#WHICH KNOWS EDWARD DIED 6 YEARS PRIOR. BY THE WAY

[mwagneto]

girl WHAT london? when?

[chaoticrebels]

Name: Nathan Drake

Nickname: Nate

Age: 25 - 48

Sexuality: Bisexual

Location: Travels

Species: Human

Occupation: Treasure Hunter, Explorer

Height: 6′2″

Weight: 171 lbs

Eye Color: Blue

Hair color: Dark Brown

Piercings: None

Tattoos: None

Scars: A few

Faceclaim: Chris Pratt

Biography

Nathan Drake was born (as Nathan Morgan) in 1975, the second son of American archaeologist Cassandra Morgan and her husband, and the younger brother of Samuel Morgan, who was older than him by five years.

In 1980, when Nathan was five, his mother Cassandra had been suffering from an unknown terminal illness, which soon led to her committing suicide. Following the death of Cassandra, Nathan and Samuel's father decided to give up his hold on them and surrender his sons to the state. Not long afterward, both boys were entrusted to the Saint Francis' Boy's Home, a Catholic orphanage ran by nuns and priests. All of their mother's possessions — including her archaeological works — were later sold by their father.

The two spent the next few years in the orphanage, during which Nathan took interest in books and was taught Latin by the orphanage's nuns, all while learning free-running and climbing from Sam. While growing up to dislike most of the orphanage staff such as Sister Catherine, he did become fond of Father Ryan Duffy, calling him "the only decent guy there". Eventually, Sam was kicked out of the orphanage due to criminal activities, before taking a job to support both himself and set Nathan up as best as possible for his eventual exit from the orphanage.

When Nathan was twelve, he got in a fight one day with an older boy called Edward after the latter teased him by grabbing one of his books and insulting his parentage, leading to Nathan being suspended from a retreat with the rest of the orphanage. After receiving a harsh lecture from Sister Catherine, Nathan noticed light signals by Sam and ventures across the orphanage's rooftops and walls to find him.

Meeting up with Sam, Nathan followed his brother out the orphanage's limits, before being presented with a 500cc motorcycle Sam bought him as a gift, which he realized was Sam's way to apologize; Sam then revealed his intentions to leave for at least a year due to his new job, in order to get money to eventually discharge Nate from the orphanage, much to Nathan's shock and dismay as he was tired of his life in the orphanage. Trying to cheer his younger brother up, Sam also revealed he tracked down their mother's possessions. The two then proceeded to plan on stealing them.

Breaking into the house containing their mother's journal, the two are confronted by the mansion owner. The owner at first mistakes Nate and Sam as trespassers and calls the cops. However the tension eases as Samuel tells her that they were just looking for their mother's stuff. The owner apologized to them for misunderstanding and reveals to them that she was a friend of their mom. The boys engage in a wholesome conversation with the owner who reveals her name as Evelyn. Evelyn tells them that she and their mother were good friends and worked together and bonded over their love for history, social studies, and archaeology. Evelyn then reveals to the boys that she and their mom believed in a theory that Sir Francis Drake had heirs. During the conversation, the three notice that the police officers have arrived outside (whom Evelyn called over a few minutes prior when she initially mistook the two as trespassers). Evelyn gives the boys their mom's journals, believing "they could finish what she started." Evelyn then attempts to walk outside and explain to the police that it was a false alarm, but as she exits her chair and walks a few steps, she suffers from a heart attack and dies immediately. Nate and Sam panic not knowing what to do, but as soon as they hear the police officers breaking the door open, the two escape out the window and try to exit the mansion grounds without the police officers noticing them. Unfortunately, the officers quickly spot them both and a chase ensues with Nate and Sam successfully losing the cops, managing to reach freedom. After motorcycling through the cities alleyway outskirts, the two stop for a break and to catch their breaths. Realizing they cannot go back to their previous lives, the two decided to honor their mother - and her theory on Francis Drake's heirs - by changing their names to Nathan and Samuel Drake. With this, the brothers decide to become treasure hunters. the two would stick together for the coming years.

By the time he was around fourteen, a young Nate ended up in Cartagena, Colombia. Sam was in prison somewhere, leaving Nate alone to fend for himself.

Seeking to obtain the ring which once belonged to Francis Drake, Nate explored the Museo Marítimo and found it on display, before noticing a middle-aged man quietly copying the display case key's lock; before he could observe further, Nate was kicked out of the museum by one of the guards.

Nate decided to follow the man, stealthily tailing him up to a meet-up point with a blonde woman, before pick-pocketing his wallet. Much to Nate's surprise, the man noticed the theft and confronted the young Drake, forcing Nate to give him his wallet back but not before commenting on Nate's thieving skills. Unbeknownst to the older thief, Nate took the copied key before giving back the wallet.

By evening, Nate entered the closed museum but was soon confronted by both the man, Victor, and the blonde woman, revealed to be his employer, Katherine Marlowe. Refusing to give Marlowe the ring, Nate escaped her clutches and was pursued by her men, with Victor aiding in his escape before saving him from an agent holding the boy at gunpoint.

Later, at a bar, the man introduced himself as Victor Sullivan and treated Nate to a dinner. During their conversation, Nate introduced himself and explained his connection to Francis Drake and his ring, as well as possible secrets kept by Drake.

Within a year of meeting Sully, Nate ended up in prison at the age of fifteen, but Sully had him released shortly thereafter. Sully also came to know Sam, but unlike with Nate the two didn't often see eye-to-eye.

Throughout both his adventures with Sully and his brother Sam, Nate became a capable shooter, climber, explorer, swimmer, and treasure hunter, gaining a noteworthy reputation within the treasure-hunting world. He would go on to meet and befriend several notable figures within the society, including the Indonesian pirate captain Eddy Raja, the British treasure hunter Harry Flynn, the American businessman Rafe Adler, and fellow American fortune hunter Jason Dante, all of whom would become rivals and eventual enemies of Nate.

Nate's close friendship with Eddy came to an end when Nate betrayed him and kept the entire reward for himself. While Eddy continued to hold a grudge against him, Nate justified his betrayal due to Eddy having planned on double-crossing him beforehand.

Nate and Jason Dante worked together on several adventures and jobs. On one occasion, Nate woke up to find himself naked within the Taj Mahal after taking a "scenic route" with Dante. On another occasion, Nate recalls Dante crying as the two climbed on the mountain in Mason Varde.

At some point during his career as a treasure hunter, Nate met Chloe Frazer, an Indian treasure hunter known for her beauty and skills. The two entered into a relationship, but eventually, Nate left her under unknown circumstances.

Around the year 1998, Nate and Sam got involved with Rafe Adler in their mutual search for the lost treasure of pirate Captain Henry Avery, despite Nate's dislike and distrust of Rafe. The trio used Rafe's wealth to bribe their way into a Panamanian prison, buying the services of a warden named Vargas to aid them in their search.

During his time in prison, Nate fought against Gustavo, a fellow inmate, in order to let Vargas take him to a tower that was once used as the cell of Joseph Burnes, a shipmate of Avery's. Before being released to explore the tower for clues, Nate was confronted by Vargas, who learned of the trio's intentions after reading Burnes' letter and demanded a cut from the treasure. Nate eventually found a cross of Saint Dismas engraved with the words "Digna factis recipimus," but decided to falsely claim to Vargas that the cell was empty due to many visits of looters since then

Back in the prison, Nate met up with Sam and Rafe in a laundry room to discuss his findings, eventually declaring that there is a St Dismas cathedral in Scotland, near Avery's last known sighting. The trio was then ambushed by Gustavo and his friends, leading to a short-lived brawl quickly ended by Vargas and his fellow wardens. Finding the cross on Nate, Vargas took the three treasure hunters to his office, angrily accusing them of cheating him, before being promised 25% of the treasure; Rafe kills Vargas in response, leading to an escape attempt from the prison.

Nate, Sam, and Rafe made their way through the prison, but during the escape, Sam was shot in the torso as Nate attempted to pull him up from a ledge, before falling through debris much to Nate's disbelief. Convinced by Rafe that his brother is dead, Nate reluctantly follows Rafe out the prison, and the two escaped by water.

Throughout the following months, the two continued to work together to find the treasure in Scotland, but eventually went their separate ways as Rafe's impatience grew in proportion to Nate's grief over his brother's apparent death. In disbelief of Sam's death and unaware that he was actually alive, Nate tried to find his brother by various methods but the guards who locked him up made sure he found leads confirming that his brother did indeed die during the escape, all in retaliation for Vargas' death . Nate was forced to accept the fact that his brother died and thus suppressed his memories of the prison incident, never mentioning him again.

Read More: Here

[aro-is-gay-af]

Why do I think Resume will end up with Volturi - an attempt to explain Bella/Renesmee relationship

As within the fandom nobody likes Renee (no wonder why) I'd like to make an attempt at explaining to y'all what's like to have a parent like her (because I've got the same problem) and why this is going to cause problem over the years between Bella and Renesmee. This post will include such things as explaining:

why being in a relationship like this is so tiresome

what kind of effect has it on Bella

why Bella is just the same towards Renesmee as her mother was to her

why Bella and Renessme dynamics as mother/daughter aren't as fantastic

why is it so probable that Renesmee will eventually join the Volturi and what may be her reasons to do so.

1. Someone, who's never been in the kind of relationship that Bella and Renee have, is not going to catch up quickly with the point that I'm making in this post. Why? Because it's hard to imagine yourself being in an abusive or neglectful relationship with a person, who is a close relative of yours. You never want to acknowledge that something is wrong and instead, you're trying to find excuses for the person's abusive behavior. Fandom agrees on the fact, that Renee is, at best, neglectful of Bella, while at worst, she's downright abusive. I agree with both statements and in a moment you'll know why. You also need to know that everything I'll write here is from my experience from being in such a relationship hence it doesn't mean everyone will have the same experiences as myself. Now, why is such a relationship so tiresome and you struggle to find your true self in it? In my case, very similarly to Bella, I became responsible for things I shouldn't be responsible for at a very young age. I didn't have the time to actually be a kid because I needed to handle "adult responsibilities". When you have adults' responsibilities you lose something beyond reclaim. You'll never go back to your childhood and be a child once again. I was forced, not only to handle myself, but also my brother and mother, and our household. I didn't have time to do most things that kids do cause I was taking care of my brother, or my mother, or doing chores, or anything that was supposed to be done by adults, except it wasn't. While all of this made me extremely responsible, it also made me anxious, bitter towards my parents and I suffered from depression for a long time. I read somewhere that Bella is exaggerating and it's normal to help your parents within the house, to have responsibilities. The problem here is that Renee is Bella's responsibility in the same way my mother and brother were mine. You cannot give this up because you're too responsible but it also eats you from the insides. Also, if I remember correctly, Bella says somewhere in the book that she doesn't mind this because that's how things are for a long time. That's exactly what I'm talking about! When such responsibilities are forced on you at a very young age, you accept it and think it is natural. It isn't. Adult are adults, and kids should be kids, not kids forced into adulthood.

2. + 3. When you don't have time to be a child and you're forced into the adult world, there's always going to be some consequences that you cannot foresee prior. To Bella it ended actually sadly - we can see in the book, as well as in the movie, that Renesmee is almost as an accessory to Bella. Sure, Bella dies for her, but what else? Renesmee is described as mature and serious, she doesn't want to do things that kids usually do. Why? Smeyer made her this way, yeah, but apart from that, it's because Bella cannot handle a kid. The idea of full family appeared to her because she never had it herself. And while she admits that she doesn't even want children in Eclipse, suddenly in Breaking Dawn we see her change her mind completely. All she ever wanted was a) Edward and b) to be a vampire. So when she has these two goals achieved, why would she even bother with Renesmee? So Resume is mature enough and growing up quickly to relieve Bella from the burden of maternity.

4. Also, I'm not saying that Bella doesn't love Renesmee. Of course she does. Renesmee, also, loves her dearly. It's the same dynamics as between my and my mother, and between Bella and Renee. Bella loves Renne but needs to take care of her and be the responsible adult™. It also tires her, as she needs to think about how to handle the business in the most effective (and cheapest) way.

I think we can establish by now that love has nothing to do with this. So, because of her childhood and the poor illustrations of how relationships should work, Bella is exactly the same towards Renesmee as Renee (and partially Charlie) was to her. She thinks Renesmee is able to handle herself fine - she's constantly throwing at us proves that Renesmee is mature enough to do almost everything adults do. It's bullshit, of course, but Bella isn't aware of that. It's how she was brought up (or it's rather the lack of bringing her up by responsible adult) and she thinks it's the best way to fulfill parental duties.

As I said earlier, Bella is all smiles because she's got what she wanted - Edward and immortality. Yeah, it's great she has a daughter too, but like... hello, it's Edward and her and they have forever so why to bother with a child. It'll somehow work itself out. I will not ponder here on Edward being a father and how I see his relationship with Renesmee, however, I don't think it's pretty healthy either. Also, I need to add here, that Renesmee at least, has others (I mean other Cullens) who have probably more patience and time to actually raise a child. I think, and it's only a headcanon so take it easy, that Renesmee has excellent relationship with Rosalie. Rose will not treat her as adult - she'll prolong Renesmee's childhood as much as she's able to. She has time, patience, will and all love for her, so I think they're pretty close, and it would be a good, as well as a healthy relationship.

5. The older Renesmee will get, the more she'll be able to understand. Maybe the Cullens (and I hope it would turn out this way) would spare her this "being a premature adult" thing but her relationship with Bella will never be as close as she'd probably wish to. Sometimes, love isn't enough to keep up with the relationship and the shit that's going on around you constantly. One day, Renesmee will go to high school, then to university and then? Who the hell knows. She won't necessarily be with Bella. Sure, she'll be always her daughter, but she's not her property. At some point, Renesmee'll be mature enough to decide whether she wants to stay with her family, or travel, or join another coven. What I think, is that Bella won't be happy about it at all. Right now she has her fairy tale. She sacrificed nothing. She's living the life of her dreams with a man of her utmost desire. She has a child, even though vampires aren't suppose to have ones. What will happen if there will be a crack in her tale? Long, nasty cracks, throughout the wall. This is when I get to the point that Bella has no fucking clue what mess she got herself into (but that's for another post).

6. Holy Grail now. Lord, I'm always making this so long, this was supposed to be brief. Okay. So why do I think Renesmee will end up with the Volturi? A few reasons off the top of my head:

※ at some point Jacob will die and Charlie will die, and she'll now what's grief and how hard it is to go on. Yeah, yeah, I know that Jacob is also immortal right now, but he'll probably be killed while protecting Renesmee or Bella. I always think of their relationship as brother/sister because I cannot stand the imprinting shit Smeyer gave us. Also, I think I don't need to explain Charlie here. Renesmee will be devastated by both of these deaths and she'll have to come to terms with herself eventually. I guarantee you that she'll not be the same after that.

※ relationship with her parents. I briefly explained what I had on my mind when it comes to Bella. Renesmee loves her mother but that doesn't mean they'll have healthy and exemplary relationship. Sure, they can work on that, they have eternity but I think that at one point Renesmee will be fed up with the way how her mother is in love with eternity itself. Her relationship with Edward, as I said, is for another post, however I think with time it can get pretty hard. Could you live with the thought that your own father didn't want you? That he regretted that you exist at all? I don't think so. (Yeah, I'm simplifying, but I need to, so don't hate me for this).

※ Cullen coven can break or partially break. @therealvinelle talked about it here a little bit but that's also what I have in mind. Cullens are fairly young coven, with pretty unknown dynamics as we don't get to know them that much through saga (thanks Smeyer for not dwelling on it further). It isn't said anywhere that they'll last next century, not to think about more time passing.

※ she'll be fed up with constantly living with the humans. Imagine you need to constantly move, go to school/college and abide the rules that you didn't agree on in the first place. At first its great, Renesmee has time and reasources to flourish but she can also do that without anoyone else.

※ she has rampant hunger for knowledge. Where to find more books and more knowledge than in Volterra? Simple as it is.

※ she may not find vegetarian diet... sustainable for her. Remember how she was delighted when she drank first Bella's blood and than human blood in general? I think she can go on for some time on vegetarian diet plus/or human diet (if she was to attend i.e. med school which of course I think she would) but after some time, maybe a century, maybe less and maybe more, she'll eventually come to terms that she enjoyed drinking human blood. That's it. She's half vampire by descent. I don't think she'll be able to resist that much , also because everyone taught her from day one she could have what she asked for in a blink of an eye (remember Esme's spoons?).

