trump’s refusal to accept the results of November’s presidential election, the country is seething.

Biden will take the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol under the protection of more than 20,000 National Guard soldiers. Checkpoints and large zones closed to ordinary citizens mean there will be only a smattering of guests.

The acting defense secretary said Monday that the military and FBI were vetting the National Guard troopers, who carry automatic weapons, in case any of them pose a threat.

– Inauguration snub –

Trump, the first president to lose reelection since George H.W. Bush was replaced by Bill Clinton, will also be the first ex-president to snub his successor’s inauguration in a century and a half.

On Wednesday, he will depart for Florida from the White House early, in order to benefit from full presidential travel privileges up to the last minute.

Marine One will take him from the White House to Joint Base Andrews to catch Air Force One — the presidential plane that, from noon, will no longer be his to use.

[newstechreviews]

The stage at the “Harry Potter vs He Who Must Not Be Named” protest in Bangkok on Aug. 3 was decorated with images of the franchise’s villain, Lord Voldemort. The framed pictures were a not-so-subtle allusion to the portraits of Thailand’s king that typically festoon public spaces. As he prepared to address the crowd in a Harry Potter costume, 36-year-old human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa swapped his wand for a microphone and made the comparison explicit, shattering taboos around the country’s most hallowed institution.

“We seriously need to discuss the monarchy’s role in Thai politics,” he said.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek setup, the subject — and the risks involved — could not have been more serious. Thailand’s powerful sovereign is normally shielded by some of the world’s harshest royal defamation laws. A lèse majesté charge can mean a 15-year prison sentence under a law wielded as a tool of broader repression — “political weaponry in the guise of a legal system,” as Jakrapob Penkair, a former minister to the prime minister’s office, described it.

From the outset, the mostly student-led protests that have beset the country since July 18 have made veiled references to Thailand’s royalty through metaphors and jokes. “The People’s Party Isn’t Dead,” one early banner read, a reference to the political party that ended absolute monarchy in the 1932 revolution. Other placards drily asked about the weather in Germany, where the current king and his harem reportedly spend much of their time.

But Arnon was the first at the protests to stand up and articulate what has now become the movement’s most incendiary demand: curbing the palace’s powers. In 30 minutes, he defied pervasive self-censorship and helped launch an ongoing, public debate about the king.

Officially, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, with the king considered above politics. But throughout decades of political upheaval, the royal institution has wielded tremendous influence.

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA—AFP/Getty Images A protester holds up a three-finger salute at a rally in Bangkok on Aug. 16, 2020.

“People are sick and tired of living under a repressive regime,” Arnon tells TIME via a video call from Bangkok.

The 36-year-old has certainly lit a fuse. “He has sparked an important discussion in our society,” says Nuttaa Mahattana, a prominent activist.

In Arnon’s wake, a faction of students followed up with a 10-point manifesto calling for the pruning of the national budget allocated to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, estimated to be one of the world’s richest monarchs. The manifesto also called for an end to “public relations and education” that “excessively” glorifies the monarchy, an investigation into “the murder of those who criticized” the monarchy, and the abolition of the sovereign’s power to endorse coups, which have taken place multiple times in Thailand over the last century.

“Let it end in our generation,” has become a rallying cry, while protesters flash the three-fingered Hunger Games salute.

To be sure, many Thais remain supportive of the palace, an institution widely seen as almost sacred. “We are okay with evolution, but not revolution as this group has been trying to do,” says politician Warong Dechgitvigrom, who started a royalist counter-protest group called Thai Pakdee, or Loyal Thai. The group’s largest rally to date, held in Bangkok at the end of August, attracted around 1,000 supporters. Warong says they have no further protests planned; they are focusing instead on “educating the people” about the “anti-monarchist” protesters.

Within the protest movement, not everyone supports bringing the monarchy’s role into question. Some fear the controversy could jeopardize the other objectives, namely an overhaul of the political system and new elections under a revised constitution. But on Aug. 16, two weeks after Arnon first defied the taboo, more than 10,000 attended a rally — the largest since a military junta overthrew the last democratically elected government in 2014. Another big gathering is planned for Sept. 19. These aren’t the biggest protests in Thailand’s history, which has been riddled with uprisings and crackdowns. But they are unparalleled in their ambitions.

“It’s unprecedented in Thai history to see mass protests openly calling for reform of the monarchy,” says Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a journalist and author of A Kingdom in Crisis.

Read more: Why Are Thai Protesters Risking Up to 15 Years in Prison to Criticize the Monarchy?

Prayuth Chan-ocha, the junta leader turned prime minister, has warned protesters against challenging the royal establishment and said the kingdom could be “engulfed in flames” if demonstrations persist.

Since delivering his groundbreaking speech, Arnon has been in and out of jail, charged with sedition, among other crimes — and analysts and activists both fear that, like past protests, the upcoming one will be brutally quelled.

“There are some people [who] left [the] movement not because they disagree but they are afraid,” says Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, a student leader of the Free Youth Group. Still, he supports tackling the sensitive topic. “We need real political change in order to transform this country to a democracy … power belongs to the people.”

Others see the possibility of real change. “Even in the face of lèse majesté law, the youth are willing to talk openly about the monarchy,” says Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled critic of the monarchy who teaches in Japan at Kyoto University. “The walls protecting the monarchy are collapsing.”

Protesting against Thailand’s monarchy

With his boyish mop of unruly hair, Arnon hardly looks the part of an iconoclast. His friends and colleagues describe him as principled, dedicated and funny. Yet he has spent the past decade defending regime critics and those who know him well are not surprised he broke the muzzle on public discussion of the monarchy.

“This issue is his everyday life’s work,” says Chiranuch Premchaiporn, a co-founder of online news site Prachatai, who Arnon helped defend against lèse majesté charges.