AND most important (at least for me)

※ her worldview will completely change after a few/a lot of tragical experiences. Sorry, that's just common knowledge. Life is brutal, people are vicious and ruthless. She'll probably work or go somewhere, where she can see what humans are capable of (both in good and bad ways) and what one can do to achieve their goal. I think she'll go to Volturi to simply find comfort there. They've been alive for three thousand years. They can teach her things Cullen's aren't even aware of. Besides, I think it would be a great political move. We all know Aro wanted to know her so bad. If he would, she'll probably be able to influence him to some extent and spare her loved ones if it'd go that far. That's it! Of course, it's fucking long as hell. Sorry for that. Comment if you wish. I cannot wait if you think the same, similar or if you disagree completely! But no hate, please. Professionals have standards™.

[cosmiciaria]

Assasin’s Creed III Remaster review - Spoilers! - Long post!

I wanted to keep this spoiler free, but as this game is such a narrative experience, I don't think I'll be able to. I'll try to keep them at minimum, but be warned: there are major spoilers ahead. By the way, this game is almost a decade old, so y'all had plenty of time to get spoiled beforehand. And if you're reading this, it's because you like this game and you probably know how it ends.

Review under the cut because this is way too long. 

As always, I express my feelings and impressions regarding my experience with a game – I write it because I like writing reviews instead of, I don't know, recording a video for YouTube. I'm not a YouTuber and I feel safer behind a keyboard where people don't point out about my weird accent (the accent every Hispanic person has when they speak English). Since the pandemic started, I found refuge and comfort in AC games, with Syndicate being my first contact with the franchise, and Unity solidifying my love for it. I found strength and weaknesses in all the installments I've played, which are almost all of them by now (excluding the first AC with Altaïr, the new saga with Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla, and Rogue). I've also platinumed three of those games I've played, and I'm on my way to platinum this one, so I think I can speak from a deep fan standpoint by now.

Since Syndicate, I studied from up close each of the protagonists of the mainline games. I felt drawn to Arno because he looked like one of my oc's (and his girlfriend looked like my oc's girlfriend as well); I wanted to learn about Ezio because he's a fan favorite; I wasn't at all impressed by Edward but ended up growing fond of him; I respect Altaïr for what he means to the Brotherhood; but I can safely say, that I haven't felt as attracted to a main AC protagonist as I felt with Connor.

From the moment I knew he was a native American (such a bold choice, it seemed for me) I felt instant attraction – but not the, idk, physical (he's a cutie I give it to you), but because of what he could bring about as a main character. A perspective we don't usually get to see, and personally, as I'm not American, a point of view to educate me on a different side of history. I wanted to see what they could do with him as the star of the game, I wanted to play with him and understand how someone like him could rise up and become a protagonist of such a well known and beloved saga of games. I applaud this decision from Ubisoft, whether they did it because they wanted to look progressive or not, I don't care, I'll always cherish that the protagonist of a famous videogame is a Mohawk. And with the American Revolution as the main stage, no less. Such an important scenario to strengthen the virtue of independence, patriotism and love for a country, going hand in hand with a character that represents America even more than the Founding Fathers.

(Also I'm a Hamilton Fan Trademark so I couldn't stop singing random parts of songs while playing this game, it was a nightmare every time Lafayette appeared on screen because I JUST HAD TO start mumbling Guns and Ships)

I lunged blindly into this game – I'd only spoiled myself the very ending because I played Black Flag before – so imagine my surprise when I first saw Haytham, Connor's father, as the main protagonist.

So here's the deal. Let's clear this out of the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It was what I expected and more.

But.

Yes, there's always a but in AC games, you know the drill.

As I kept playing with Haytham, charming though he was, I kept thinking to myself "ok but when does Connor come into play". I also already knew Haytham was a Templar, so the end of the first few sequences didn't catch me by surprise – actually, what caught me by surprise was that there was no mention of Assassins or Templars during the "prologue" with Haytham, instead you're left to believe they're all Assassins until he prays to the Father of Understanding and you realize with a gasp "oH NoO!".

You play with Haytham the first three sequences. One of these have the most memories out all of the sequences more or less. This whole thing can take up to three to five hours depending on how much time you wish to put into exploring or completing the optional objectives. And still no signs of Connor.

Connor does come eventually – as a child – by sequence 4. It's not until the end of sequence 5 that you get to play as (almost) adult Assassin Connor, so maybe five or six or even seven hours into the game and you're barely starting.

I know what they did here. I understand. And this is what I meant when I said they were going for a 'narrative experience'. To make you play as Haytham before, to lure you into a false sense of safety believing he was an Assassin working for a just cause, to make you feel invested in his relationship with Ziio – only to discover he's one of the bad guys, that will eventually give birth to our true hero of the game – it sediments everything perfectly. It tells you everything you need to know to understand these characters and their motivations. I can see where they're going and some of it can be quite predictable, but it was done right. On the narrative aspect at least.

I got used to Haytham by the time we switch to Connor, we're used to his cloak and his three pointed hat – his accent, his sassiness, his everything. You grow fond of him and you think, hey, maybe it isn't so bad to not play as Connor, I can roll with this – until the sudden change happens. The game completed its purpose: let you know and care for Haytham, only to strip him away from your hands and bring you the real protagonist with an interesting background that didn't need to be told, but it was instead shown to us players. What a better way to tell a story.

But the problem is – most of Haytham's memories are fillers. For starters, the very first memory where you appear in the opera house (similar to that one at the end of Black Flag… mmm) serves as a tutorial for climbing and killing with the hidden blade. Then the whole memory on the ship to Boston – completely expendable and removable, the story doesn't suffer from it. All the memories used with Haytham as tutorials – how to shield from an open line of fire, how to use ranged weapons, how to sneak and find stores and viewpoints, how to use horses and walk on snow, fricking Ben Franklin – everything, everything could've blended in better. You could still tell the story you wanted in only one sequence playing with Haytham, and end it the way it does end in sequence 3, without avoiding any important detail to frame Connor's backstory as well – but instead, this part with Haytham does feel like it overstays its welcome, and by the end you're just hoping it ends soon, it drags on for too long, and there's no real sense of thread pulling the strings together here, everything just kind of 'happens'.

But the never-ending prologue doesn't end there (badam tum tsss), because Connor still isn't an Assassin. Connor is not Connor actually, as I had been led to believe prior to playing this game: his real name is Ratonhnhaké:ton, which I wish it was used more often than it was. Ratonhnhaké:ton is like four or five years old when you first play with him, and his village is assaulted by what we assume are Charles Lee's men, a Templar and companion to Haytham. Ratonhnhaké:ton swears revenge upon these putrid British invaders and he grows up resenting the death of his mother, who died in the fire provoked by these Templars.

Not even knowing what a Templar or an Assassin is, Ratonhnhaké:ton is sent by one of "the spirit guides" (actually, Juno, one of the Precursor people) to seek the Brotherhood. When he's around 14, he sets out of his village into the wide world and finds Achilles, who will become his Assassin mentor – that is, after completing a set of tasks that yet again seem to go on forever. Ratonhnhaké:ton turns into Connor to cover his true origins, a name I thought it was random, but by the end I realized how wrong I was.

It isn't until Connor turns 17 that he becomes a fully-fledged Assassin – and you might think, well, Ezio became an Assassin at the same age – yes, but it didn't take him five sequences to reach there. I can't believe I'm defending Ezio.

It's not that I didn't enjoy playing as Connor when he was a kid, no, and I also don't think that part of the game should be skipped since it shows his people, family and friends – maybe comprised, yes, into only one sequence – the real problem here is the fact that first you need to play what could be considered the longest prologue ever, even longer than Kingdom Hearts 2's one, and you're teased with grasping the real protagonist but no, because there's still more 'prologue' to cover with Connor's rise to the Brotherhood. The real, real story, begins in sequence 6, and even then you still have a lot of tutorials to listen from the NPC on duty.

And if you do the maths – you're halfway through the game – halfway! – and you're just starting. The game has twelve sequences and the meat of the plot is on the last six. Then, why did I play all the previous parts?

For the 'narrative experience' thing I talked about. They wanted to lay the groundwork for a better, compelling storytelling, and I can appreciate it, but not when it hinders the pace of the game this way.

That is, certainly, my biggest issue with the game. The pace. If you're going to give me such a slow start, introducing characters non-stop, and only give me resolutions, discoveries and action packed sequences on the later half, then the story isn't balanced at all – I understand that at some points you need to slow down and sink in what's going on; you can't also introduce ten characters in one cutscene because that's just bad story telling – but the memories of this game are clearly not well organized and weren't thought with the player in mind, but rather with the story in mind. To think that the first mission you do as a full Assassin is to receive more and more tutorials on how the fast travel points work and how you can lower your notoriety (as far as gameplay goes in this mission, it's only walking around at a slug's pace to follow the NPC giving you instructions) it does feel like a slap in the face after all the things and hours and effort you put into it to finally reaching this point (which, I remind you, it's by sequence six!).

It's at this point where I can't blame people for not following through with this game. I have plenty of friends who abandoned it even before reaching this part. And I found myself having trouble to return to it: I only wanted to go back to it because I knew I had to like Connor, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me as a character.

Boy, was I RIGHT!

Now, to be honest, I may be biased, like I said: I was instantly attracted to Connor due to his backstory and I wished to see what he could bring to the table. And I have to say, he didn't disappoint me at all.

Maybe you know or maybe you don't, but up until this point, my fave Assassin was Arno: he showed weaknesses and he suffered the consequences of his actions, to the point of no return, that rendered him vulnerable and a mere human being. And I love me a good vulnerable character who knows their limits and strives to get out of that pit. I love me a good, compelling character that has growth and agency and isn't made of cardboard or has a one-dimensional personality. And Connor delivered on this front.

Connor might very well be my new fave Assassin. I'm sorry, Arno. I still love you babe. But Connor… I never found myself rooting for a character more than I did with him. I wanted him to succeed, I wanted his people to be saved, I wanted to see his ideals become a reality – and he's got so much agency, he's a storm when he comes into a scene, his naivety mixed with the brutality of his killings, the simplicity of his reasonings – he's an idealist, and he fights for it, whether we like it or not, and that devotion to his own creed is at least respectable, let alone admirable. He's never downplayed for his upbringing or his ethnicity, he works among the most notorious people as if he was another one of them, he's well respected in his community, he shows kindness and always offers a helping hand to those in need, but never doubts to plunge his blade into this opponent's throats, fearlessly, he doesn't mind telling George Friking Washington to shut the hell up and not follow him because he'll kill him (there's such a pleasure in a native reprimanding enslaver Washington) – he's, simply put, a great hero.

I've seen many complain that he's boring, or that the actor who played him, Noah Watts, delivered lines in an emotionless way – the only thing that could make him 'boring' is the fact that he's not a lady's man like Ezio was, and to my eyes that's a plus. He speaks slowly and modulates well in English because that's not his mother tongue, and I can appreciate when a company puts these little details, like his way of speaking changing throughout the game as he gained more confidence with this new language he was learning to use. As non-English native speaker, I certainly can commune with the feeling of adapting my tongue and my brain to a new language, and I also know that I speak weirdly to those who are native, maybe I don't have the same intonations, and maybe I sound emotionless as well, who knows, but I can't think of a better portrayal of a non-English character speaking English in videogames than this one. They remained faithful to his culture, and even though I noticed Noah didn't speak Mohawk as fluently as English, I can still feel pleased with the fact that Connor speaks in his mother tongue in all of the scenes he interacts with Mohawks (that's something they did better here than in Unity, where not a single character has even a French accent. I switched the language spoken to French in my subsequent playthroughs, much to my disappointment, because I really liked the Canadian actors). I know subtitles may seem threatening to some, but I wish they did this more often: deliver more lines in the original language of each of the protagonists. It shows care and respect. And I think this game excels at respect.

So, yes, I liked Ratonhnhaké:ton, as you can see. Maybe a lot. Too much.

I also really, really enjoyed his relationship with Haytham.

When Haytham appears back in to the fray it's when the plot picks up. Their interactions are gold: I love the rivalry, I love that Haytham is constantly testing his son, and I love the tiny bits that may show or make us believe that Haytham has a soft spot for him – I love that we never truly know what's going on through Haytham's mind, why does he do the things he does – but what I enjoyed the most about these two fighting together is the fact that they represent opposing forces, a clash of interest, and they bring back the concept of the blurred line between the Templars and the Assassins, their different methods. Haytham represents the collectiveness of the Templars, through him we learn of what they truly uphold as right and just, and behind some of his reasonings you can see sense and understanding – you comprehend his goals, you get to know your enemy, your antagonist, which is something, for instance, the Ezio trilogy lacks (because Templars bad bad pium pium die Templar bad guy) and Unity and Rogue tried to do but ultimately ended wasting its potential. I never understood Templars more than I did through Haytham, and sometimes I found myself nodding at some of his statement, like 'hey… huh… he's not that wrong about this…'. But still, we're led to believe that the good guys, the Assassins, are never wrong, so we pull through with Connor – only to realize that yes, Haytham was right in many aspects, and yes, Haytham has lied to us and he needs to be stopped.

It's here when my love for Connor reached its ultimate stage: when he denies both his father (Templars) and Washington (for whom the Assassins were working). It's here where you see the true agency of this character. It's not black or white, as Ezio's games were; it's not that he was expelled against his will from the Brotherhood like in Unity; it's not that because of a clash of interest now he resorted to the Templars, like in Rogue; no, it's the philosophy of the very first AC game with Altaïr: Templars and Assassins are one and the same, they only differ in their methods, and when Connor comes to this realization, his struggle is visible and he puts his people first. Like always.

He remains true to his personality. He's grown, he's seen the truth, but he must make a decision. And after all, we're here because we want to see him protect his people. That's his real main driving force and we root for him because of it.

Now, I've spoken a lot about our main character. But, what about the secondary ones?

Achilles, Connor's mentor, hides more than he's willing to share – but slowly his backstory unfolds. In his homestead, Davenport, you're able to build a community with different townsfolk that you can invite to live with you through special sidequests, which combine plot and gameplay seamlessly. Through the homestead missions, you get to know Achilles and the other inhabitants and you see them thrive and grow into a tight-knit community close as family. I daresay that these missions were my favorite out of the whole game, and seeing the town grow not only in NPC's walking around but also in sounds, steps, people working and laughing and dogs barking and kids playing, gave me all the fuzzy and cozy feelings of a warm blanket in winter. Most of Connor's innocence and kindness is shown through these missions, and there are also some really good jewels hidden there, like the quest that asks you to guide the pigs back inside – damn. This game gave me very good laughs.

On a gameplay level, this game is light years away from its predecessors – the parkour alone has been revamped and revitalized, making it more fluid. Free running now isn't a chore anymore. Now you can hunt, which is a great part of Connor's backstory and culture, so it's good to see they blend gameplay with plot like this. There's a crafting system that took me ages to understand, but thankfully I got the hang of it. The combat is pretty much the same (counter kills always for the win) and the difficulty remains quite easy, as the games that came before. I wasn't looking for a challenge so I'm fine with it. Now, if you're looking for a challenge… the optional objectives got it covered for you. Because, good lord, they made these stupid main missions so much unnecessarily HARDER and IMPOSSIBLE to complete without having three or four ragequits and sometimes you have to restart up to ten times. To be honest, I never found myself more enraged with the optional objectives than I was with these missions, and I thought Unity's optional constraints were stupid ass complicated, I was wrong. This game. Must be. The most. Annoying. Piece of videogame. To platinum.

Apart from the 'oh I want to die optional objectives' thing, you have naval missions – which, yes, you guessed it, take place on a ship – I guess they were testing the mechanics for a (not so far away) future pirate game, because I can see the seeds of what later Black Flag came to be. It's serviceable and it fulfills its purpose, but as I don't like ships much, I left it on hold for the endgame. 

If you don’t dig the naval missions nor the main missions, there’s plenty to do in this game: you have the aforementioned homstead missions, the club challenges (which can take... quite a while), the underground fast travel points (a nice change of pace, though you can easily grow tired of them), the liberation missions, which will see you help liberate a city from Templar control and recruiting a new Assassin apprentice, much like in Brotherhood and Revelations; taking Forts, hunting like there’s no tomorrow, courier, delivering items and message delivery missions, a ton of collectibles, etc, etc. 

You might realize I stopped talking about the plot by the time I reached sequence 6 – yes, it's because I'm a little upset with it.

I said that we're here because we want to see Connor protect his people and triumph against the Templars. Yes. We receive that, yes. Amidst. A thousand. History. Lessons.

In my Ezio's Collection review, I complained that in Revelations we were shoved history in the face – I hadn't still finished AC3, because then I would've mentioned something about it. Connor comes across all the important figures of the American Revolution in such a contrived way – he acts as a guardian angel of this revolution, aiding each of the emblematic characters that took part in. I can roll with it in my suspension of disbelief (how come this one person was present at every major event, you know), what I can't roll with is the fact that he was present at the Declaration of Independence – this is some Ken Follett level of bs of probability of something happening to a character. Besides, it's always latent though never truly explicitly addressed, but Connor's skintone was something that should've deterred him from even speaking to someone like Washington – let alone, be present at the moment they signed the Declaration. He does mention at some point that freedom and this new nation was only for white men, and that he acknowledged that slaves deserved as much freedom as everyone else was fighting for; I'm glad he addressed the elephant in the room, though I'm also glad they didn't make the whole thing about it, because normalizing a character like this as a main protagonist was the main idea, I think, when they chose a Mohawk to represent the American Revolution. Still, that someone like him was able to achieve all he achieved in a plot like this, it only means he has some kind of Main Protagonist Shield, otherwise I doubt this could've served as a realistic story for anyone else in the same situation as him. It's, uh, a little hard to believe, that's all. Whereas I can see Arno existing within the historical frame of the French Revolution, without being the one that let the guillotine fall on King Louis' head, this one was a little more far-fetched.

I haven't touched upon the Desmond part – the present day of this game is more, uh… present than ever. And I loved it! I loved it because it delved deep into the Precursor's lore, and also it fleshed out Desmond's relationship with his father, and we actually do shit with Desmond – though that part of the Brazilian stadium, huh, for a company that paid too much attention and consulted with experts on the Mohawks, they clearly left Brazil out of their investigations. I forgive them, they tried.

The music… didn't have as much personality as other installments, it was kind of there, and right now I can't evoke a single theme except for the main menu one, so there you go, it's quite forgettable for my taste, sadly.

I forgot to mention that: this game looks gorgeous. I played the Remastered version of the game, and sometimes it looked like it was done for the PS4 instead of being a remaster (it does look better than Black Flag which came afterwards!). Lighting is magical, the trees breathe life into the screen, the water effects are crystal and realistic; many times I felt like was horse-riding in a Last of Us game (yes, I just compared Ubisoft to Naughty Dog, don't hit me). Davenport Homestead is my favorite location, now more than ever, because it's not only beautiful, but it also means home.

This game accompanied me in a very important moment of my life: I sprained my ankle and I spent a week in bed recovering, while also pondering about my job and the prospects of my future; I took many decisions while playing regarding what I want for my life. I cried at the end because I realized I had become too attached to the characters and because I was so sad to see Connor keep losing things. It all comes full circle by the end. It's a very mature ending, maybe a little unfulfilling, but reality is often disappointing and not everything needs a happily ever after.

All in all, my major complaint goes to the structure of the game and the poor organization they gave to it (AND THE OPTIONAL OBJECTIVES DAAJKSDAD). But Connor as a character in itself made it all worthwhile for me. And I'll always cherish him. I know he won't resonate with everyone, but he resonated with me.

[oakleystreet]

L Y R A     B E L A C Q U A

DÆMON: Pantalaimon, a pine marten.

BOND: Split.

HAIR: dirty blonde.

EYES: blue.

AGE: 6 months during LBS. 10-11 during NL. 12-13 during TSK and TAS. 15 in Lyra’s Oxford. 20 in TSC.

BIRTH: 1985. (between July, August and September, according to the Timeline).

NATIONALITY: Brytish. (English).

STATUS: Alive.

Lyra Belacqua was born to Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel, a product of their affair.

After Marisa’s husband, Edward Coulter, tried to kill her and was killed by Lord Asriel, who then lost everything he had, Lyra was taken into government custody and then placed at the Priory of Godstow in Oxford by Lord Nugent, the head of Oakley Street.

There, Lyra was taken care by the nuns for a couple of weeks before the Great Flood happened. As she was being hunted by Gerard Bonneville, a physicist who wanted to get hold of her to likely trade her for scientific freedom to research Dust, Lyra was rescued by Malcolm Polstead and Alice Parslow, and they set out in Malcolm’s canoe, La Belle Sauvage, for London.

During their time in the flood, Lyra was taken by the Sisters of Holy Obedience, but was promptly rescued by Malcolm. Eventually, they reached a fairy island and met Diania, a fairy who tried to steal Lyra by feeding her fairy milk. Malcolm tricked Diania and recovered Lyra, and once again they were back in the Flood, on their way to Lord Asriel in London.

When they arrived in the city, the CCD forces that had been looking for them were caught in a conflict, as Lord Asriel and Oakley Street agents made their way to rescue Lyra and the children. Lord Asriel returned with them to Oxford in a gyropter, and left Lyra under the protection of Scholastic Sanctuary at Jordan College. There, Malcolm left with the Master of Jordan, the Alethiometer he took from Gerard Bonneville, which would pass into Lyra’s possession ten years later.

“Secundum legem de refugio scholasticorum, protectionem tegimentumque huius collegii pro filia mea Lyra nomine reposco.” Asriel said. “Look after her.” “Scholastic Sanctuary? For this child?” “For my daughter Lyra, as I said.” “She’s not a scholar!” “You’ll have to make her into one then, won’t you?”

—  Lord Asriel, chapter 25, La Belle Sauvage.

Lyra grew up in Jordan College, under the guardianship of Dr Carne, but personally being cared for by Alice Lonsdale. She had a rather carefree life, being an natural leader and befriending most children from the region, from gyptians to town kids to college children. At one point, Lyra was responsible for invading the Costa family’s boat with her little gang of children and she often played war games with these particular groups of children. At the College, her actions were observed by Bernie Johansen, the half-gyptian pastry cook, who reported back to the Costas, who then reported to John Faa, as a favour to Lord Asriel.

She grew up believing Asriel was her uncle, and he made brief, sporadic visits to see that she was well cared for. Lyra was informally educated by the scholars from Jordan, and she had very little interest in learning as well, and as a result her education was flawed, filled with gaps, and yet in certain areas unusually specific, as Jordan College was meant to be a higher education institution.

When Lyra was ten or eleven years old, she sneaked into the Retiring Room out of curiosity, but ended up seeing the Master of Jordan poison the decanter of Tokay meant for Lord Asriel. Upon Asriel’s arrival, Lyra revealed herself in order to save him from drinking the poisoned wine and Asriel employed her as a spy during his presentation to the scholars, hiding her in the cupboard. During this meeting, Lyra was introduced to the concept of Dust and she saw the City in the Sky in Lord Asriel’s photograms.

(to be continued)

Lyra, prior to her daemon settling, had the innate skill of reading the Alethiometer without needing to consult the books. This skill was likely attributed to her status as child of the prophecy and she lost it after her return from the Land of the Dead and Pantalaimon’s settling.

Lyra is considered very small for her age. She is also said to be strikingly beautiful, enough to draw the attention of passersby.

During their adventures, Pan and Lyra had to separate when she visited the world of the dead. By doing this, they acquired the skill of separating like the witches do.

Lyra still takes Alethiometer classes with Dame Hannah Relf. She also had a brief dalliance with Dick Orchard - the boy who could spit further than anyone else - who also happened to have been a childhood crush of hers.

Lyra uses the name Silvertongue among friends, although she is still legally and widely know as Lyra Belacqua.

Her Alethiometer was given to her by the Master of Jordan, after Malcolm gave it to him. It had belonged to Gerard Bonneville, who stole it from a monastery in Bohemia; the monks had also stolen the Alethiometer from a traveler who had taken shelter with them. The history of the instrument is tied to the fact it had been often stolen, Lyra being the first owner in a long time who had actually received it as a gift. (TSC, chapter 7)

Lyra can use the new method of reading, but it makes her feel sick and often refuses to use it. She is yet to understand the connection between the method and the daemon.

Lyra’s major is unclear, but she wrote an essay at one point about the Patterns of Trade in Arctic Region with particular reference to independent cargo balloon carriage (1950-1970) (click here to see the Extra letters from OUATIN). In that same letters she mentions “Econ Hist,” and how it must be that subject as there is no other way to examine her knowledge about the alethiometer. It can be assumed she was majoring in Economic History.

At one point, Lyra mentions the Count and Countess Belacqua, her alleged parents who died in aircraft accident. It is unclear whether they were real people or made up by Asriel to cover his own identity as Lyra’s father.

DÆMON RELATIONSHIP

Chaotic, friendly, constant banter, harmonious. Good communication and synchronized behaviour in feelings and actions. (HDM)

Chaotic, aggressive, constant disagreement and sheer unhappiness. Lack of synchronization in feelings and actions; lack of communication. (TSC).

FAMILIAL TIES

Lord Asriel: father.

Marisa Coulter: mother.

Marcel Delamare: uncle on her mother’s side.

Madame Delamare: grandmother on her mother’s side.

Dr Carne: legal guardian under scholastic sanctuary.

FRIENDS & ALLIES

Roger Parslow

Miriam Jacobs: colleague.

Hannah Relf: mentor.

Malcolm Polstead: former teacher, ally.

Alice Lonsdale: caregiver and friend.

Iorek Byrnison: friend.

Serafina Pekkala: friend.

ROMANTIC TIES

Will Parry: old flame.

Dick Orchard: old flame.

ENEMIES & RIVALS

Olivier Bonneville: rival.

Father MacPhail: enemy.

Father Gomez: enemy.

Pierre Binaud: enemy.

AFFILIATIONS

Jordan College: safe haven.

Oakley Street: allies.

Bud Schlesinger.

Anita Schlesinger.

The Eastern-Anglia Gyptians: allies.

Farder Coram.

Ma Costa.

John Faa.

St. Sophia’s College: alma mater, educational.

Magisterium: enemy (during HDM), antagonistic (during TSC)

Consistorial Court of Discipline: violent.

La Maison Juste: antagonistic.

The League of St. Alexander: suspicious.

The Daemonless People: friendly.

Princess Rosamond Cantacuzino: friendly.

Vaclav Kubiček: friendly.

Nur Huda el-Wahabi: acquaintanceship.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced the arrest of Ron Hansen, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. Hansen is accused of receiving at least $800,000 from Chinese sources in exchange for information he learned from “military and intelligence conferences in the U.S.” and for sensitive technology that the U.S. government had banned from being shared with China.

Hansen is the fourth former intelligence officer — along with Jerry Chun Shing Lee, Joshua Schulte1 and Kevin Mallory — arrested for espionage or attempted espionage in just the last year. But one part of his story sets him apart: Hansen’s payoff — at least $800,000 — is more than the vast majority of people arrested for spying over the past few decades were paid.

Of course, we’re talking about spying here, so there’s only so much we know about these cases — even the spies who get caught are pretty good at keeping secrets, and the people who catch them are even better. But we can get at least a rough overview of how much spies get paid using two sources: the Defense Personnel Security Research Center’s research into espionage from 1975 to 2008, and its report from last year updating the data to 2015. For cases since 2015, we can use Justice Department press releases.

The data is incomplete, of course — it can’t tell us anything about any spies who weren’t caught or whose payout information was never made public — but all told, I identified more than 100 people who were arrested for spying or similar offenses since 1975 and for whom we can estimate how much they were paid.2 I then adjusted those income estimates to 2018 dollars, using the year the person was arrested to approximate the year that the payoff was made. It’s an imperfect method, especially for someone like former FBI Special Agent Robert Hanssen, who was arrested in 2001 but likely earned most of his money between 1985 and 1991. But people committing espionage tend not to keep meticulous details of their illicit income, so payment details are, for the most part, best guesses made from the publicly available data.

In any case (caveats aside), what does the data show? There was very little financial gain for the vast majority of people arrested for spying in the cases for which we have payoff data. Most people in our data set didn’t sell secrets so much as give them away: 56 percent got no known compensation for their actions. Another 9 percent were paid less than $12,000, not even enough for the average used car.3

Some people — such as Cuban spy Ana Montes — spied for ideological reasons and may have refused payment out of principle.4 Most of those who weren’t paid, though, were intercepted before they could do real damage — such as Brian Regan, an officer from the National Reconnaissance Office who intended to sell secrets to China, Iraq and Libya for $13 million but was arrested before he could carry out his plan.

Only four U.S. spies are thought to have been paid at least $1 million over their careers: CIA officers Aldrich Ames and Larry Wu-Tai Chin, Army officer Clyde Conrad and Navy officer John Walker.5 So Hansen’s alleged haul of $800,000 would place him near the top of the list in terms of income derived from passing secrets.

Unsurprisingly, most people arrested for espionage or similar crimes receive lengthy prison sentences regardless of whether they’ve earned lots of money — which they usually haven’t. Ames, Conrad, Hanssen and Walker all received life sentences, while Wu-Tai Chin died by suicide prior to sentencing. Regan and National Guardsman Ryan Anderson similarly received life sentences for unsuccessfully trying to pass secrets to Iraq and Libya (Regan) and al-Qaida (Anderson). In terms of its risk-reward calculation, espionage doesn’t seem like a good bet:

Of course, there are a few limitations to looking at spy data like this.

First and foremost, we can only analyze the spies we know about. There are undoubtedly many former and active spies out there that we may not know about for decades — if at all. The National Security Agency, for example, lists the code names of several assets6 discovered through VENONA — a Cold War project that aimed to decrypt Soviet cables sent in the 1940s — as either unidentified or having been identified only decades after their spying ended. One such asset was a woman code named “Tina” who the Soviets claimed in 1945 had made a “valuable contribution” to their efforts to steal the atom bomb, and it wasn’t until 1992 that British authorities learned she had been a secretary named Melita Norwood.

Another challenge is that it’s impossible to calculate any payments received by the handful of intelligence professionals who defected from the U.S. over the years. Edward Lee Howard evaded FBI surveillance in 1985 and made it to the Soviet Union after being fired from the CIA. Air Force officer Jeffrey Carney defected to East Germany in 1985, and NSA officers William Martin and Bernon Mitchell fled to Moscow in 1960. There’s no way of accurately gauging how much money or valuables those defectors may have received from their new host countries.

Finally, people who committed espionage on behalf of the U.S. may have made as much or more than even the $2.5 million (over $4 million in 2018 dollars) that Ames was allegedly paid by Russia. One former KGB officer was allegedly paid at least $7 million for a file with Hanssen’s fingerprints and a voice recording of him talking with the KGB, according to a book by David Wise.

And then there’s the case of “Asset X,” who led the CIA to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, according to a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report released in 2014.7 The information that Asset X gave the U.S. government would have qualified him to claim much or all of the $25 million reward for Mohammed’s capture, and indeed Asset X’s case officer used the reward to motivate the asset to find Mohammed.

But Asset X is more the exception than the rule. Mallory, one of the four U.S. intelligence officers arrested in the last year, was found guilty in early June on charges including selling secrets to China for $25,000. During his trial, Mallory’s attorney argued that, “No one sells national defense information for $25,000. That is pocket change.”

As the evidence shows, however, many people have traded classified information for little more than pocket lint.

Note: Jeff Asher is a former CIA analyst.

[stephenmccull]

When Covid Deaths Aren’t Counted, Families Pay the Price

This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free.

On Sundays, Bishop Bruce Davis preached love. Through his Pentecostal ministry, he organized youth parades and gave computers, bicycles and food to families in need.

During the week, Bruce practiced what he preached, caring for prisoners at a Georgia hospital. On March 27 he began coughing, and on April 1 he was hospitalized. He’d tested positive for covid-19. The virus swept through his household, infecting his wife and daughter and hospitalizing their disabled son. Ten days after landing in the hospital, Bruce died.

But when Gwendolyn Davis received her husband’s death certificate, she was taken aback. The causes of death? Sepsis and renal failure. No mention of covid-19.

“He wouldn’t have had kidney failure if he didn’t have covid,” Gwendolyn said.

After Bruce died, his wife applied to two pandemic relief programs seeking help with $1,500 in missed payments on a truck and an electricity bill. But, she said, she was denied because his death certificate didn’t mention covid-19.

“I think it’s wrong,” Gwendolyn said. “It’s almost like we didn’t count.”

The count has profound implications for families and the country. Omitting covid-19 on death certificates threatens to undercount the toll of the pandemic nationwide. For Davis’ family and others, it can pile financial hardship onto emotional despair, as death benefits and other covid-19 relief programs are withheld. Interviews with families across the U.S. shed light on reasons covid deaths are being undercounted — and the consequences loved ones have endured.

When covid patients die, the “immediate” cause of death is always something else, such as respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. Residents, doctors, medical examiners and coroners make the call on whether covid was an underlying factor, or “contributory cause.” If so, the diagnosis should be included on the death certificate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even beyond the pandemic, there is wide variation in how certifiers describe causes of death: “There’s just no such thing as an objective measure of cause of death,” said Lee Anne Flagg, a statistician at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Partly because of a lack of training in how to fill them out, “the quality of the death certificates is not good,” said Dr. James Gill, vice president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. And in cases in which people had other chronic conditions, it can be difficult to determine whether covid was a contributing cause of death, he said. That was especially true early on, when reliable testing was not widely available.