The son of paddy-rice farmers in Thailand’s northeastern Roi Et province, Arnon grew up in the rural heartland known for its antipathy toward the Bangkok-based establishment. Arnon ascribes his political awakening amid the color-coded protests that followed the 2006 coup, when Red Shirt supporters of populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra battled Yellow Shirt royalists.

“I grew up in the climate of rallies,” he tells TIME.

Seeing the harassment of villagers campaigning for environmental rights inspired him to become a lawyer. But he soon specialized in clients facing lèse majesté cases, fighting a law he considers an anachronistic political cudgel. (The law is also wielded for personal vendettas, since anybody can bring a complaint under the law against anyone else. “Not only you can be charged by the authorities, but also by your neighbors or your family members,” says Chiranuch. “They are all playing the role of vigilantes.”)

Anusak Laowilas—NurPhoto/Getty ImagesHuman rights lawyer Arnon Nampa holds a poster during election protests in Bangkok, Thailand on April 7, 2019.

Enforcement of defamation laws surged after Prayuth seized power, according to International Federation for Human Rights, with 105 people arrested between May 2014 and May 2017. One was against a 61-year-old grandfather who died while serving a 20-year sentence for sending what were considered anti-royal text messages to a secretary of the then prime minister.

In response to growing repression after the 2014 coup, Arnon co-founded Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which provides free legal support to dissidents. He also raised funds for political prisoners and joined anti-coup protests.

As his activism increased, Arnon became a mainstay in court not just as a lawyer, but as a defendant. He says he’s lost count of the charges that have racked up against him, including some related to 2018 protests calling for fair elections. Despite his latest, five-day stint in jail earlier this month related to the protests (when he notes his shaggy hair became a “prison cut”), he remains undeterred.

“I want my daughter to grow up in a society where she can enjoy her freedom, her liberties, and live in a society with equality,” he tells TIME while the four-year-old plays in the background.

Thailand’s monarchy and politics

For Arnon and increasing numbers of demonstrators in the streets, the root of Thailand’s problems lie in its monarchical traditions.

“We know that this dictatorship serves the monarchy closely,” he says. “If we don’t fix the monarchy, we can’t fix anything else.”

According to the constitution, the king is “enthroned in a position of revered worship.” The military backs the palace’s position as Thailand’s highest moral authority, with its chief taking an unprecedented oath last year to support only a government loyal to the king. Despite being theoretically removed from the nation’s turbulent politics, the palace has acted as the final arbiter after coups formally endorsing each political overthrow since at least 1947. After disputed elections last year, King Vajiralongkorn gave his approval to former junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha’s military-heavy cabinet.

Since taking the throne in 2016, Vajiralongkorn has concentrated power and wealth even as he spends most of his time overseas. With changes to the constitution, he made it easier to rule from abroad, brought two important army regiments under his command and gained ownership of the Crown Property Bureau, a vast real estate and investments portfolio valued at $33 billion, according to a semi-official 2011 biography on Vajiralongkorn’s father.

“Most Thais are appalled that the king is living in Germany with his harem instead of staying in Thailand during the pandemic,” says Marshall, the journalist. “But the main concerns for Thais are his extravagant cruelty and hunger for power.”

Read more: Why This Thai Billionaire Is Risking It All to Back Reform of the Monarchy

In March, a Thai hashtag translating as “#WhyDoWeNeedaKing?” was used more than a million times on Twitter. Royalist Marketplace, a private Facebook group critical of the monarchy, had over a million followers before the Thai government demanded Facebook block the page. Within a week, a replacement appeared.

Social media has not only helped loosen taboos around questioning the monarchy, but also disseminated protest speeches like Arnon’s to wide audiences.

“It’s the first time this discussion has been so mainstream,” says Nuttaa, the activist, adding that she live-streamed Arnon’s speech.

In the past, speaking out has had deadly repercussions. Several exiled dissidents have gone missing and are presumed dead. Two turned up in the Mekong river, their bodies stuffed with concrete, in December 2018. This current round of protests was in part sparked by the abduction of a Thai activist from Cambodia in June, and the psychiatric institutionalization of another man for wearing a t-shirt that said he had lost faith in the monarchy.

“From now on, no one else who speaks about the monarchy should be accused of being mad, of being insane, or carried off to hospital even though they are speaking the truth,” Arnon told the crowd at the Harry Potter protest.

MANAN VATSYAYANA—AFP/Getty ImagesThailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn is carried in a golden palanquin during the coronation procession in Bangkok on May 5, 2019.

What’s next for Thailand?

While the protests do not have a single leader, many of the rally organizers are young activists who study at Bangkok’s top universities and are the children of conservative, urban elites. This marks departure from past movements that revolved around prominent politicians and pitted rural agitators against the establishment in Bangkok.

Thailand’s last big mobilization of student protesters in 1976 ended after state forces massacred demonstrators on the lawn of Thammasat University. Analysts say authorities have avoided a hard crackdown on the current protests for fear it could galvanize a bigger turnout. In June, the prime minister said the king, in his “mercy,” had instructed the government not to enforce lèse majesté — even if other laws, like sedition and the cyber crimes act, are being used to squash dissent.

Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri tells TIME authorities “want to keep it peaceful.” He adds: “We will try to listen to their points and protect them in terms of public safety.”

Army Chief Apirat Kongsompong has not been so receptive. “COVID-19 is a curable disease,” he said in a recent speech, “but hating the nation, hating one’s own country, this is a disease that is not curable.”

The palace and the king meanwhile have kept silent.

The protests come amid a difficult time for the country, which escaped the worst of the pandemic, but has been hard hit by the evaporation of tourism. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is now expected to contract by 8.5% this year, the worst decline in Asia.

The economic crunch and latest round of political turmoil pose the biggest challenge to Prayuth since he claimed power in 2014. While he has pledged to restore democracy, many young people see his administration as doing little to improve the country’s prospects, while instead more firmly entrenching the military’s role in government.