Since early in the pandemic, the CDC has encouraged certifiers who suspect covid as a cause of death to list it on the death certificate as “probable” or “likely.”

Still, some clinicians are “reluctant to certify a death as a covid death without a test in hand,” Gill said.

It’s not clear how Bruce Davis’ case slipped under the radar. His death was certified by William Ken Garland, deputy coroner in Baldwin County. Reached by phone, Garland said the causes of death were provided by Dr. Joseph Coppiano, a medical resident who pronounced Davis dead at Augusta University Medical Center, about 90 miles away. No autopsy was done.

“I did certify the record, but that’s about all I did,” Garland said.

Hospital spokesperson Danielle Harris declined to comment on the case, citing patient privacy. She said the hospital follows Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines.

In the absence of certainty, the CDC has encouraged coroners to document the virus. “We’re not worried that we’re overcounting the number of [covid-19] deaths,” Farida Ahmad, epidemiologist and mortality surveillance team leader at NCHS, said in April.

Missed cases are one reason that experts agree covid deaths are being undercounted nationwide. As evidence for that, they point to the vast number of excess deaths — additional deaths compared to what would be expected based on prior-year numbers and demographic trends.

Over the past year, the U.S. had endured up to 431,792 excess deaths as of Jan. 6, with 68% directly attributed to covid, according to the CDC.

These excess deaths “tend to track pretty closely with covid cases, trailing by a couple of weeks,” said Daniel Weinberger, an epidemiologist at Yale School of Public Health who has published on this topic. “This strongly suggests that a large proportion of these uncounted deaths are due to covid but not recorded as such.”

We may never know how many covid deaths went uncounted: Postmortem tests can detect the virus, but it’s “unlikely that this type of testing will be performed at a [sufficient] scale,” Weinberger said. Early in the pandemic, especially in the Northeast, many of those who were treated clinically for covid and then died were not tested for the virus — so they never made it into the statistics.

Testing Troubles Affect Lawsuits, Hospital Bills

Inaccurate death certificates can make it harder to pursue a lawsuit or win a workers’ compensation case when a loved one dies after contracting covid on the job. Gwendolyn Davis did win workers’ compensation death benefits from Bruce’s employer, a state psychiatric facility in Milledgeville, by providing medical records. But problems with covid testing can complicate the process.

Bruce’s supervisor at work, Mark DeLong, also died after contracting covid, but it did not appear on his death certificate with the other causes: cardiopulmonary arrest, respiratory failure and diabetes.

The omission on DeLong’s certificate seemed to stem from a delay in test results: His covid-positive results didn’t arrive until three days after he died, according to his widow, Jan DeLong. She has asked the local coroner to correct the record.

In New Jersey, attorney Paul da Costa represents 75 family members who lost loved ones at veterans homes in Menlo Park and Paramus in April and May. He said he knows of at least five patients whose death certificates did not list covid-19 despite evidence suggesting it killed them.

The root problem, he said, was a “complete dearth of testing.” Patients were transferred to hospitals, or dying in the veterans facilities, without ever being tested, he said.

The gap between excess deaths and confirmed covid deaths has “narrowed over time as testing has increased,” Weinberger said.

Early testing inaccuracy may also have led to undercounting, which creates a different burden: hospital bills. Without a diagnosis, families can be on the hook for thousands of dollars in charges that otherwise would have been covered under the CARES Act.

Correcting the Record

In some cases, families have sought to have death certificates changed to reflect covid. Dorothy Payton, 95, who lived in the ManorCare nursing home in Denver, first showed covid symptoms April 5. Five days later, Payton — known as “Nana Dee” — tested positive for it. And on April 13, her husband, Edward Benjamin, received a call that she had died.

The death certificate offered a litany of causes: vascular dementia, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, gait instability, difficulty swallowing and “failure to thrive.”

But not covid-19. So it “seemed logical to fight for listing her cause of death under her cause of death,” Benjamin said.

After a few calls, her husband was able to get the certificate amended. ManorCare could not be reached for comment.

For Benjamin, it wasn’t about public health statistics or financial considerations. It simply offers a sense of closure.

“I want her life and death remembered the way it was, and I’m glad we set the record straight,” he said. “It’s the first step towards moving on.”

This story is part of “Lost on the Frontline,” an ongoing project from The Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who die from COVID-19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease. If you have a colleague or loved one we should include, please share their story.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

When Covid Deaths Aren’t Counted, Families Pay the Price published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[johnark]

TJ Johnston retired from  sawmill work in 1982 at age 65. He was living in the Hope house at 707 East Division Street. He had always done most of the work around the house and very seldom hired outside help. The rain gutters in the house required cleaning. TJ failed to accept that he was now elderly and with less coordination, balance and strength. He undertook this task, one he had always done himself. He fell from the roof, injuring himself and was confined to the hospital. He chose not to go to the care of our family doctor, Dr. Jim McKinsey, in the Branch General Hospital where Vivian was the Chief of Nurses; but went to another hospital instead. Vivian commented that he would not receive optimum care in the facility that he chose. While confined in the hospital he suffered a heart attack and died, ten months after retiring. He had been a smoker for most of his life. While the fall did result in severe injury, surely it was demon tobacco that took his life. 

Vivian was the Chief of Nurses at Branch General Hospital. In addition to her administration tasks, she also worked in the cancer ward of the hospital. She developed a chronic cough. Dr. McKinsey, who she worked with there, kept urging her to check out the cough. Finally she made a chest X-ray. She told me “when I saw those X-rays I knew I was looking at my death warrant.” She had lung cancer. She had been a smoker most of her life and was a smoker then. She had surgery but all the cancer could not be removed. She was given six months to a year to live. In about a year the cancer returned. It was demon tobacco taking another life. 

 I, John McLeod, also smoked as a youngster as most people did in those days. I smoked for about ten years and finally became disgusted with the filthy habit. This was before we knew that tobacco could and most likely would kill you if you used it. Ridding myself of the demon tobacco was the most difficult thing I did in my life. I attribute a heart attack I suffered in 1999 to the demon tobacco. Today I continue life with high risk from cardio vascular disease. I wrote a blog about the demon tobacco. Create a hyperlink on your computer with the following address, click on it, and you can read the blog. If you are reading this on a computer connected to the Internet, that is a hyperlink. Just click on it.     https://JohnArk.Tumblr.com/tagged/tobacco

                                    MELISSA’S FAMILY IN 2018

From the left: Bradley Mohon Papineau, Mateus Lima, Melissa Mohon Papineau, Anne Papineau Nelson, Mikael Nelson, William Edward Papineau.

In this narrative we have briefly stated that Big cared for her dying husband in difficult circumstance in Harrell in the early 1930s and later cared for her dying mother in her home in Hope. The comments about Big’s caring for her mother, Martha Frances, are on Pages 4 and 6 of this narrative. I observed this and was amazed at Big’s skill, patience, compassion and strength both physically and mentally in dealing with what I observed as a very difficult person and difficult situation. I was just a kid at the time, but I was mature enough to recognize an extraordinary life and death event unfolding in that room and appreciate what I was seeing. But even more extraordinary and astounding as well is how deplorable conditions, devastating events, surprising and disappointing betrayals around the final two years of the life of her husband, Dr. Charles Bennett Johnston (CB), were met with such extraordinary determination, loyalty, skill, organization, perseverance, compassion, dedication, endurance, improvisation, stamina, grit, moxie – need I go on? This was indeed an extraordinary situation confronted and overcome by a more than equally extraordinary person. I want to add to what has been said about this in this narrative on Pages 2, 21, 22 and 23. 

 Let me start by trying to establish the situation in the Johnston household in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Vivian told me that Charles B. Johnston died of Parkinson’s disease. This disease is a progressive, untreatable, incurable nervous system disorder manifested with movement disorders, autonomic dysfunction, neuropsychiatric problems among others. The end stage of Parkinson’s is an extremely distressing situation. Today hospice takes over at that point. Family cannot provide or endure care at that point. CB probably suffered with incontinence, insomnia, dementia, hallucinations, severe posture issues with back, neck, hips and was surely bedridden. Just think of a bedridden heavy man, drooling, urinating uncontrollably, with induced diarrhea to relieve constipation, depressed, and demented. It would have been impossible for Ruth to have cared for CB alone. However inexpensive, inexperienced assistance could have been available from the black community. Surely Ruth would have expected assistance from her children – Vivian 9 or 10, TJ 13 or 14 and Mary 16 or 17. The situation in CB’s room must have been hell. And probably smelled that way, too. Hell at that point and the future very bleak. The country was in the midst of the depression with 30% of the work force unemployed. Is this the reason that Mary dropped out of school, abandoned her family and ran away with Frank McLeod? What about family loyalty, personal responsibility, conscience? What did Ruth think when her oldest daughter abandoned her in the time of most need? Yes, abandoned. Fled. That’s the way it looks to me. Yes, living with Frank would have been “wonderful” compared to the hell that existed in the Johnston household. Had she stayed with Frank, as it turned out, it would have been a blessing for Ruth. But rather than escape from it, Mary returned just in time to add to that hell and responsibility for Ruth. I was born on 21 September 1931. CB was in the last, tortured year of his life. He died on 22 November 1932. So, in summary, the situation for Ruth at the return of pregnant Mary was: caring for CB in the direst and most demanding period of his declining health, supervising untrained CB care givers, caring for two high school children, managing a household, managing the family finances, and now Ruth has to organize the care of Mary and the child and deal with Frank McLeod. Probably Mary demanded that Ruth force Frank to marry her. The fact that Frank sent her home probably meant that he would not easily agree to this. Hiring an attorney and settling the situation through the courts if required was most likely out of the question because of finances, time element, physical location and life and death responsibilities. Probably in the interests of a quick settlement of the issue, Ruth and Frank agreed upon marriage, separation, no contact, no responsibility.  And Frank went happily on his way, leaving Mary angry, distraught and pregnant. This situation would surely have overwhelmed a lesser person. That house in Harrell, still standing in 2020 (Page 23), is a small one and could not physically accommodate all the activity thrust upon Ruth. So, Ruth organized an unknown benefactor in Artesian, Arkansas to take in pregnant Mary and care for her and her child. Ruth organized for Dr. J. E. Rhine of Thornton, Arkansas to deliver the child. Today unmarried mothers is a common situation. In those days there was an immense stigma associated with this. Even divorce carried a stigma. Was the Artesian relocation for Mary to relieve her of the humiliation by her classmates, and perhaps relieve Ruth of the humiliation by her peers in Harrell? I don’t think so. I think it was just a byproduct of the situation; that the relocation was dictated by the turmoil in the Johnston household at the time. It was life and death “crunch time” in the Johnston household and Ruth did not have time for social contemplations. Probably Ruth did not have the time or the inclination to convince Mary that this was the best course of action. She probably just informed Mary that this is what we are going to do and it is not open for discussion. If this is the way it was, and this supposition is logical in this circumstance, then it very well could have been a great point of contention and resentment Mary had for Ruth. So Mary went to Artesian, had the child and nursed to the weaning point where the child was sent to Harrell and Big’s care and Mary completed her high school education. Surely Ruth arranged this knowing that in the future Mary would be severely limited without at least a high school education. Ruth continued the management of the Johnston household which entailed the hospice care of CB; going into that room with its fetid, malodorous odor with compassion, skill and determination; the care of two school children; providing food for all of them; and financial control with dwindling resources, no income, no safety net from prior work or the federal government and the country in the midst of The Great Depression with 30% of the work force unemployed. Accomplishing all of this with a bleak future facing her could have been completely overwhelming, but she safely steered her ship of household through this massive storm to calm waters after the death of CB on 22 November 1932. The hell that had dominated the household for several years was passed, but the financial situation remained extremely dire. There was no income and the Great Depression and its effects loomed large. Now Ruth used her imagination and ingenuity. She began serving noon-time meals to the nearby railroad workers for twenty five cents per meal. The former college professor and wife of the town doctor found a way to overcome every obstacle. The next event confronting Ruth was the return to the family of Mary with her Artesian high school diploma, shown in photos on Page 10. It was soon discovered that Mary was once again pregnant. This revelation had to be distressing to say the least for both Mary and Ruth. I think this is where TJ told Mary ‘why can’t you keep your pants on?’ This infuriated Mary and she never forgot it. As stated in this narrative on Page 13, Mary, now an adult, nearly 22 years old and responsible for her own actions, was sent to the Witherington farm where her Artesian schoolmate, Frank Weisinger, was working to inform him that she was pregnant with his child and to see if he would marry her. He did the honorable thing and married her. Frank was a handsome, but simple man. His mind and world revolved around what was needed and what was required in the life of a ‘share cropper,’ which is essentially what he was. He had no vision of further education, of art and culture – only the farmer life that was presented to him. So Mary now the adult, nearly 22 years old, the daughter of a college professor and doctor, was left with the prospects and situation that she had created. 

The Johnston household in Harrell continued with little money and scant hope for a better future. Even in very limited circumstances, Ruth never lost her sense of humor. A story she obviously told Vivian and which Vivian told me involved a hefty eater among the lunch time railroad men. Finally Ruth informed the gentleman that she was going to have to increase his meal price to thirty cents. He replied “Oh, Mrs. Johnston, I wish you wouldn’t do that. I have enough trouble now eating twenty five cents worth.”  So in 1934 the Johnston household continued with its meager resources supporting Ruth, TJ, Vivian and John. This was the situation for the next four years. Then in the 1938 – 39 time frame Ruth’s brothers came to her rescue. They were prospering in the sawmill business in Hope, Arkansas. They invited the family to move to Hope and offered TJ an important job in the sawmill. The Johnston household world was transformed. The move to Hope, new situation and a change of life. The family income secured and hope for the future. Ruth happily joining her brothers and sisters with bright and unlimited prospects for her children and me. Mary was left with her prospects and situation that she had created. 

[fmabigbang]

Summaries for mobile, as the link doesn’t work:

Looking for ships?

Roy/Ed: #1, #2, #3, #6, #7, #14, #17, #19, #22, #23

Roy/Riza: #8, #9, #16, #20, #21

Al/Mei: #8, #12, #17, #21

Ed/Winry: #8, #12, #18

Al/Wrath: #18

Greed/Ling: #23

Havoc/Fuery: #23

Ling/Lan Fan: #8

Maes/Gracia: #4

Olivier/Roy: #5

Riza/Rebecca Catalina: #10

Russell Tringham/Belsio: #2

(Please note that only main/major ships are included in this list)

Fic #1: Dead Ringer

Summary:  Love, as fleeting as it is sweet. After a single date, Roy Mustang is left with only funeral flowers and the memory of a guy who could have been The One.  A few months later, he finds himself introduced to a friend of a friend who looks eerily familiar. Second chances come from unexpected places, he knows, but—Ed’s cousin?

Author: Xyriath Continuity: Modern Amestris AU Length: Roughly 20k Pairings: Roy/Ed, Ling/Lan Fan (background) Rating: T or E (depends on age of artist) Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Amestris, Alchemy, Hijinks, Humor, Lan Fan you had one job, A Comedy of Intrusive Thoughts Major warnings: No

Fic #2

Summary: Centuries after faery-kind disappeared from the planet—in part due to humanity’s fear and hatred of them—their part-human descendants continue to face discrimination, particularly in Amestris, where Lord Selim the Prideful has recently inherited his father’s power. Lord Selim wishes for a nation that adequately reflects his own greatness, and thus seeks to purge it of anything nonindicative of that, “halflings” included, starting with a widespread movement to identify and relocate them to designated areas throughout the country. John Belsio, a halfling farmer and hunter, wouldn’t be bothered, but Lord Selim chooses his extensive plot of land as one such relocation area for part-humans throughout Eastern Amestris. His precious privacy infringed upon, Belsio travels to Central City to confront Selim, who makes a deal with him: if Belsio completes a quest for him, Selim will gladly move the halflings elsewhere and leave Belsio in peace. With former politician and fugitive Roy Mustang at his side, whether he likes it or not, Belsio sets out to complete Selim’s task, which, between discovering a decades-long conspiracy and the burgeoning revolution, turns out to be more than he bargained for—and maybe exactly what he needed.