In long-awaited elections last year, young people turned out for new, progressive parties. But a 2017 constitution that was drafted by the military returned the generals to power, and installed Prayuth — who had campaigned on a platform of preserving Thai culture and loyalty to the king — as prime minister.

The people, says Arnon, “cannot put up with it anymore.” At stake, he adds, is nothing less than Thailand’s democratic future, a prospect already waylaid by several cycles of military intervention.

Arnon sees a crackdown as inevitable. But he and others fear further democratic erosion if the nation slides back into greater monarchical control.

“I think our goal is worthy for everyone in Thailand. It is so worthy that we activists and protesters are willing to sacrifice our personal freedom in order for a chance to attain these goals,” he says.

For now, he has already achieved at least one previously unthinkable feat in Thailand: breaking the silence around the monarchy.

—Additional reporting by Navaon Siradapuvadol

[thesevenseraphs]

Bungie Weekly Update - 9/21/17

This week at Bungie, we are welcoming back some old friends.

First off, if you still haven’t finished the Destiny 2 campaign, there will be some SPOILERS in this blog post. If you haven’t learned the fate of the City, yet, you should definitely go play through it right now. We’ll still be here waiting for you. Seriously, go do it now!

Now that you’ve defeated Ghaul, we are ready for a special event called

Faction Rallies. Starting on September 26 at 2 AM Pacific, you will be able to volunteer your services in support of your favorite faction, or the one that holds the loot you most desire.

We spoke with Senior Designer Tim Williams to find out what Faction Rallies is and how players can join in on the fun.

Tim Williams: Each of the factions of the Tower is having a rally to collect resources for its cause. They’re recruiting Guardians to gather supplies for their faction and destroy enemy resources. They’ll offer a suite of rewards to help the Guardians rise up against any enemy threats. As an incentive, each faction has set aside a powerful weapon to entice players to choose their side. The faction whose Guardians collect the most faction packages will be declared the winner. The winning faction will offer the weapon to everyone, but all who pledged loyalty will receive it with a huge discount as repayment for their contributions to their faction’s cause.

Arach Jalaal from Dead Orbit, Lakshmi-2 from Future War Cult, and Executor Hideo of New Monarchy will return to the Tower to ask you to pledge your loyalty. Before you can make this choice, you must first reach Level 20 and gain access to the Tower. You will only be able to pledge to one faction per character

Once you have chosen your side, your mission will be to return to the wild and complete activities in support of your faction. You can do public events, explore Lost Sectors, complete strikes, clear the raid, or compete in the Crucible. As you complete these activities, you will be rewarded with faction tokens that you can turn in for packages full of loot.

Dead Orbit

Future War Cult 

New Monarchy

In addition to all of the gear on display above, each faction will be offering a special weapon as a reward to be sold if they emerge victorious. Everyone who pledged to the winning faction will be able to purchase it for 1,000 glimmer. Anyone who did not pledge can still get it, but will have to pay a higher price of 50,000 glimmer. Here’s what is up for grabs during this event.

Dead Orbit Scout Rifle

Future War Cult Pulse Rifle

New Monarchy Sidearm 

You can earn faction Tokens to turn into your faction of choice all the way up until 2 AM Pacific on October 3. We will declare a winner later that day at 10 AM Pacific. Good luck Guardians, and may the best faction win!

Destiny 2 Art Parade Bungie houses a roster of incredible artists. All of the gorgeous armor, weapons, characters, environments, and everything else your eyes get to admire in Destiny 2 is created by many, many talented people. Now that you’ve had a fair chance to experience their work (we did warn you to finish that campaign), we’ve invited them to pick some of their favorite pieces to share with you. If you click any of their names, you will be able to browse even more of their beautiful creations in their personal portfolios. This is just a small sample of artists from our Art team. Hopefully we can encourage more of them to share their work with you in the future. There are some SPOILERS below if you have Destiny 2 adventures that still await you. Rosa Lee, Aaron Wehrmeister, Mike Jensen

Allan Lee, Ken Osuna

Jared Trulock, Corinne Scrivens, Dima Goryainov

Tyler Bartley, MacKay Clark

Aaron de Leon, Joshua Morrison

Lee Hinds, Ryan Choi, Chelsea Velazquez

Roderick Weise, Alex Velazquez

Ethan Scheu, An-Tim Nguyen

Andrew Hackathorn, Brandon Campbell

Jeremy Baldwin

Madison Parker, Kevin Whitmeyer

Ryan Kamins, Tony Arechiga

Dorje Bellbrook, Joseph Biwald

Thad Steffen, Mike Stavrides

Guided Raids

Guided Games will become available for seekers seeking clans to show them the mysteries of the Leviathan on Tuesday, September 26, at 10 AM Pacific. It’s just over a week into the Guided Games Beta, and we want to update you on how things are going before we open it up for those brave enough to take on the Raid.

Senior Designer Steve Dolan

is on hand to give us a better idea of how Guided Games work.

How have Guided Games been going?

Steve: So far, over 100 ,000 seekers have been guided through the Nightfall strike. Throughout those games, over 90% of Nightfall attempts have resulted in completion.  Even when the activity is hard, Guardians fight it out to the end.  You’re an amazing community and we love hearing stories about players meeting their new clan through Guided Games.

Some players don’t have mics, or have trouble speaking. Do they have to be in a voice chat?

Steve: Even if you’re unable to speak over a mic, being able to listen in on chat can make a huge difference in your team’s success. Nightfalls and raids are pinnacle content, designed and tuned so that communication between players is essential to success. Guides and seekers are not forced to join the same chat channel after they land in the pre-game lobby, but are strongly encouraged to do so before the fireteam leader starts the guided game. If you use in-game chat you should already all be in a chat channel together. Guides, if you’re in a PSN or Xbox party, be sure to invite your seeker to chat.

Does finishing a Guided Game version of an activity advance milestones?