Author: geichang Continuity: total AU featuring characters from both versions Length: 40k ish. EXTREME emphasis on the ‘ish’ Pairings: Belsio/Russell Tringham, Roy/Edward (side) Rating: T (teen) Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Part-Human Characters, Fantastic Racism, Minor Character Focus, Autistic Protagonist, Friends to Lovers Major warnings:  No

Fic #3

Summary: Roy Mustang was born, saved a kingdom and its prince, and died of old age, the love of his life by his side. And then he wakes, Edward nowhere in sight. By some twist of fate, Roy lives again. And again. And again. His existence, he finds, is part of a prophecy; a plan set out by the gods to combat that great evil he thought he had conquered all those years ago. Roy has decided he hates the gods. Not only can he have no rest, but neither can those he loves - Roy is haunted constantly by familiar faces, who no longer even know his name. So, Roy deigns to live a life of solitude - if he is to be forced to give his attachments up after every lifetime, then it would be better for him to never have attached himself in the first place. The gods, it seems, won’t even let him have that. With each life, that Great Evil twists and grows, finding new ways to wreak havoc across Hyrule, and it should be easy for Roy to lose himself in his duty - the thing the gods chose him to do. His life, however, is tied to Hyrule - particularly, its leader. When all attempts to push away one princely figure in particular fail spectacularly, Roy is dragged kicking and screaming into loving again, and with every life, with every goodbye followed be Edward’s unrecognizing eyes at their next meeting, Roy wonders how much of this he can take. (Legend of Zelda AU, with no prior knowledge of the source material needed whatsoever.)

Author: fishingclocks Continuity: Both Length: 30,000 Pairings: Roy/Ed Rating: T (teen) Tags: Legend of Zelda AU,  Reincarnation, Romance, monster-killing at any and all ages, so i suppose child endangerment, incorporates nearly any zelda game you can think of, Angst, yet surprising amounts of fluff, and humor because my Roy is a snarky little loser, will you ever see anything nerdier?, the world will never know Major warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #4

Summary: When Maes Hughes’ body arrives into Central City Morgue, Dr. Knox and his assistant are shocked to find him barely alive inside the body bag. Working quickly, they manage to save him, only for Maes to awaken and nearly re-injure himself in his desperation to get vital information to Roy Mustang. Using a network of underground informants and smugglers, Maes manages to escape Amestris- but at what cost? And can he still manage to alert Roy to the plans of the people who tried to assassinate him? Follow along as Maes becomes one of the living dead and travels out of the country, to save himself- and all of Amestris- from whatever is making that giant transmutation circle.

Author: SonjaJade Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 34000 Pairings: Maes/Gracia, Maes/Roy (past), Roy/Riza (background), Ed/Winry (background) Rating: T (teen) Tags: Blood, surgical situations, disguises, hideouts, on the run, coded messages, Maes lives AU Major warnings: No

Fic #5

Summary: After an incident with a rogue alchemist, Roy and Olivier find themselves in a strange place and in need of a way back. Their misadventure will open the door to some of the greatest changes Amestris has seen in a long time.

Author: MaiKusakabe Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 40-50k Pairings: Roy/Olivier, Ed/Winry (background), pre-Al/Mei (background) Rating: E (explicit) Tags: (possible) explicit sexual content, crossover with Harry Potter, language Major warnings: No

Fic #6: The Devil in the Desert Sun

Summary: Roy Mustang is stuck in a rut. And by “a rut,” he explicitly means Cameron, the Eastern ghost town wherein he is investigating his latest story. After he is so rudely ousted from his job as Editor-In-Chief of the Central times on the Führer’s executive order, all he can do is hope to redeem himself to the public by solving a case that has eluded federal and local investigators for years. And so Roy hunts for the Alchemist, a serial killer with a habit of leaving things called “transmutation circles” on the bodies of their victims. When he makes the acquaintance of an activist with a missing best friend and a strange knack for the Alchemist’s own state-restricted secrets, Roy’s suspicions that the Amestrian Military has something to do with the murders are only furthered. Conspiratorial leanings aside, Roy has to get to the bottom of the truth before the case can upend the lives of the very people he’s trying so hard to protect. If only he were as good at keeping everyone safe as he was at starting wildfires.

Author: asonohara Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 40-50K Pairings: Roy/Ed Rating: E (explicit) Tags: violence, graphic descriptions of death/murder, mentions of past suicidal attempts/ideation, character death, prescription drug abuse, smut, bottom!roy, journalist!roy, activist!ed, modern au, alternate universe-canon divergence, modern brotherhood au Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #7: A Lesson in Distraction

Summary: His goals hadn’t, and would never be without trials. Mistakes had, and would be made; he was only human after all, but he had no intention of ever letting it stop him. Roy hadn’t done the things he had, come this far, to back out now or ever. No Alpha would cow him, no amount of gossip or derisive opinion would sway him. If a megalomaniacal pseudo God and his menagerie of unnatural ‘offspring’ hadn’t been enough to deter him, then nothing would. Roy Mustang would bow out only when he himself was ready to; when he’d deemed his goals accomplished sufficiently. Only then would he step back and let everything else fall where it may. And, so close to the top seat, the last thing he needed was a distraction. It was decidedly unfortunate that he neglected to take into account nature’s tendency to overrule the paltry decisions of man, and throw troublesome Elric’s at him. Alternatively: Roy gets blindsided by his biology, and Ed really isn’t helping.

Author: Fullmetalflame Continuity: Post Brotherhood Canon Length: Estimated at 25-30k (May exceed) Pairings: Roy/Ed, Riza/Sheska (background), Alphonse/Fuery (background) Rating: E (explicit) Tags: (Ooh boy) My entry for the 2k17 FMA big bang, Alpha/Beta/Omega, and everything that entails including, knotting, mpreg, it’s not overly graphic, but it is sort of a big thing though, post Brotherhood canon, coarse language, on account of Ed’s potty-mouth, Roy pov, Omega Roy Mustang, Alpha Edward Elric, NSFW, protective!Team Mustang, no angst, light hearted fic, I promise, Alphonse is a little shit, minor background relationships, slash, smut, lots of smut, pwp, porn with plot, Roy’s a strong proud Omega who don’t need no Alpha, but he’ll take Ed anyway, because he’s a dork, the author regrets nothing, what are tags, bonding, marking, smug Omega, seriously, strut your stuff Roy, Madame Christmas knows, seriously, she knows, what else, uh, that’s it I guess? Major warnings: No

Fic #8: Under the same roof

Summary: “This is bound to be a disaster!” Ed muttered under his breath, hoping that no one would hear him but just wanting to get it out of his system. He was setting the table for his guests: ‘and what guests!’ he thought ironically. Ten years have passed since the Promised Day, and many things have changed. Finally, the friends have time to reunite in Resembool and old stories are dug up, secrets are disclosed and hilarity ensues.

Author: ionica01 Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 75k Pairings: Ed/Winry, Roy/Riza, Ling/Lan Fan, Al/Mei Rating: T (teen) Tags: Fluff, Romance, Funny, Couples, Usual Ed-Roy Bickering, Embarrassing Stories, Politics, World-Building, Character Development, Visit (and Ed isn’t happy), Bonding Time, Families Major warnings: No

Fic #9

Summary: The Illumination is a phenomenon that makes the wounds people bear visible to all in a ray of light. It is completely harmless to human health aside from making one acknowledge it. It started on the third of October 1910 and everyone remembers it very well. Follow the story as Roy, Edward, Alphonse, and the rest of the team experience the illumination to see just how far some might go to douse the lights of another’s pain. Inspired by the Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier.

Author: Literatureworks Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 50,000 Pairings: Roy/Riza Rating: T (teen) Tags: illuminationAU, Everyday life, pain, Hurt/comfort, Parental, Just an all-around good feeling sappy story of everyday emotions and circumstances, stressbaking Major warnings: No

Fic #10

Summary: Riza Hawkeye knew that her father would die, but she never thought she’d miss him. She also didn’t anticipate his apprentice, a young man named Roy Mustang. And she never thought she’d take up the alchemy tattooed onto her back, but apparently life was full of surprises. Asking Mustang to mentor her, she begins her journey down the alchemic path. She becomes close, and eventually trusts him enough to see the tattoos on her back. Apparently that was all Roy wanted, and soon after seeing her at her most vulnerable, disappears. She finds him a week later in a motel, poring over her most guarded secret and forgetting that Riza even existed. Heartbroken, she decides to continue on her path, except now not content with just being Roy’s equal. She’ll surpass him now, she swears it. Apparently, others want the same for her, and help her along the way—but at what cost?

Author: Veilrony Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 55 000 words Pairings: Riza/Rebecca (main), Roy/Riza (main for 10 chapters, not “endgame”) Rating: T (teen) Tags: Unhealthy Royai, Alchemist!Riza, Fic Spans 10 Years Major warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #11: Consigned to Oblivion

Summary: Memory is powerful, but easy to fabricate. When Edward Elric has to choose between his brother’s life and his own, he decides to make a sacrifice far greater than he anticipated. The Gate waits for him, and with only a week to live the life he longed for, time is the greatest enemy of all.

Author: wrongnote Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 25k to 35k, most likely. (maybe longer) Pairings: Ed/Winry (background), Roy/Riza (background) Rating: T (teen) Tags: Parental Roy & Ed Major warnings: No

Fic #12

Summary: Edward enters the Far West, searching for new forms of alchemy. In the red dustbowl of the western lands, he meets with a man that many claims can perform miracles, but Edward’s past experiences with both Dr. Marcoh and Father Cornello told him he was going to find a Philosopher’s Stone behind these so-called “miracles”. During his meeting with Don Paco, Edward learns about magick: an ancient mystic art of Don Paco’s people. Edward takes a gamble when Don Paco offered him the possibility of restoring his Gate of Truth and thus restoring his ability to use alchemy. Little did he know that this “Miracle Man” had a hidden agenda, so on the morning after Don Paco performs the Ritual of Transcendence, the former State Alchemist finds himself trapped in the body of a cat. When all seemed lost, Edward finds an ally in Matilde, Don Paco’s wife. Thanks to Matilde, Edward learns that Don Paco had stolen his body and is heading to Resembool to find Winry. What he wants with the automail mechanic remains a mystery. Armed with the knowledge that the Ritual Transcendence can be reversed, Edward heads East to stop Don Paco and keep Winry from harm.

Author: hirstories Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 30,000+ Pairings: Ed/Winry, Al/Mei Rating: T (teen) Tags: Canon compliant AU, Canon relationships, Implied relationships, Multiple OCs, Humor, Supernatural, Adventure, Mild violence, Cursing Major warnings: No

Fic #13: sicut in caelo et in terra

Summary: A series of shorter stories set in a world where canon alchemists are not scientists, but deities: making up a Pantheon of gods and goddesses, with Truth and Hohenheim at their helm. The series details scenes along the boys’ journey to harnessing their inherited powers and locating their father, trying to restore balance to the world of deities and discovering what he left the Pantheon to do.

Author: miraculous-stardust Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: >15k Pairings: Roy/Riza (background), Maes/Gracia (background) - pairings exist but the fic is gen Rating: T (teen) Tags: fmabb 17, deity au, basically alchemists +homunculi and gracia are deities, a series of smaller fics bc this got out of hand, inspired by the fma prototype chapter and greek mythology Major warnings: No

Fic #14

Summary: If there is one universal truth, it is that Edward Elric will do anything for his little brother…right? Yet Al is sick and Ed refuses to consider magic as a possible cause or cure. With the best intentions, Al goes behind Ed’s back to pursue the possibility, requesting assistance from Detective Roy Mustang—the only State recognized civilian Mage.  Roy reluctantly agrees, positive that doing so is about as smart as hugging a live grenade but curious because of, both the large disparity in mindsets of the brothers, and his rocky history with Ed. It predictably explodes in his face. Meanwhile, Roy has his hands full trying to protect those few magic users he’s able to track down within the confines of his profession from a world no one believes in (all the while assisting Al where he can and sidestepping explosive interactions with Ed).  He finds himself missing patterns, falling a step behind when he should be a step ahead and his past catches him unaware. Despite Ed’s protests that magic is just a flashy form of alchemy, it exists and it’s coming for him in a very real way. And when handed a decision, Ed makes the worst possible one. Tldr: Everyone: Ed, no!        Ed: Ed, FUCKIN’ yes!

Author: Catie-brie Continuity: AU that pulls from both Length: 40-50k-ish ?? Pairings: Roy/Ed (main) Ling/Lan Fan (background), Havoc/Breda/Rebecca (background), Ed/Ling (past), Roy/Kimblee (past) Can’t think of any others but ships kind of just happen when I write Rating: M (mature) Tags: Urban Fantasy AU, Modern!Amestris, with magic!, Dark, watch out for the fae, fae and faeries, '03 flavored ending, Ed will do stupid things to protect his brother, angst, enemies to lovers to friends to better lovers, UST, RST, unhealthy depictions of sex (magic), other depictions of sex, canon typical violence Major warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #15: Careful what you wish for

Summary: The homunculi each had a desire.  Friends, family, love, and they got what they wanted. Just not in the way they would have wanted it. Envy has abusive relatives, lust falls in love with almost every man, greed has all the possessions he could want,  but not in the prime of conditions. Edward and three others have to go into this world, similar to 03 but is brotherhood,  and collect all the homunculi and take them back to truth, as to have their current lives, they took a piece of him each that has to be recovered. Warning, this story will be very trigger sensitive. It deals with abusive relatives, mental and physical disorders. It can be fairly gory and depressive at parts. If you are sensitive to any of those things. Please do not read.

Author: Homunculus101 Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 20k or above. Pairings: N/A Rating: T (teen) Tags: Mental disorder, physical disorders, gore, real life issues Major warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #16:

Summary: While people fear the monsters they’ve read in children’s stories or even see in movies, the real monsters within humans can be even more horrifying. How does Edward contend with what’s killing people all over the world? How does Roy contend with the monster that is slowly growing from the military?  Everyone has a demon, a personal monster, how does humanity deal with a threat like that?

Author: YYLoverGirl1 Continuity: An AU inspired by Blassreiter while still keeping elements from Brotherhood Length: 15k+ Pairings: Roy/Riza Rating: T (teen)   Tags: (none) Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #17: Bringing the Fight to You

Summary: Story so far:

Edward and Alphonse were born a few years earlier, so Edward is 21 at the beginning of this story. Edward never became a State Alchemist, instead, he and Alphonse train with Izumi Curtis and travel the world, learning as much as they can. Alphonse is now a doctor, and Edward has multiple PhDs in the fields of Alchemy and Languages, and is a professor at Central University. He also helps out at the hospital whenever he has spare time, using Alchehestry to increase people’s chances of survival until the doctors (and Alphonse) can get to them. They saved Maes Hughes, who set up Edward as Roy Mustang’s escort to a military ball.

Edward and Alphonse learn of the conspiracy involving the Promised Day.

This fic:

In order to prevent the scheme of the military high command to use all of Amestris to become immortal, Edward and Alphonse join forces with Mustang. They gather allies and prepare as best they can for the fight to come. Along the way, Roy and Ed have to hide their relationship, in order to tempt the senior staff into thinking they can gain Ed as an ally for their schemes. This doesn’t stop their romance from blooming, but many obstacles are put in their path. This is the story of how the Promised Day, and the year leading up to it, would have gone, had Edward stayed out of the military, and Hughes survived to tell the tale of a nationwide transmutation circle.

Author: caraakame Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 20k - 30k Pairings: Roy/Ed, Al/May, Greed/Ling (background) Rating: M (mature) Tags: AU, Angst, So much angst, some fluff, possible smut, Hughes survives, Doctor!Al, Professor!Ed, Alternate Timeline Major warnings: Major Character Death

Fic #18: Dante’s Divine Comedy

Summary: Edward Elric has never met the host of tonight’s dinner party. In fact the only thing he truly knows about them is that they are offering key information regarding the disappearance of his father. He would have never have come here with his fiancé otherwise. Upon arrival, Edward is surprised to see that there a quite a few familiar faces among the guests. Even more so when he realizes just how similar their motivations are for attending. Though the night quickly turns for the worst as more guests begin to disappear causing Edward to realize that some things are better left buried and forgotten.

Author: totallynotmyfanfiction Continuity: FMA 2003 Length: 20,000 (in the end) Pairings: Al/Wrath, Ed/Winry, Winry/Paninya (past), Dante/Hohenheim (background), Greed/Envy (background), Dante/Greed (background), Lust/Scar (background) Rating: T (teen) Tags: Murder Mystery, Human AU, Slightly Older Characters, Some Humor, Tragedy, Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #19

Summary: In a world where the Gate works on different principles, the price Ed pays for Al’s soul isn’t an arm, but his humanity. Turned into a strange and unnatural beast, he and Al run away, and end up settling in an old castle ruin. Hiding from sight, they spend years searching for a way to get their true bodies back. But then the military shows up, and Roy ends up as Ed’s “hostage”. Though it’s hard to tell who’s the more unwilling party. Well, at first, anyway.