Steve: Yes, even though the UI tooltip doesn’t mention the milestone, it will advance when you finish the Guided Game version of the activity.

How does a clan get punished for being a jerk?

Steve: We review all reports on clan identity information and take action on objectionable clans.  If you come across a clan with an offensive name, mission statement, or motto, file a report and we’ll take a look. If you’re at the front of the queue for Guided Games, we’ll hold your spot in line until you’re done with your report.

If a clan doesn’t lead a good Guided Game, their Oathkeeper score will go down. To get credit for a good Guided Game it must either finish successfully, last as long as the activity or Guardian Oath, or end with an agreement to disband. When you get to the front of the guided game seeker queue, make sure to check out a clans Oathkeeper score before selecting them for the activity you’re about to start.

If players are being offensive to you during a gaming session, you should report that player via the in-game and console reporting functions.

What if the Oathkeeper score is blank?

Steve: We don’t give a Clan an Oathkeeper score until they’ve run at least four Guided Games of an activity. You can skip them or choose to trust a clan who has just begun to host Guided Games.

When players match with a clan, do they have to wait again if they reject that clan? What happens after they reject a clan?

Steve: We want you to be able to select a clan you want to play with. When a seeker gets to the front of the line, we show you a clan with which you have a good internet connection. If you say no to that clan, you’ll go right back to the front of the line where you will match with a new clan soon. Find one that looks good to you before clicking “accept”.

Sometimes life happens and players need to leave before they finish. How do they leave without getting an oath breaker penalty?

Steve: When you bring up your Ghost Nav Mode menu, there is an option to vote to abandon the activity.  During a Nightfall, if all three players vote to abandon the guided game, the Guardian oath buff will fade and players are free to leave without penalty. If you want to stick together to try the activity again outside of Guided Games, be sure to get everyone into a platform party so that you can invite everyone to the new fireteam.

In the Know

Community Management is about more than telling jokes on Twitter. Responding to issues we diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve is a team effort. The tip of that spear is Destiny Player Support.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 1.0 .3: Server Maintenance and Downtime

Destiny 2 will be taken offline on Monday September 25 for server maintenance. Players will be required to download and install Destiny 2 Update 1.0.3 upon maintenance completion.6 AM PDT (2 PM UTC): Players will no longer be able to sign in to Destiny 2.7 AM PDT (3 PM UTC): All online players will be removed from Destiny12 PM PDT (10 PM UTC): Expected maintenance conclusion, Destiny 2 Update 1.0.3 available.For steps on how to install a Destiny 2 Update, please see the Installing and Updating Destiny Guide. Stay tuned to @BungieHelp for all announcements regarding upcoming server maintenance, status, and downtime.

Destiny 2 Known Issues:

The following issues have been confirmed, and are actively being investigated by appropriate teams:

Trials of the Nine was not disabled properly at this week’s ritual reset. Moving forward, players should expect this activity to be available each Friday at 10 AM PDT through Tuesday at 2 AM PDT.

The quest step “His Highness’s Seal” is not properly incrementing when players acquire Emperor Seals.

Occasionally, objects aren’t properly spawning within the Exodus Crash Nightfall strike. Players may need to relaunch the activity for objectives to properly spawn.

Public event completions are not properly granting Clan XP upon completion.

Clan Engrams are not being rewarded to some qualifying players. NOTE: If a player leaves a clan and joins a new clan mid-week, they will not be able to earn further Clan Engrams until the following weekly reset.

If a player creates a new character after an alternate character has earned a raid key on a given week, the key will be erroneously removed from character Inventory. NOTE: Raid keys are removed, by design, with each weekly ritual reset.

Eververse: Query Failed

We have recently identified and are working with our partners to address issues that are causing some players to encounter delays in receiving their purchased Silver due to “Silver Sync Pending” or “Query Failed” errors.If a Silver purchase has been made but has not yet appeared in-game, players may need to follow the below troubleshooting steps.

Fully close the Destiny game application

Clear the console cache

Relaunch Destiny

Select any character

Silver should be credited directly to your inventory.

[baoanhwin]

If You’re in a Glasshouse …..

During Corbyn’s leadership, Labour was relentlessly attacked by the Tories, their supporters and cheerleaders in the press for the many failings which, they said, made Labour unfit to run the  country. Worth dwelling on the accusations for what they tell us about today’s Tories.

A sympathiser with IRA terrorism: well-worn, repeated on every possible occasion and, combined with his associations with various dubious Palestinian groups and past statements about the causes of Islamist terrorism, the Tories happily painted a picture of a man who seemed, well, ambivalent about the use of terror against civilians, if it was in support of a cause he supported. A man who, a week after the Brighton bombing, invited the convicted IRA volunteers, Linda Quigley and Gerry MacLochlainn, to the Commons, to the disgust of many in his own party – let alone the Tories. 35 years later Johnson was still berating Corbyn about it.

Anti–semitism: little more to be said on this, at least until the EHRC report comes out. The damage was caused at least as much by who Corbyn had associated with (those Holocaust deniers would keep on popping up at events where Corbyn was present) as by his own actions. The Tories enthusiastically adopted the maxim that you can judge a man by the company he keeps.

An unwillingness to stand up to Russia: Corbyn’s response to the Salisbury poisonings was used to show a man who did not take the Russian threat seriously, whether because of ideological sympathy by him or his advisors (Seamus Milne being particularly helpful in this regard) or simple naivety about Russia’s intentions.

An automatic anti-Western bias: all too easy to present Corbyn’s approach to foreign policy as little more than “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”. Any country or cause which criticised the West, no matter how awful themselves, found favour: Iran, the Serbs during Yugoslavia’s bloody civil war, Venezuela. It sometimes seemed that concern for human rights was less about those deprived of them and more about how to use the concept to beat up whoever Corbyn disliked most.