Author: Spuri Continuity: AU (possible vague mention of some Brotherhood details) Length: 46000 Pairings: Roy/Ed Rating: M (mature) Tags: AU - Beauty and the Beast, fluff, crack, slight angst, mention of non-trans related dysphoria, (aka Ed is Beast and understandably has issues), Major warnings: No

Fic #20

Summary: He hates being reduced to the role of civilian – a convalescing civilian, even more. He hates the red tape that surrounds his recovery; hates that Riza still hasn’t come out of her coma like the doctors said she would.

The aftermath of the Promised Day isn’t pleasant for anybody involved.

Author: Tsaritsa Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 15k Pairings: Roy/Riza, Ed/Winry (background) Rating: T (teen) Tags: (none) Major warnings: No

Fic #21: The Wilderness

Summary: Amestris becomes a harrowingly silent place on the afternoon of the Promised Day and only the survivors at the center are left to tread over it. Within a few hours, they won’t be the only ones wandering.

Author: haganenobeato Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 25,000+ Pairings: Roy/Riza (main), Al/Mei, Ed/Winry (background) Rating: M (mature) Tags: Horror, Dark, Psychological distress, Zombies, Kinda gorey, Lots of things happen REAL QUICK, some light moments to help Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #22: Heathens

Summary: Central City has never been a quiet city. Sex and drugs—the currency of choice in the criminal underground—overflow in the streets leaving fear and unrest in its wake. Obsidian Inferno, the most exclusive club in Central, caters to an exclusive clientele with the most notorious playboy,Roy Mustang, on its throne.  However when a recent string of murders and drug overdoses takes the city by storm, the evidence starts to point to the Inferno. Detective Edward Elric must go undercover to solve the case, but discovers that not everything is what it seems. As the pressure mounts, his discovery threatens to tear apart everything he loves.

Author: Stargazerlilith Continuity: AU with a mix of both worlds Length: 25,000 - 30,000 ish Pairings: Roy/Ed, Ed/Russell (past) Rating: E (explicit) Tags: Drug abuse, gang violence, alcohol abuse, possible kink, sexual content, graphic murders, Schizophrenic characters. Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Fic #23: Antebellum Innocence

Summary: The year is 1922, and New York City has never been more rife with drama, drugs, conflict, and crime. It’s a dangerous place for a couple of immigrants, but Ed and Al have always been good at toughing it out. However, dangers can lurk even in the most well-lit corners, and the shadows can hold some of the best friends they’ll ever meet.

Author: the-redheaded-potato Continuity: Brotherhood/Manga Length: 40k Pairings: Roy/Ed, Greed/Ling, Fuery/Havoc Rating: M (mature) Tags: aged-up character, mafia!au, mob boss Roy, trans Havoc, nb Breda, nb Envy, disability, officer Hughes, the homunculi are a rival gang, period-typical racism, tho I downsized it significantly, mentions of ableism Major warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

[weavingthetapestry]

Places to Go: Dunkeld Cathedral, Perthshire

Set snugly amongst heavily forested hills on the banks of the River Tay, Dunkeld’s tranquil setting and long history make for a lovely day out. Whilst the village of Dunkeld itself, as well as the adjoining villages of Little Dunkeld and Birnam (yes that Birnam, Shakespeare lovers; Beatrix Potter fans may also be entertained) are pretty enough in themselves, however, I particularly want to draw attention to what would certainly have been the main attraction of Dunkeld in the Middle Ages- its cathedral. Sheltered by stately trees at the river’s edge, the ruins of this edifice, part of which still houses the parish church, are not only picturesque but were also extremely important as the centre of what became one of the three most important dioceses in Scotland, and have witnessed well over a thousand years of action-packed history filled with the exploits of holy men, vikings, royal dynasties, caterans, and politicking bishops, not to mention messy battles. Thus while this is a long post (partly because there was no guidebook available to point out the most important bits), it is not without its interesting bits!

 A religious centre was apparently present on the site at least as far back as the early ninth century, when Constantine, King of the Picts, established some kind of foundation (probably a monastery) at Dunkeld. Over the next century this church, dedicated to St Columba, grew to become a major religious centre, with Kenneth MacAlpin relocating some of the relics of St Columba from Iona to Dunkeld in around 849 AD, possibly in an attempt to protect them from the assaults which vikings were then making along the Scottish coastline (the rest of the relics were sent to Ireland). Unfortunately, Dunkeld was not to be wholly safe either, as vikings burnt the area several times during the tenth century (and Norse influences were apparent in other ways, for example see the ‘viking’ hogback stone in picture 5). The abbots of Dunkeld at this time- also the bishops of Fortriu- were not always peaceful, retiring hermits themselves either, and at least one, Dunchad, died in battle ‘on the ridge of Crup’ in 965 AD, during a period of civil war between kings Cuilén and Dubh. Nonetheless, the monastery seems to have ably weathered this troubled period, and the abbots of Dunkeld remained powerful figures into the eleventh century.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Dunkeld’s claim to be the ‘birthplace’ of a royal house. In the early eleventh century King Malcolm II, who apparently had no son and heir, married his daughter Bethoc to Crinan, the lay abbot of Dunkeld, displaying the abbot of Dunkeld’s power in both secular and ecclesiastical circles. Bethoc and Crinan were the parents of a son named Duncan, who succeeded his grandfather in 1034 as Duncan I. Though deposed by Macbeth in 1040, Duncan’s descendants would nonetheless rule Scotland, and his father’s position as lay abbot of Dunkeld has given the direct unbroken line of Duncan’s descendants, who ruled from roughly 1058 until 1286, one of their modern names- the House of Dunkeld. Abbot Crinan himself seems to have died in battle in 1045, possibly fighting in support of the claim of his grandsons against Macbeth. Several decades after this, Crinan’s great-grandson Aethelred, one of the six sons of St Margaret and Malcolm III, may have been the last “lay” abbot of Dunkeld- certainly he is the last we know of. Aethelred’s younger brothers, Kings Edgar, Alexander I and in particular David I would do much to reorganise the church in Scotland, and it was during this period in the early twelfth century that the bishopric of Dunkeld was revived or reconstituted. 

The “revival” of the bishopric coincided with a shift in the way in which the church was run in Scotland, and also in building style. Initially, the monks of Dunkeld seem to have been Culdees, but gradually these were replaced by regular canons of order of St Augustine. And, although as mentioned above the Abbey’s history can be traced back to the ninth century at least, the earliest parts of the building which we see today date back no further than the thirteenth century. The old bell from Dunkeld’s days as a Culdee monastery survives, dating perhaps to the early tenth century, but oddly it has instead been preserved as a possession of the church of Little Dunkeld rather than the cathedral. Meanwhile, even the thirteenth and fourteenth century elements of the building are difficult to identify at times, but some of the earlier building seems to have been incorporated into the parish church

By the thirteenth century, the bishop of Dunkeld was regarded as one of the three most important prelates in the realm, along with the bishops of Glasgow and St Andrews (though unlike those two, Dunkeld was never to become an archiepiscopal see). Around 1200 much of the western half of the diocese of Dunkeld was given over to the creation of the new diocese of Lismore (or Argyll), though Dunkeld nonetheless remained influential. The bishops arbitrated and negotiated in important political and legal disputes such as the release of William the Lion from English captivity in 1174. In 1249, Bishop Geoffrey of Dunkeld officiated at the coronation of King Alexander III, and was later described by fourteenth century writer, John of Fordun, as:

‘a man great in favour with both clergy and people, zealous in temporal and spiritual things, who endeared himself with both great and poor, but was a terror to evil-doers.’

His contemporary Richard of Inverkeithing, who had filled the role of chamberlain during the reign of Alexander II, was to succeed Geoffrey upon his death. Bishop Richard appears to have been one of the main driving forces behind the translation of the bones of the newly canonised St Margaret at Dunfermline Abbey in 1250. He was also a notably political bishop, being involved in the factional disputes of Alexander III’s minority, probably in association with Alan Durward’s faction, and he was named one of the guardians of the young king in 1255. Weathering this challenging period, he remained a figure of some consequence until his death in 1272. Though one near-contemporary source claimed that the death of Bishop Richard, and later that of the queen, Margaret of England, were due to poison, this seems to have been no more than a rumour, but suits Richard of Inverkeithing’s occasionally controversial political career. 

When the Wars of Independence broke out in 1296, the Scottish clergy were no less affected than the larger population. The role of bishops to act as arbitrators and ambassadors was as in demand as ever, for example during the negotiations which led to the Treaty of Paris in 1295, where Bishop Mathew of Dunkeld was one of the Scottish negotiators. However, bishops also played a more directly political and often military role; the Bishop of Glasgow, Robert Wishart, is perhaps most famous in this regard but the bishops of Dunkeld also played their part. Bishop William Sinclair was regularly in attendance on Robert the Bruce prior to that king’s death in 1329, and, along with the Sheriff of Fife, mustered an army which saw off an attempted English invasion of Fife near Inverkeithing in 1317. However, after the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Dupplin in 1332, Sinclair submitted to Edward Balliol and, with the Earl of Fife, crowned Edward at Scone that same year.

 During the late fourteenth century, the position of Bishop of Dunkeld was filled by Robert de Cardeny, brother to Mariota de Cardeny, a long-term mistress of King Robert II, to whom Robert de Cardeny may have owed his elevation. However, this was not an entirely nepotistic appointment, as Cardeny showed himself to be a highly capable prelate throughout his tenure of nearly forty years, overseeing the construction of the nave of Dunkeld Cathedral and the attached chapel of St Ninian. Another prominent figure associated with the cathedral during this period was Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, better known by his nickname ‘the Wolf of Badenoch’. The third (and arguable ‘favourite’) son of Robert II, he is mostly remembered as a rather troublesome magnate, who exercised power over much of the north-east and central Highlands through the use of cateran forces and blackmail, and who gained notoriety through shocking acts such as the burning of Elgin Cathedral and burgh in 1390. By the time of his death in 1405, he had been muscling in on territories in Perthshire, and his effigy, which can still be seen in Dunkeld Cathedral’s nave, is one of the few royal effigies in Scotland which has survived from this period (picture 6).

After Robert de Cardeny’s death in 1437, the diocese of Dunkeld went through something of a confused period. A series of bishops either died before or within a few months of taking office, or, like James Kennedy, were swiftly translated to other sees. In ten years the diocese went through seven changes of bishop, and though several of these men were influential figures in the politics of their time, Dunkeld’s situation only really became more certain during the 1450s, under James II’s ex-tutor, Thomas Lauder. Lauder presided over the see until his resignation in 1275 on grounds of old age, and, among other works, he had a bridge erected over the Tay at Dunkeld and a chapter house built adjoining the cathedral, which survives to this day. Another notable late mediaeval bishop of Dunkeld was George Brown, who was consecrated by the pope in 1484, possibly despite the opposition of King James III. He became embroiled in the power struggles and intrigue of the latter part of James III’s reign, supporting the rebel force led by the king’s son, the future James IV, in 1488, and was one of several ecclesiastics who helped to lead the rebel army at the Battle of Sauchieburn. In time however he also fell out with James IV when that king tried to have Brown replaced as bishop in 1506 due to the bishop’s advanced age. In the end, Brown outlived James IV as well, though when the king fell at Flodden in 1513, several clerics from the diocese of Dunkeld died with him. Brown himself died in 1515 and during his long tenure he had done much to revitalise and reorganise the diocese, as well as improve the image of the cathedral church, endowing it with several new altars, new lecterns, and a Flemish tabernacle among other things. 

These items, and other accounts and records of how the diocese functioned have been preserved (and published here), providing an invaluable insight into the state of a highland diocese in the early sixteenth century. Another important written source from this period in Dunkeld’s history is the ‘Vitae Episcoporum Dunkeldensium’, which was composed by the dean of Angus, and later abbot of Cambuskenneth, Alexander Myln, in 1515. This gives an account of the lives of the bishops of Dunkeld and is particularly interesting as a resource for the tenure of George Brown. The work was dedicated to an even more prominent writer, Gavin Douglas, fammous for his work ‘Eneados’, a vernacular translation of Virgil’s Aeneid and one of the most important works of literature from Britain during this period. Douglas in turn became Bishop of Dunkeld after Brown, but became caught up in the political intrigue of James V’s minority and died in exile in England in 1522.

By the middle of the sixteenth century, religious belief in Scotland was changing. The bishop of Dunkeld during the troubled years of the Reformation was Robert Crichton, a staunch Catholic and key supporter of Queen Mary. He was imprisoned and deprived of his bishopric by the Scottish parliament in 1574, after holding Edinburgh Castle on the queen’s behalf from 1570 to 1573. However, when his successor James Paton did not live up to the Protestants’ expectations, Crichton was restored ten years later, though only enjoyed his see for a few months before his death in 1585. In the meantime, Dunkeld Cathedral had been ‘cleansed’ of its Catholic ‘monuments of idolatry’ in 1560 and though the main body of the church was not supposed to be harmed, many of its vestments and treasures were destroyed. In 1600, the nave of the church was restored and reroofed for use as Dunkeld’s parish church, but as the Scottish church abolished episcopacy in the seventeenth century, it would not have another bishop after 1689. Dunkeld’s history was hardly uneventful after this point however: in summer of 1689, during the first Jacobite rising, the Battle of Dunkeld was fought in the streets of the town. During this bloody, internecine affair, much of Dunkeld was burned and several bullets struck the walls of the cathedral, where their marks are still visible today, and though the Orangist forces defeated the Jacobites, their commander, Colonel Cleland, died early on in the battle and was buried in the cathedral. 

After this messy experience, Dunkeld had a rather more peaceful few centuries, though the later Jacobite risings did not go unnoticed by its inhabitants. The cathedral meanwhile- or high kirk to give its more proper Presbyterian term- witnessed the burial of several notables, such as the famed fiddler Niel Gow, and a marquess of Atholl, not to mention Bonnie Prince Charlie’s grandson, “Count Roehenstart” and many interesting memorials from this later period may be seen in the church. In the twenty-first century, it remains a beautiful and serene spot, and one with a fascinating history, and even if its more recent history is rather less action-packed, it still remains a highly important part of Perthshire, and Scotland’s, heritage.. 

Picture Information- 

1- Dunkeld Cathedral from the south-east

2- River Tay looking west from the bridge; though not visible here, the cathedral lies on the righthand bank

3- River Tay looking east from the bridge

4- Stone carving of a horseman, possibly Pictish

5- Norse hogback stone

6- Effigy of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (d.1405)

7- Dunkeld Cathedral from the south

[twdmusicboxmystery]

8-Clock Theory

Good morning! So originally I was going to include all this in my Saturday theory about Alpha, Omega, and Infinity, but it turned out to be too long. So here it is. I’m going to go over all the clocks we see clearly around Beth in S5 (there are probably fewer of them than you think) and then give you an overall sequential theory for the ones in Slabtown. Let’s start there.

1) The first clock when Beth wakes up. This shows many numbers, and we’ve always assumed it pointed to 4, 7, 8 and 10, which would mean it points to the episodes that are important in Beth’s arc in S5. (Ep 10 being when the music box woke up.) I’m starting to think now that we’ve interpreted that wrong all along. Don’t get me wrong, it could have multiple meanings. I think most of Gimple’s symbolism functions on multiple levels. Perhaps what we thought before was also right. But now I’m looking at wider shots. In other cases, the clock numbers seem to represent seasons, not episodes.

Mini-Theory about Opening Clock:

The first shot shows 3, 4, 5, 6. But notice the 3 and 6 are cut off, which means it’s focusing on 4 and 5. 

Obviously Beth was in S3, but I think this is showing which seasons Beth will be in for the current arc. In other words, since Gimple took the reins. Perhaps you could even argue, the seasons in which she’s gets (some of) Andrea’s CB arcs.

The next shot shows 7, 8, and 9. But notice that 7 is cut off, where 8 and 9 are not. 

So perhaps it’s telling us that Beth will be in S8 and S9, but obviously she wasn’t in 7. 

Finally, this shot shows 9, 10, and 11, but 11 is cut off. What does that mean? 

Don’t know, but it’s probably one of two things. Either Beth will die for real after S10 or (more likely imho) season 10 will simply wrap up the current arc for her. S11 will be something new.

(If this seems crazy to you, remember that Gimple told us he had through season 15 already planned out. He totally knows what’s happening in S10 and probably did even back in S4. Also, remember the Get Well Soon picture on Beth’s wall points at 10:10. I’ve always wondered if that points to something in S10. Not that I think it’ll take that long to see her (Better not!) but it just points to something that won’t happen until S10.)

So that’s my current theory on the opening clock in Slabtown.

2) The second 8-clock we see is in the scene directly after the opening credits. 

Edwards takes Beth to the room of a patient who never regained consciousness, so they don’t know his name. There’s an 8 clock in the background. It actually shows a few minutes before 8. Another thing of note is that this is where we got the original Bisquick reference, later repeated by Abraham, Beth’s proxy. Edwards unplugs him and they dispose of his body in the elevator shaft.