An obsession with identity politics: as if all politics is not at some level about “identity” (the Brexit campaign waves hello). Still, the accusation went, Labour was unwilling to speak up for white working-class girls in its heartlands for fear of confronting other client groups and/or being accused of racism. It betrayed those suffering from child abuse on the altar of political correctness. Tom Watson’s parti pris accusations against senior Tories must have infuriated those thinking child abuse too vile a crime to be used for political advantage.

Nepotism and cronyism: Corbyn’s son working for McDonnell, Andrew Murray’s daughter appointed to a plum Labour Party role, McCluskey’s old squeeze to another. All very cosy and incestuous.

So you’d think, wouldn’t you, that the Tories would not fall into the same traps, that they would take care about who they associate with, who they promote, who they praise and elevate? Apparently not, if those nominated by the government to be peers is anything to go by. Deemed suitable to be a member of our legislature are:- 

A woman who has consistently denied the war crimes carried out by the Bosnian Serbs against Bosnian Muslims, who – as publisher (of Living Marxism) – was found by a court to have libelled two ITV journalists who reported the facts about what was happening, who dismissed the court’s decision, after the verdict likening the two journalists to David Irving because they had both brought litigation – ignoring the critical difference between them. (Perhaps the differences between telling the truth and inventing facts might be a worthy topic for a future Moral Maze programme.) Certainly, disregard for facts and dismissal of court rulings is now very a la mode. Ms Fox was simply ahead of her time. If you want an example of the intellectually dishonest reasoning of the founder of The Academy of Ideas on this topic, read here. The inability to understand the difference between the denial of established facts and shutting down unpopular opinions would disgrace an averagely bright A-level student. As Deborah Lipstadt, a woman who knows a thing or two about genocide denial, has put it: everyone is free to have their own opinions; they are not free to invent their own facts.

Ms Fox did not have much regard then for freedom of speech though, strangely, when it came to child abuse and jihadist videos, her concern was all for freedom of speech including, apparently, the freedom to disseminate films of criminal offences, though she apparently knows (how?) that most child abuse videos are “simulated”. Nor – more grotesquely – has she ever resiled from or apologised for her pro-IRA views and their campaign of violence before 1998, a campaign which killed and injured, not just thousands of innocents in Ireland and Britain, but 3 Tory MPs, their wives and tried to assassinate a PM.

What a forgiving party the current Tory party now is! Poor Jeremy must be wondering why no forgiveness was extended to him. Perhaps it might have been, had he been pro-Brexit. After all, that’s why she has been elevated, isn’t it, pro-Brexit views being the British equivalent of medieval Catholic indulgences wiping away all other sins? But if the quota for pro-Brexit media loudmouths simply had to be filled, couldn’t Daniel Hannan be prevailed upon? Or Ann Widdecombe, in extremis?

A former editor of the Evening Standard (previously deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph, when Johnson was a columnist there) who strongly supported the PM in his first election for London Mayor 12 years ago. A 2018 CBE for services to the arts since did not suffice apparently. 

The current owner of the Evening Standard, who together with his father, a former KGB agent until 1992, has made oodles of money which he has used to buy his way into the higher echelons of London society, much as described in the ISC’s recent report on Russia (pp.15-17). Look who’s being naïve now. 

The PM’s brother, an MP for 9 years, a junior Minister for 3, mainly known for having resigned twice as a Minister, the second time from his brother’s government, over Brexit. He then chose not to stand again as an MP. However worthy, it’s not exactly a lifetime of public service.

Ambivalence towards violence, naivety about Britain’s enemies, associating with undesirables, cronyism, nepotism, revolting views. We have them all. Johnson has not just adopted Labour’s public spending but their less desirable “values” as well. And added some Grade A hypocrisy into the mix, so that we can enjoy the spectacle of those railing against unelected European bureaucrats appointing unelected legislators that the people can never get rid of or hold accountable.

What have we missed in the meanwhile? Well, the setting up of a panel to come up with curbs on judicial review, led by a QC and former Minister, who in February wrote that the government should limit the courts’ power (impartial tribunals are so passé). Edward Faulks’ other claim to fame was being advisor to Chris Grayling when he was Lord Chancellor and enacted reforms to Legal Aid which have pretty much destroyed it and, in consequence, the ability of anyone other than the wealthy to access justice.

The panel’s terms of reference are here, clause 4(b) being the important one, seeking to remove or limit the “duty of candour” by the government to the court and other parties. In short, if the government does not have to be honest in its explanations (and remember, this was a government which could find no-one willing to swear on oath what the reasons for proroguing Parliament last year were), how can it be effectively scrutinised or challenged? Why should the people know? They exist just to be venerated when it suits the government politically, not to be treated as adults and trusted with information so that they can hold the government properly accountable. Once again, the government gives the impression that its attitude to law is as described by Anarchasis: “Written laws are like spiders’ webs; they catch the weak and poor but are torn in pieces by the rich and powerful.”

There is one thing to be grateful for. We need never again be troubled by Tories railing about Labour’s attitude to terrorist violence or child abuse or fondness for unelected elites or being too pro-Russian or having dodgy friends or being run by cronies. We know now – if we did not before – that such concern is so much cant, useful only as a political weapon. And if they try, we can point at Johnson’s very own “Lavender List”, perfumed with the stink of hypocrisy, nepotism and cronyism, and laugh. Small mercies, these days.

Cyclefree

from politicalbetting.com https://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2020/08/04/if-youre-in-a-glasshouse/ https://dangky.ric.win/

[fireandgloryrpg]

Name: Roberta “Bobbi” Truman

Age: 28

Faceclaim: Ashley Moore

Heritage: Daughter of Athena

Affiliation: Citizen of New Rome

Status: Taken (played by Micah)

Headcanons:

Bobbi is a member of Mensa, one of her brothers once told her that there was no way that a girl could’ve ever joined the elite group of intellectuals known as Mensa and she found herself more determined than ever to join.

Bobbi is ambidextrous, it is one of her greatest prides. As a freshman she used to take two sets of notes at the same time so that her handwriting wouldn’t be better on one hand than on the other. But then she met Leo and found she couldn’t concentrate enough on one set of notes, let alone two.

Bobbi is a pacifist. She’ll fight monsters to survive but that is as far as it goes. She’d never raise a hand to hurt another human, especially because of the Hippocratic oath that she took. She takes it incredibly seriously.

PERSONALITY:

Snarky, Soft, Thoughtful, Intelligent, Cunning, Nosey.

Biography:

!! tw: cancer mention !!

Roberta Truman was born on Valentines day. Her parents were Anthropologists at the University of Berkeley and when her father achieved tenure they settled down permanently in California. Roberta was the youngest of four. All of her brothers played football and were loud. They were typical teenagers. Her parents had their hands full with three boys that all played linebacker, especially considering the amount of alcohol they consumed, not to mention the trouble they got themselves into. So when Bobbi came along, a love child that formed from the minds of Robert and Stephanie Truman and the goddess of Wisdom Athena herself, the truth was that Robert and Stephanie didn’t have as much time for their little princess as they should have.

An early bout with prostate cancer put Robert on bed rest for a year and Roberta made it her personal mission to look out for her father, doing everything she could to nurse him back to health. They’d spend hours together, doing crosswords, sudokus and watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and other trivia shows. That was when Roberta became Bobbi. That was also when she knew that she wanted to become a doctor. Once her first patient was back on his feet, Bobbi dedicated herself to working towards her goal, becoming the number one neurosurgeon in the country. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but her motivation was legendary.

School was a flurry of work, Bobbi so focused on her goal that she often gave up opportunities to socialise. She lost count of how many sleepovers, birthday parties and shopping trips she missed because she would rather attend a lecture or learn something new. The public library just a few blocks from her house became her second home and by the time she got into high school she had basically perfect grades. But she knew the importance of being well rounded, she’d always loved dancing and so Ballet had seemed like a natural step. Her mother taught her to figure skate when she was much younger and so she’d taken that up too, getting to state levels on both.

Bobbi started high school on a literal high, her grades couldn’t have been better. Her extra curricular achievements were off the charts and she had just won an ice skating trophy. It would just be three short years of high school (she planned on graduating early) and then she’d be in New York, becoming the best neurosurgeon in the country.

Then things took a turn and she met Leopold Karavadra, or just Leo for short.

She didn’t know exactly when she fell in love with him, but before she knew it she’d found the first thing in her life that could distract her from her life goal. Despite the fact that she could’ve graduated early – and in fact she’d planned on graduating early – Bobbi found herself doing all of high school. She told herself it was to come out as a fully rounded student but she knew that it was because she couldn’t bear to leave Leo or her friends a year earlier than she needed to.

When she eventually did leave, she was on her own. There was no Leo, he refused to leave his family and despite the million tiny pieces of what was left of her heart after it ended, she couldn’t find it in herself to blame him. But she wasn’t going to put her life on hold for a boy who wasn’t ready to do the same thing for her, even if she knew deep down that the choice was removed from his hands. She went across the country to Columbia in New York and studied pre-med. Next was medical school and specialization and it wasn’t soon before she was well on her way to study neurosurgery.

She was actually happy. New York was a perfect fit for her. She’d met a beautiful young lawyer named Andrew. Then she was attacked by something she knew didn’t exist. Women with wings were harpies, she’d done mythology a few times before and she knew what this was, but she only got out alive because of a protector who just happened to be in the area. The Satyr took her back to Camp Half Blood and explained the situation, shaken, Bobbi spent a month in the Athenian cabin doing research. Once she left she knew that the only place where she could live a safe and productive life was in New Rome and after applying for a position within their hospital she made the move across the country.

There were some good things with moving, she had an excuse to ditch Andrew – who she’d been growing apart from for years (despite the fact he’d just asked her to marry him) – and she’d be closer to her parents. Maybe she’d get to see Leo (if it were safe of course, she’d never put his life at risk for her), that was if the Romans even accepted her into their city. Though she was facing a lot of opposition, Bobbi was more confident than ever.

[oliveratlanta]

How roommates of Atlanta are coping with each other amid the coronavirus pandemic

Making the most of shared, confined spaces has been the order of the day for younger Atlantans for a month. | Shutterstock

“We’re all scared—of getting sick, of economic fallout, of being far from those we love—and that simple fact inspires us to make home as delightful as possible”

Enlisting a roommate, in large part, entails swearing an unwritten oath—that a life in close proximity is inevitable, and that a person’s day-to-day will probably impact that of their companions.

It can be challenging in normal times. Imagine a life in constant close proximity to others—in some cases, former strangers—amid a global pandemic.

Curbed Atlanta reached out to readers, aiming to paint a microcosmic picture of what living with roommates looks like for Atlanta millennials and others right now. People, that is, who might never have intended to spend so much time together, unlike Atlanta families, but who are finding ways to make the best of it.

Right now, across the city, roommates are reconciling matters that might otherwise be infuriating—inappropriate music-blaring, unruly guest-visits, lackluster dish-doing—and seeking out ways to make forced isolation that much more palatable.

Personally, I find myself largely in the “blessed” category, locked in a lease with two roommates who take this pandemic seriously—one of whom won’t let me forget the casualty count that COVID-19 has caused. It’s a delicate dance, discussing and debating the most hopeful and dire possible impacts of the outbreak, all the time.

Some folks, of course, have been drinking themselves toward serenity, a fleeting balm for their anxieties and boredom as the precarious nature of the crisis continues. Others are devouring books, movies, television shows, and uplifting mundanities, like made-from-scratch pastries.

Chris Richards, an Atlantan with one roommate, shared that, all things considered, “We’re having a pretty happy time of it,” adding that she’s welcomed “lots of pop-ins from friends during their daily walks (they stay on the street while we’re up on the porch).”