3) The third clock is in Trevitt’s room. It shows just a few minutes after 8:00. 

Here’s the thing about Trevitt: while he dies and I don’t think he’ll be back or anything, there are tons of resurrection symbols around him. We see relatively little green inside of Grady. (Yeah, some walls, some scrubs, etc., but in terms of details, not much.) For example, the color cords that @camie1390 first noticed more than a year ago. Blue ones go into the rooms of the wards. (Blue = imprisonment and the wards are prisoners.) Beth is mostly surrounded by red and yellow ones. (Red = death, yellow = escape. Also, as @frangipanilove recently discovered, red Easter eggs–real ones–specifically represent resurrection, so the red may double as a resurrection symbol. That actually works well, btw. Not all death will be followed by resurrection in any given story, of course. But resurrection, by definition, must be preceded by death.)

My point is, the ONLY green cords we see in Slabtown are in Trevitt’s room. He’s also the doctor that worked at St. Ignatius, which they went out of their way to tell us. I won’t go into details here but there are plenty of parallels between Beth’s story line and St. Ignatius. Especially with an injury he underwent and overcame. It wasn’t a head injury, but he nearly lost legs (foot/shoe theory) and limped the rest of his life.

So anyway. Bottom line, Trevitt = resurrection.

The only other major clock we see in Slabtown is the one we’re all familiar with: the 7:30 clock when Dawn yells at Beth about not being able to survive on her own. 

For the record, I don’t think we were wrong about this. Obviously, Beth didn’t show up in 7x06, but I still think it represents the method (greenroute) Beth will use to return to TF (Oceanside).

So, here’s my theory about the three major clocks in Slabtown. (We’ll put aside that first clock since it represents an overall look at her arc in terms of what episodes/seasons are important.) For purposes of this post, we’ll assume the 8:00 clocks represent Beth showing up again in S8.

1. The first clock shows a time a few minutes before 8, right? 

I think this scene represents what happens with Beth before S8. Remember that they don’t know this patient’s name and he doesn’t regain consciousness. No one has said Beth’s name since 5x10. As far as TF knows, she’s dead and never regained consciousness. We also get the Bisquick reference here. Not only does it tie her to Abraham as a proxy (him for her) but Bisquick is self-rising, so it’s also a kind of goofy resurrection reference. We also got the Merle Haggard reference. I’m sure there’s a reason they chose Merle Haggard (we know music is important and this was a conscious choice) but I’ve never figured out what it was. In a more general way, we have music (Merle Haggard) + resurrection (Bisquick) = “I still sing.”

2. Then there’s the Trevitt clock, with all the resurrection symbolism around it. Notice the clock here says a bit after 8. 

It’s hard to tell what the exact time is because of the angle, but my first impression was 8:03. And remember this possibility that @katkhaos discovered behind Daryl in the trunk. 

Might read 8x03. So I’m thinking 8x03 is gonna be big. I don’t know if that’s where she’ll be revealed alive. Or perhaps it will be earlier in 8x01, or 8x02, but that will be when she and Daryl reunite? Something like that. I also notice in this scene with Trevitt, Noah says to her, “You’re still at it, huh?” Very close to “you’re still alive” (RIchonne) “I still sing.” Just saying.

(Everyone’s familiar with the Richonne parallels in the finale, right? It was a death fakeout for Michonne, based off one of CB Andrea’s arc. Then she appeared to be dead, and Rick was surprised to find she was alive. His words to her: “You’re alive.” Just saying.)

3. 7:30 clock. In terms of chronology, this clock comes after Trevitt. If I’m right about what these represent, that makes sense. First Beth dies (S5). Then she wakes up. Then she escapes Grady and reunites with TF. We have, through the Slabtown clocks, a representation of the three major branches of Beth’s arc.

Just for good measure, I looked at clocks in 5x07 and 5x08 as well. I only noticed two more. In 5x07, there’s one in Edwards’ office when Beth asks him what meds to give Carol. 

I know I’ve talked about this before but didn’t have any concrete theories about it. I’m still really unsure about it, mostly because the time isn’t clear. (If anyone can get a clearer shot/idea of what time it says, let me know.) It may say 7:50, which is prior to 8. That would kind of make sense because at this point, Carol is being heavily paralleled with Beth. She’s unconscious. This scene is about giving her meds to help her heal/wake up. So if this is part of the pre-S8 theme for Beth, that might be part of what’s going on in her storyline prior to what we see in S8.

On the other hand, it almost looks to me like the hand on the 8 might be the minute hand rather than the hour hand. If that’s the case, the clock either says 9:40 or 10:40. Again, we have the 10:10 Get Well Soon clock (paper) so either of those times could also be the case. If they are, this probably points to something in a future season that we won’t understand for a while. So yeah, really on the fence about this one.

The clock in Coda makes me much happier. We see it near the elevator bay when O‘Donnell attacks Dawn and Beth. It clearly says 3:30.

You wanna know why this clock makes me so happy? What I think the most likely explanation for it is? Going by the above theory of the clocks pointing to season and episode, this clock would point to 3x06. That’s Hounded. Guess what happens in that episode? Daryl finds Carol, who was presumed dead and even given a grave, alive and well. Juuuuuust saying. ;D

So there’s my current clock theory/analysis. Anyone have TIME to share their thoughts? *dodges digital tomatoes* 🍅😉

[keywestlou]

I DIDN'T WIN THE LOTTERY

I didn’t win the lottery. I never win.

The Mega Millions Lottery drawing was last night. No one won. Which is good. Means I still have a chance.

The next drawing is tuesday evening. $1.6 billion. I can wait. The extra money worth it.

The Royal Coronation Ball last night! At the Amphitheater. Larry Blackburn crowned King. Benadeta Restivo, Queen.

I know Larry. A nice guy. Well liked. A professional photographer. Can generally be found at Aqua’s monday nights for Dueling Bartenders.

Larry has a 15 year old daughter. Last year when 14, I heard her sing at the Waterfront Theater. Outstanding! Her career path already marked.

Unfortunately, I do not know Benadeta. I am sure I will meet her soon.

Being King and Queen an honor. No bargain, however. The King and Queen must attend every type function for the next year. A hard job!

The White Street Pier. An edifice. Everyone knows and loves the pier. Most have walked it out onto the water for exercise, to watch the sun rise, or attend a friend’s “burial” as ashes are sprinkled onto the water.

The pier was renamed the Edward B. Knight Pier 2 years ago in honor of Ed Knight who did so much for Key West. David Wolkowsky and Ed were close friends. Contemporaries. David told me often how he and Ed would joke as to who would be the last one left standing.

The pier will close October 29 for roughly 6 weeks. Work to be done The base of the pier requires reconstruction.

Keys residents do not forget deeds well done. Irma destroyed certain areas of the Keys. People came from all over the country to help. Donated food and money.

The Panhandle had their share of helpers driving to the Keys.

Reciprocation time. Keys residents have not forgotten. It seems like every few days another truck and group of helpers drive north to help those in the Panhandle.

Michael did a number everywhere it hit. Many victims. Michael one of the biggest storms in U.S. history. A group from the Monroe County Fire Rescue left this week for the Panhandle. They had collected essentials and $10,000 to be delivered also. The truck they intended to use to transport the essentials turned out to be too small. A bigger one was required.

Good for the Rescue team and those who generously donated!

Essentials cover a number of items. Some that we might not think of at the moment. A very much needed essential are baby diapers. Speaks for itself.

Staying with Michael for a moment, I continue to question how effective FEMA has been. I worry they will come up short.

With Trump dominating the news in every other area, we have been hearing next to nothing re the Michael survivors, whether their needs are being met, etc.

I came across a recent FEMA news release setting forth what is being done. Whether enough, I do not know.

FEMA claims there are 16,000 federal employees working Michael affected areas. Eight thousand of that number is made up of military.

FEMA claims that on a daily basis in Florida alone, it is serving 715,000 meals and 1.5 million liters of water.

In spite of all that help, many are still without shelter for example. A family of 12 who had been living in a building of 100 condos saw their building destroyed. Six of the 12 children.

FEMA said they have to get out. The remnants of the building dangerous. Problem, no place to go. FEMA approved hotels/motels filled. So the family remain in the dangerous ruins of their condo. No power. The nights dark. Most days the toilets do not work.

I recently came across the Shoestring Weekends Blog. Shostringweekends.com. Exceptionally well done.

Art Boza, the writer. Lives in Miami. At one time lived in the Keys. He writes a daily blog about the Keys. From Key Largo to Key West and all points in between.

I do not know how he knows so much. I am impressed. I sense he must have a source for the information. Impossible for any one person to be familiar with all the places he mentions.

Every now and then a blog appears covering a Key West site/story. Today’s concerns Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms. Hemingway published the novel in 1929.

Boza points out it was not written at the Hemingway House on Whitehead. Rather at what is now the Casa Antigua at 304 Simonton. On the second floor. Sort of a did you know article.

I skimmed through some of the articles. Discovered that 3 written in the past several months were the same story with a different title. Word for word in some instances. The Hemingway/Antiqua story previously shared an example.

Whatever way Boza does it, the blog is worthy of your reading.

I am 83. I am reminded of it when I mention to someone younger the name of a famous movie star from days past. One is Burt Lancaster. One of the greatest actors ever. Died in 1994.

Lancaster had 2 connections with Key West.

The movie The Rose Tattoo was filmed in Key West. Written by Tennessee Williams. Lancaster starred in it together with Anna Mangani who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

The movie was filmed in a house on Duncan Street. Williams’ home was on Duncan also. The two houses were on the same block. One at one end, the other at the other end. Four or 5 houses apart.

Lisa lives on Duncan. Two blocks from the Rose Tattoo house.

While making The Rose Tattoo, Lancaster hung out at the Rooftop. The same Rooftop Restaurant still operating today on Front Street. Prior to the restaurant’s remodeling, the walls were covered with enlarged photos of Lancaster at the bar, etc. Not sure they are still there today.

Lancaster’s first movie was in 1946. He starred in The Killers opposite Ava Gardner. The Killers was based on Hemingway’s short story of the same name.

My afternoon will be well spent. Syracuse plays the University of North Carolina at noon. Syracuse a 10 point favorite.

Enjoy your day!

      I DIDN’T WIN THE LOTTERY was originally published on Key West Lou

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

Touching John McCain tributes flood the internet in the hours after his death

John McCain died on Saturday after a year-long struggle with brain cancer.

He was an undisputed war hero and a Republican Senator with a complicated history as a legislator. McCain stood for a more principled brand of conservatism than many of his modern G.O.P. peers, and often expressed his distaste for the street-fighting and mud-slinging that defines Trumpism.

SEE ALSO: John McCain, ever the political dramatist, has always understood the value of TV comedy

Over the years, McCain earned a reputation for breaking ranks from his fellow Republicans. He didn't always cast his votes in ways that more left-leaning thinkers would have preferred, but in his words at least he took care to show respect  and consideration for the views of his colleagues across the aisle.

Those qualities in particular became an increasingly refreshing presence in a post-2016 political atmosphere that's largely been defined by partisan bickering and below-the-belt scheming. McCain served with honor, even at a time when fewer and fewer of his colleagues can say the same.

Prior to entering politics — a career that included more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as a competitive presidential campaign in 2008 against Barack Obama — McCain was a military man. He joined the U.S. Navy in the late '50s and became a pilot.

McCain didn't see his first combat assignment until 1967, when the Vietnam War was in full swing. Less than a year into his service — during his 23rd bombing run — McCain's plane was shot down and he was captured by North Vietnamese forces. He then spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner of war, until his release in 1973.

He continued to serve in the years after his release, eventually taking on the role of the U.S. Navy's liaison to the Senate. McCain retired in 1981 as a highly decorated captain. During his time in the Navy, he earned two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and a Prisoner of War Medal.

This handful of paragraphs doesn't fully capture McCain's long and illustrious career. It should, however, give you the sense of a man who devoted his life to serving his country — which McCain certainly did. 

He's better remembered by the words of those who knew him. There are plenty of those to go around today as the McCain's family, friends, colleagues, and even political rivals have taken to social media to share their touching remembrances of the departed Senator.

My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the the place he loved best.

— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) August 26, 2018

I love you forever - my beloved father @SenJohnMcCain pic.twitter.com/Y50tVQvlVe

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 26, 2018

I will need some time to absorb this, but I want Cindy —and the entire McCain family — to know they are in my prayers.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 26, 2018

Fmr. Sen. Joe Lieberman on the passing of John McCain: "America has lost one of the greatest patriots and public servants in our history. And I have lost a dear friend." https://t.co/TsPOQsttBE pic.twitter.com/2GeCQjyl3n

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 26, 2018

Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I'll deeply miss. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain.

A post shared by George W. Bush (@georgewbush) on Aug 25, 2018 at 6:08pm PDT

John McCain was many things – a proud graduate of the Naval Academy, a Senate colleague, a political opponent. But, to me, more than anything, John was a friend. He will be missed dearly. pic.twitter.com/AS8YsMLw3d

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 26, 2018

Our statement on the passing of Senator John McCain: pic.twitter.com/3GBjNYxoj5

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2018

George H. W. Bush: “John McCain was a patriot of the highest order, a public servant of rarest courage. Few sacrificed more for, or contributed more to, the welfare of his fellow citizens” pic.twitter.com/unGdPH0eyT

— Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) August 26, 2018

.@SenJohnMcCain lived a life of service to his country, from his heroism in the Navy to 35 years in Congress. He was a tough politician, a trusted colleague, and there will simply never be another like him. My thoughts and prayers are with Cindy and his entire family.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 26, 2018

It's also worth reading this thoughtful remembrance of McCain penned by his fellow Arizona Senator, Jeff Flake. Here's an excerpt:

[douglasacogan]

Will guilty plea and statement, after another baby's death, deter reliance on faith-healing more than prior prison terms for Oregon church members?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this remarkable local crime and punishment story out of Oregon, headlined "Faith-healing parents plead guilty in death of newborn twin.' Here are some essentials (with a few details emphasized) from a case that highlights the potential limits of traditional punishment to deter when individuals are motivated by an even higher power:

The parents of a twin girl who died hours after a home birth attended by dozens of people from the faith-healing Followers of Christ Church pleaded guilty Monday to negligent homicide and criminal mistreatment.  It marked the fifth criminal case in Clackamas County after a child's death in the church community over the last nine years but the first to end in a plea deal.  The mother, Sarah Elaine Mitchell, 25, and father, Travis Lee Mitchell, 22, each were sentenced to prison for six years and eight months.

In an unusual development, the Mitchells not only acknowledged their failure to provide necessary medical care for their newborn but also said in a statement read aloud by one of their lawyers that "everyone in the church should always seek adequate medical care for our children.''

Sarah and Travis Mitchell are members of the Followers of Christ, which traces its origin to the Pentecostal movement of the late 19th century. Sarah Mitchell is a granddaughter of the church founder, Walter White. Her father is also named Walter White.  Sarah Mitchell's father signed the statement, which will be prominently posted inside the church for all to read, under the terms of the plea agreement....

The guilty pleas came in a Clackamas County courtroom before more than 50 church supporters and Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric J. Bergstrom, who who helped the parties reach a settlement.... Senior Deputy District Attorney Bryan Brock called the outcome of the case, with the couple accepting responsibility and issuing a public statement, a "landmark resolution."

"These are senseless and avoidable deaths, and we keep asking ourselves what will it take" to convince others in the church to get the right medical care for their children, Brock said.  He said he hoped the message will be for church followers to "seek medical attention and prayer. They're not mutually exclusive.''

Sarah Mitchell's lawyer Stephen Houze called the couple "utterly sincere, decent, caring human beings," who have suffered with the loss of one of their children while separated in custody. They have had in-jail visits with their surviving daughter, who is now 16 months old and bonding with each parent, Houze said. She remains in foster care. The parents are accepting responsibility for their actions "knowing a price must be paid," Houze said.

The Mitchells' baby died in the master bedroom at the Oregon City home of Sarah Mitchell's parents.  It was the same place where Sarah Mitchell's older sister Shannon Hickman delivered a premature baby boy who died eight hours after birth in September 2009.

The first of the twins, Evylen, was born in a breech position -- bottom first, a significant potential complication -- at 2:30 p.m., weighing only 3 pounds, 8 ounces, nearly two months premature. Twenty-three minutes later, Ginnifer was born at 2:53 p.m., weighing only 3 pounds, 6 ounces. Breathing problems persisted for both newborns but no one called 911 or took the girls to a hospital. At 4:36 p.m., a relative texted others, asking, "R u guys hearing that the second baby is dark and they r wanting prayers?" according to investigators.