While Richards has been laid off during the pandemic, her roommate works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “so she’s pretty busy working from home.”

Gabe Austin, who “recently moved to Gresham Park with two strangers,” is making do with about 1,300 square feet.

“We’re not exactly on top of each,” he told Curbed in an email. “I still spend lots of time outside to keep distance, which I like regardless. I could still use even more of that, though, to be frank.”

Austin said he’s bickered with his roommates, but it hasn’t been anything they couldn’t overcome.

Then there’s Allison Burnette, another Atlantan who unpacked her bags with two complete strangers “one week into quarantine.”

She’s one of the few who’s found solace amid so much uncertainty.

“My former roommate, who also happens to be my sister and dearest friend, was fortunate enough to get married just before coronavirus swept the nation,” Burnette wrote in an email to Curbed. “After a whirlwind wedding weekend, a week of self-quarantine and a dozen FaceTime calls to weigh my options, I bit the bullet and moved. With my life in boxes and a few great friends to carry it all, I settled in with the girls who would become my community in the midst of social distancing.”

Andrew Rybalko/Shutterstock

She described the early stages of the arrangement as “an awkward dance.”

Exactly how distant are we to be? When—if at all—might visits from friends be permitted?

“Thankfully, their seriousness around COVID-19 matched my own, putting us all at ease,” she wrote. “In the days to come, we made a concerted effort to learn as much as we could about each other. Suddenly our rhythms, families, hobbies, and Netflix preferences were critical links in finding common ground.”

Just a few weeks into their “new, temporary normal,” Burnette said, “we make time to write letters to faraway friends.”

“When a day is more stressful than it should be, we set out for a hike on the trails near our house, or gather in the living room to read in shared silence,” she noted. “We’re all scared—of getting sick, of economic fallout, of being far from those we love—and that simple fact inspires us to make home as delightful as possible.”

On Friday, Burnette celebrated one roommate’s 30th birthday, attempting to recreate her cancelled Savannah trip with a festive, socially distant celebration within their apartment complex.

On Easter, they dressed up in their Sunday best and downed mimosas before retiring to their respective rooms to for live-streams of services from their respective churches.

Even in these bewildering, unfortunate times, Burnette has discovered optimism.

“It’s all just a week at a time, finding bright spots where we can and creating them ourselves when we can’t see any up ahead,” she said. “In strange times, it turns out strangers may be the very best antidote. Our collective experience [was] forging a quick closeness, one I hope humanity finds on a larger scale.”

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2020/4/13/21218567/coronavirus-atlanta-pandemic-roommate-covid-19

[syndicate-rp-blog]

↟ Curious, Hardworking, Open-minded

↡  Obstinate, Quixotic, Impulsive

↠ Can solve a rubix cube in under a minute (even when intoxicated)

↞  Andrew Garfield

“Primum Non Nocere”

               “First, do no harm”

An ironic tattoo for someone serving Detroit’s most elite crime syndicate, but Ezra takes his Hippocratic oath very seriously. He won’t kill, not even on command from those stationed much higher than him on the food chain, but you’d be hard pressed to find a doctor as skilled, patient, or precise. Ezra grew up in the heart of downtown Detroit with his parents and two younger siblings. His mother, a witch with competency in blood magic, had learned to combine her supernatural gifts with modern medicine to heal people in extraordinary ways. She opened a medical compound and designated it as a “neutral facility,” willing to treat anyone who landed themselves in the clinic without any regard to which criminal organization they belonged to. Her open-door policy and impartial empathy gained her respect and even gangs with turf wars dating back decades acknowledged a ceasefire within the compound walls. His father, a werewolf approaching his 5th century of life, acted as the guard to the family’s operation and Ezra grew up learning from both of them that it was not his place to judge the people who came through their clinic doors, only to help them.

Unfortunately, the police did not take kindly to his family. His parents often turned away officers who did not have warrants and refused to cooperate in handing over blood samples or other physical evidence that belonged to their patients. They made powerful enemies within the force but for the majority of his life, Ezra always perceived their dynamic as nothing more than a stalemate. That all changed when his father was taken into custody for a crime he didn’t commit. His father’s body had been discovered the morning after a full moon, bloody and bruised, beside a young woman who’d been brutally murdered the night before. Although there was no way for his father to explain to the court that he’d been overpowered while trying to defend the young woman from a pack of freshly turned aggressive wolves, there was still a significant amount of evidence that suggested he couldn’t possibly have been the killer. But any proof that existed was quickly dismissed and information that could have saved his case was withheld by the district attorney. The girl’s family, as wealthy as they were ruthless, simply wanted to see someone put away for their daughter’s murder and that’s exactly what they got. His father was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

With his father in jail there was no one to defend his mother or her clinic. She was arrested shortly after on at least 50 counts of “obstruction of justice for impeding a police investigation.” Without money for a proper lawyer her case was as open-and-shut as his father’s and she received a 10 year sentence. In a matter of weeks Ezra had become the man of the house. He still had mountains of debt he owed after just graduating from medical school and now his two younger siblings, although legally adults, were looking to him to take care of their tuition as well. How could he afford all of their schooling, the rent, repairs for the clinic, and a salary for the nurses who were still doing their best to operate the place? Heartbroken, Ezra sold the medical compound. As he was cleaning out his mother’s desk he came across something interesting. A fancy looking business card attached to a thank you note. “APEX GLOBAL SOLUTIONS” was stamped across the front and for Ezra it might as well have been Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. He’d spent his whole life around crime and swore to his parents that he’d never actually get involved. But what did it matter now? They needed a medic just as badly as anybody else and they’d be willing to pay him ten times as much as any hospital in the city. Money talked in a town like Detroit, he could use the cash to help set things right with his parents and maybe even reopen the clinic someday. And if he got to send a giant middle finger to the institutions that had robbed him of his family in the process? Well, that served him just fine.