Over four hours, Ginnifer fought for her life, trying to take oxygen into her underdeveloped lungs. At 6:05 pm., Travis Mitchell "laid on hands" and the family took turns praying for healing as the baby continued labored breathing and changed colors. Ginnifer died at 7 p.m. that day. "I knew she was dead when she didn't cry out anymore,'' her father said, according to court documents.

Both Sarah and Travis Mitchell admitted in interviews that their daughter's death was just like the Hickman case, Brock wrote in court papers.  A jury convicted Hickman and her husband of second-degree manslaughter and they were sentenced to six years and three months in prison for not seeking medical treatment for their son born at 32 weeks. "The Mitchells were more knowledgeable of the risks and consequences to their newborns from having experienced the Hickman case," Brock wrote in court documents.

Also present at the birth were Sarah Mitchell's in-laws, three mid-wife birthing assistants and other family, including Sarah Mitchell's eldest sister, Stephanie Edwards, and her husband, Brian, as well as church members....

"We hope that this office is never again forced to prosecute parents in the Followers of Christ Church for neglecting the medical care of their children," the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "However, we continue to stand ready to do so if the members of that congregation do not heed the call of this family."

The couple showed no emotion in court. As each stood to be handcuffed by sheriff's deputies before they were led out of the courtroom, Travis Mitchell, a 2014 graduate of Oregon City High School, mouthed "I love you" to his parents. The Mitchells will get credit for the 13 months they've already been in custody and credit for good time served. They'll face three years of post-prison supervision.

I always find stories of parents convicted and imprisoned for allowing their children to die are always heart-wrenching, and I find it almost hard to believe that the same large family would allow two newborns to die in the same room in their house in seemingly the same way only years apart.  And, as the title of this post is meant to highlight, it is remarkable to realize that a prior manslaughter conviction with a significant prison term was itself not enough to deter the family from the same sort of criminal behavior the second time around.

For the sake of everyone involved, I sure hope a statement prominently posted inside the church will start leading these church members to see the importance of getting traditional medical care. But I can understand why prosecutors want to stress their willingness to keep prosecuting neglectful parents. 

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247011 http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2018/07/will-guilty-plea-and-statement-after-another-babys-death-deter-reliance-on-faith-healing-more-than-p.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[benrleeusa]

Will guilty plea and statement, after another baby's death, deter reliance on faith-healing more than prior prison terms for Oregon church members?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this remarkable local crime and punishment story out of Oregon, headlined "Faith-healing parents plead guilty in death of newborn twin.' Here are some essentials (with a few details emphasized) from a case that highlights the potential limits of traditional punishment to deter when individuals are motivated by an even higher power:

The parents of a twin girl who died hours after a home birth attended by dozens of people from the faith-healing Followers of Christ Church pleaded guilty Monday to negligent homicide and criminal mistreatment.  It marked the fifth criminal case in Clackamas County after a child's death in the church community over the last nine years but the first to end in a plea deal.  The mother, Sarah Elaine Mitchell, 25, and father, Travis Lee Mitchell, 22, each were sentenced to prison for six years and eight months.

In an unusual development, the Mitchells not only acknowledged their failure to provide necessary medical care for their newborn but also said in a statement read aloud by one of their lawyers that "everyone in the church should always seek adequate medical care for our children.''

Sarah and Travis Mitchell are members of the Followers of Christ, which traces its origin to the Pentecostal movement of the late 19th century. Sarah Mitchell is a granddaughter of the church founder, Walter White. Her father is also named Walter White.  Sarah Mitchell's father signed the statement, which will be prominently posted inside the church for all to read, under the terms of the plea agreement....

The guilty pleas came in a Clackamas County courtroom before more than 50 church supporters and Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric J. Bergstrom, who who helped the parties reach a settlement.... Senior Deputy District Attorney Bryan Brock called the outcome of the case, with the couple accepting responsibility and issuing a public statement, a "landmark resolution."

"These are senseless and avoidable deaths, and we keep asking ourselves what will it take" to convince others in the church to get the right medical care for their children, Brock said.  He said he hoped the message will be for church followers to "seek medical attention and prayer. They're not mutually exclusive.''

Sarah Mitchell's lawyer Stephen Houze called the couple "utterly sincere, decent, caring human beings," who have suffered with the loss of one of their children while separated in custody. They have had in-jail visits with their surviving daughter, who is now 16 months old and bonding with each parent, Houze said. She remains in foster care. The parents are accepting responsibility for their actions "knowing a price must be paid," Houze said.

The Mitchells' baby died in the master bedroom at the Oregon City home of Sarah Mitchell's parents.  It was the same place where Sarah Mitchell's older sister Shannon Hickman delivered a premature baby boy who died eight hours after birth in September 2009.

The first of the twins, Evylen, was born in a breech position -- bottom first, a significant potential complication -- at 2:30 p.m., weighing only 3 pounds, 8 ounces, nearly two months premature. Twenty-three minutes later, Ginnifer was born at 2:53 p.m., weighing only 3 pounds, 6 ounces. Breathing problems persisted for both newborns but no one called 911 or took the girls to a hospital. At 4:36 p.m., a relative texted others, asking, "R u guys hearing that the second baby is dark and they r wanting prayers?" according to investigators.

Over four hours, Ginnifer fought for her life, trying to take oxygen into her underdeveloped lungs. At 6:05 pm., Travis Mitchell "laid on hands" and the family took turns praying for healing as the baby continued labored breathing and changed colors. Ginnifer died at 7 p.m. that day. "I knew she was dead when she didn't cry out anymore,'' her father said, according to court documents.

Both Sarah and Travis Mitchell admitted in interviews that their daughter's death was just like the Hickman case, Brock wrote in court papers.  A jury convicted Hickman and her husband of second-degree manslaughter and they were sentenced to six years and three months in prison for not seeking medical treatment for their son born at 32 weeks. "The Mitchells were more knowledgeable of the risks and consequences to their newborns from having experienced the Hickman case," Brock wrote in court documents.

Also present at the birth were Sarah Mitchell's in-laws, three mid-wife birthing assistants and other family, including Sarah Mitchell's eldest sister, Stephanie Edwards, and her husband, Brian, as well as church members....

"We hope that this office is never again forced to prosecute parents in the Followers of Christ Church for neglecting the medical care of their children," the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "However, we continue to stand ready to do so if the members of that congregation do not heed the call of this family."

The couple showed no emotion in court. As each stood to be handcuffed by sheriff's deputies before they were led out of the courtroom, Travis Mitchell, a 2014 graduate of Oregon City High School, mouthed "I love you" to his parents. The Mitchells will get credit for the 13 months they've already been in custody and credit for good time served. They'll face three years of post-prison supervision.

I always find stories of parents convicted and imprisoned for allowing their children to die are always heart-wrenching, and I find it almost hard to believe that the same large family would allow two newborns to die in the same room in their house in seemingly the same way only years apart.  And, as the title of this post is meant to highlight, it is remarkable to realize that a prior manslaughter conviction with a significant prison term was itself not enough to deter the family from the same sort of criminal behavior the second time around.

For the sake of everyone involved, I sure hope a statement prominently posted inside the church will start leading these church members to see the importance of getting traditional medical care. But I can understand why prosecutors want to stress their willingness to keep prosecuting neglectful parents. 

[thunderlane109]

ward McKendree Bounds (August 15, 1835 – August 24, 1913) prominently known as E.M. Bounds, was an American author, attorney, and member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South clergy. He is known for writing 11 books, nine of which focused on the subject of prayer. Only two of Bounds’ books were published before he died. After his death, Rev. Claudius (Claude) Lysias Chilton, Jr., grandson of William Parish Chilton and admirer of Bounds, worked on preserving and preparing Bounds’ collection of manuscripts for publication. By 1921, more editorial work was being done by Rev. Homer W. Hodge.

Contents

1 Early life

2 Writing background

3 Published works

4 Notes

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Early life

Edward McKendree Bounds was born on August 15, 1835, in Shelbyville, Missouri. He is the son of Thomas Jefferson and Hester A. (née Purnell) Bounds.[1] In the preface to E.M. Bounds on Prayer, published by Hendrickson Christian Classics Series over 90 years after Bounds’ death, it is surmised that young Edward was named after the evangelist, William McKendree, who planted churches in western Missouri and served as the fourth bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.[1] He was the fifth child, in a family of three sons and three daughters.[1]

Thomas Jefferson Bounds was one of the original settlers of Shelby County. Prior to organizing the County, Thomas Bounds served as the first Justice of the Peace.[2] In April 1835, he was named County Clerk, followed by an appointment to serve as the County Commissioner in December 1835.[2] In 1836, he began holding circuit court in his home, during the third term each year.[2] In his capacity as County Commissioner, he platted the town into blocks and lots for new settlers.[2] In 1840, he advanced the building of the First Methodist Church. In 1849, Thomas contracted tuberculosis and died.[3][4]

After his father’s death, 14-year-old Bounds joined several other relatives in a trek to Mesquite Canyon in California, following the discovery of gold in the area. After four unsuccessful years, they returned to Missouri. Bounds studied law in Hannibal, Missouri, after which, at age 19, he became the youngest practicing lawyer in the state of Missouri.[4] Although apprenticed as an attorney, Bounds felt called to Christian ministry in his early twenties during the Third Great Awakening. Following a brush arbor revival meeting led by Evangelist Smith Thomas, he closed his law office and moved to Palmyra, Missouri to enroll in the Centenary Seminary. Two years later, in 1859 at the age of 24, he was ordained by his denomination and was named pastor of the nearby Monticello, Missouri Methodist Church.[4]

Marriage and children

Bounds’ first marriage was to Emma (Emmie) Elizabeth Barnett from Washington, Georgia on September 19, 1876. They had two daughters, Celeste and Corneille, and a son, Edward. Emmie died on February 18, 1886.

Twenty months later, Edward married Emmie’s cousin, Harriet (Hattie) Elizabeth Barnett in 1887. To them were born three sons (Samuel, Charles, and Osborne) and three daughters (Elizabeth, Mary, and Emmie). His son Edward, by his first wife, died at the age of six, and his son Charles, by his second wife, died eight days after his first birthday.[3]

Military service

E.M. Bounds did not support slavery. But, because he was a pastor at a congregation in the recently formed Methodist Episcopal Church South, his name was included in a list of 250 names who were to take an oath of allegiance and post a $500 bond. Edward saw no reason for a U.S. Citizen to take such an oath, he was morally opposed to the Union raising funds in this way, and he didn’t have the $500.[4] Bounds and the others on the list were arrested in 1861 by Union troops, and Bounds was charged as a Confederate sympathizer. He was held with other non-combatants in a Federal prison in St. Louis for a year and a half. He was then transferred to Memphis and released in a prisoner exchange between the Union and the Confederacy.[3]

He became a chaplain in the Confederate States Army (3rd Missouri Infantry CSA).[5] During the Second Battle of Franklin, Bounds suffered a severe forehead injury from a Union saber, and he was taken prisoner. On June 28, 1865, Bounds was among Confederate prisoners who were released upon the taking of an oath of loyalty to the United States.

Pastoral service

Upon his release as a prisoner of the Union Army, he felt compelled to return to war-torn Franklin and help rebuild it spiritually, and he became the pastor of the Franklin Methodist Episcopal Church, South. His primary method was to establish weekly prayer sessions that sometimes lasted several hours. Bounds was regionally celebrated for leading spiritual revival in Franklin and eventually began an itinerant preaching ministry throughout the country.

After serving several important churches in St. Louis and other places, south, he became Editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate for eight years and, later, Associate Editor of The Nashville Christian Advocate for four years. The trial of his faith came to him while in Nashville, and he quietly retired to his home without asking even a pension. His principal work in Washington, Georgia (his home) was rising at 4 am and praying until 7 am. He filled a few engagements as an evangelist during the eighteen years of his lifework. “While on speaking engagements, he would not neglect his early morning time in prayer, and cared nothing for the protests of the other occupants of his room at being awakened so early. No man could have made more melting appeals for lost souls and backslidden ministers than did Bounds. Tears ran down his face as he pleaded for us all in that room.”[6]

According to people who were constantly with him, in prayer and preaching, for eight years “Not a foolish word did we ever hear him utter. He was one of the most intense eagles of God that ever penetrated the spiritual ether. He could not brook delay in rising, or being late for dinner. He would go with me to street meetings often in Brooklyn and listen to the preaching and sing with us those beautiful songs of Wesley and Watts. He often reprimanded me for asking the unconverted to sing of Heaven. Said he: ‘They have no heart to sing, they do not know God, and God does not hear them. Quit asking sinners to sing the songs of Zion and the Lamb.'”

Writing background

Only two of Bounds’ books were published before he died. After his death, Rev. Claudius (Claude) Lysias Chilton, Jr., grandson of William Parish Chilton and admirer of Bounds, worked on preserving and preparing Bounds’ collection of manuscripts for publication. By 1921, more editorial work was being done by Rev. Homer W. Hodge.

Chilton said of Bounds’ books, “These books are unfailing wells for a lifetime of spiritual water-drawing. They are hidden treasures, wrought in the darkness of dawn and the heat of the noon, on the anvil of experience,and beaten into wondrous form by the mighty stroke of the divine. They are living voices whereby he, being dead, yet speaketh!”[7]

Published works

Power Through Prayer (e-text)

Prayer and Praying Men (e-text) (online book)

Purpose in Prayer (e-text)

The Essentials of Prayer (e-text) (online book)

The Necessity of Prayer (e-text) (online book)

The Possibilities of Prayer (e-text)

The Reality of Prayer (e-text)

The Weapon of Prayer (e-text)

Preacher and Prayer (Internet Archive) (online book)

Satan: His Personality, Power and Overthrow (online book)

Heaven: A Place – A City – A Home (online book)

The Ineffable Glory: Thoughts on the Resurrection (online book)

The Collected Works of E. M. Bounds

Notes

  Bounds on Prayer 2006, pages viii–xiv

“The General History of Shelby County, Missouri” (PDF). Shelby.mogenweb.org. 1911. Retrieved 2013-06-08.

Complete Works 2000, page 9–10

Failed Ambition 2004, pages 85–87

“3rd Missouri Infantry CSA”. Missouridivision-scv.org. Retrieved 2013-06-08.

Heaven 1921, pages 5–6

  Necessity 2009, foreword

References

Bounds, E.M. (2106). Prayer Warrior Bootcamp, Targeted Communications, 318 pages. ISBN 978-0991312634

Bounds, E.M. (2006). E.M. Bounds on Prayer, Hendrickson Christian Classics Series, 267 pages. ISBN 978-1598560527

Bounds, E.M. (2000). The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, Prince Press, 568 pages. ISBN 978-1565635838

Jewett, Tom (2004). Failed Ambition: The Civil War Journals & Letters of Cavalryman Homer Harris, 300 pages. ISBN 978-1438240879

Bounds, E.M.; and Homer W. Hodges (1921). Heaven, a Place, A City, A Home, Baker Books, 151 pages. ISBN 978-0801006487

Bounds, E.M., (foreword by Claude Chilton). The Necessity of Prayer, 84 pages. ISBN 978-0585035987

Further reading

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Edward McKendree Bounds

King, Darrel D. “E.M. Bounds (Men of Faith)”, Bethany House, 1998. (ISBN 0-764-22009-8)

Dorsett, Lyle W. “E. M. Bounds: Man of Prayer”, Zondervan (September 1991) (ISBN 0310539315)

External links

Works by or about Edward McKendree Bounds at Internet Archive

Works by Edward McKendree Bounds at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Authority control

WorldCat Identities

VIAF: 57140210

LCCN: n85093288

ISNI: 0000 0001 1214 0412

NDL: 00433991

IATH: w6z91zdz

Categories:

American Methodist clergy

Christian writers

1835 births

1913 deaths

Confederate States Army chaplains

American Civil War prisoners of war

Methodist writers

American religious writers

Editors of Christian publications

Methodist evangelists

American evangelists

American print editors

Methodist chaplains

American military chaplains

Southern Methodists

Navigation menu

Not logged in

Talk

Contributions

Create account

Log in

Article

Talk

Read

Edit

View history

Search

Main page

Contents

Featured content

Current events

Random article

Donate to Wikipedia

Wikipedia store

Interaction

Help

About Wikipedia

Community portal

Recent changes

Contact page

Tools

What links here

Related changes

Upload file

Special pages

Permanent link

Page information

Wikidata item

Cite this page

Print/export

Disable book creator

Download as PDF

Printable version

In other projects

Wikiquote

Languages

日本語

Edit links

This page was last edited on 17 August 2017, at 18:46.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

    ward McKendree Bounds (August 15, 1835 – August 24, 1913) prominently known as E.M. Bounds, was an…