[stopkingobama]

Globalists announce impeachment plan against Trump

Photo: CC0

Liberal billionaire Tom Steyer recently announced that he will be spending about $10 million on an ad campaign for Congress to impeach President Donald Trump.

On top of the violation of many progressive policy goals, Steyer said that Trump should be removed from office because “people in Congress and his own administration know that this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons.”

Steyer said in one of these commercials that Trump “brought us to the brink of nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI, and in direct violation of the Constitution, he’s taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth.”

Steyer may just be using the impeachment campaign for publicity to run for office, but he’s tapping into the feelings of a larger movement.

Progressives are hoping that some kind of deus ex machina, some out-of-the-blue miracle, will bail them out of the Trump presidency.

So they’ve cooked up half-baked resignation scenarios, divined obscure constitutional solutions, and have even called for what amounts to a military coup.

Actress Chelsea Handler actually suggested on Twitter that the “generals” should overthrow Trump.

It’s not really worth analyzing how using banana republic-style solutions will prevent authoritarianism, as there doesn’t seem to be much ardor for this solution. And anyway, some are saying that the presence of generals in the Trump administration is the reason he should be deposed.

It’s sometimes hard to keep this straight.

Yet it’s not just anonymous Twitter activists and uninformed celebrities who are concocting these wild theories. It’s prominent members of the intellectual left.

Fairy Tales and Miracles

Cass Sunstein, former President Barack Obama’s drug czar and another Harvard professor, recently released a book making the case for a more expansive reading of the impeachment clauses of the Constitution that extends beyond “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

As with much of Sunstein’s work, he combines the outward appearance of adherence to the Constitution while insinuating that the Founders just couldn’t understand the issues of our day.

“Once we combine party loyalties with the Constitution’s procedure, it becomes reasonable to fear that a tyrant won’t be booted out of office,” Sunstein wrote in a Bloomberg editorial. “For all their prescience, the Constitution’s founders did not quite foresee the problem. That’s worth worrying about.”

While Sunstein has denied that the work isn’t specifically about Trump, it is clear that he is attempting to create the illusion of being an objective observer while fueling the partisan fire of finding some justification for deposing the president.

In a recent editorial, Harvard University professor Lawrence Lessig developed a complicated scenario about how Trump would be forced out of office—presumably being impeached—over the Russia investigation.

While most Trump impeachment scenarios end—to their purveyor’s chagrin—with the United States having a President Mike Pence, Lessig seemingly found a way around this complication

Instead of Trump being replaced by Pence, Pence would resign as vice president, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is the third in line to the president, would for some reason appoint Clinton as his own vice president under the rules of the 25th Amendment.

Finally, to complete this wild ride, Ryan would magnanimously step down, making Clinton the new president.

A piece in Newsweek actually took this seriously, and said of Lessig’s idea, “There’s still one very narrow, highly unlikely, and entirely unprecedented way that Clinton could become president. And it has some Democratic die-hards dreaming again.”

This academic exercise is just poorly-written fanfiction at best.

Lessig hasn’t been the only professor, or even the only Harvard professor, to suggest Trump be removed from office for and by absurd reasons.

And Laurence Tribe, one of the most frequently cited law professors in the country, actually suggested that impeachment proceeding should have started on the day of Trump’s inauguration.

Tribe also said, just weeks after the inauguration, that Trump was the most tyrannical president in American history.

“[Trump] must be impeached for abusing his power and shredding the Constitution more monstrously than any other president in American history,” Tribe said.

But impeachment hasn’t been the only scenario the left has concocted for giving Trump the boot.

Eric Posner, a University of Chicago Law School professor, suggested using more obscure language in the 25th Amendment to fire Trump. The Constitution allows the Cabinet, with the approval of Congress, to elect to remove the president from official capacity if he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

This process would require a two-thirds approval from Congress, the same vote count for impeachment.

This would certainly be an extreme move using the language of a law that has never been tested. As Chris Geidner wrote for Buzzfeed:

Should any vice president actually invoke section four of the 25th Amendment, he or she would be the first–and in taking that unprecedented step, that vice president would answer for the first time one of America’s still largely unanswered questions.

So You’re Saying There’s a Chance? Not Really.

Congress certainly has the power to remove the president under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution. What constitutes “high crimes and misdemeanors” under this law has never been established, but many havesuggested that the definition is quite broad.

So, ultimately, the issue boils down to the simple political willingness of members of Congress to carry out the act, and how convinced the public is of both the seriousness of the charges and the urgency of the need to remove the commander-in-chief.

This move to impeach would be untrodden ground in the history of our republic. Only two presidents, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, have been impeached, and they were never convicted, so they stayed in office.

Johnson was charged with violating the “Tenure of Office Act,” but escaped impeachment by one vote. While Johnson was generally considered a poor president who warred with his own party and made numerous missteps in dealing with reconstruction following the Civil War, there was still trepidation over taking such an extreme approach.

The Tenure of Office Act was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but there were at least a serious questions at the time about whether the president had done something illegal.

In the 1990s, Clinton was charged with lying under oath and obstructing justice—serious accusations that nevertheless ended in acquittal, even with Republican majorities in Congress.

At the time, the left, including Tribe, were completely dismissive of any attempts to impeach a president except under even the most extreme circumstances.

Today’s calls for Trump’s removal have had scant justification beyond the simple dislike of the president’s attitude, behavior, and policies.

While it is technically possible to remove a president on even these grounds, it would be a hard sell to the American people unless there is a more concrete charge of criminal behavior.

This is a fairly high bar. And with Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, it seems unlikely impeachment would ever succeed.

But that doesn’t stop the left looking for some way, any way, to depose the constitutionally elected president.

If progressives really want to boot Trump, they should try the more traditional methods: Win elections. It’s not a stretch to say that impeachment hysteria isn’t helping on that front.

Commentary by Jarrett Stepman. Originally published at The Daily Signal.