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#its like with rev's va
mintcrows · 11 months
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so happy the emperor va doesnt seem to use twitter a lot and seems to have a specific taste of fanarts so he will never interact/see my stuff
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bogleech · 9 months
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I rewatched the Mario movie and it is still very cute and pretty and simple fun but man the English dialog really isn't great. The VA's all do a good job (yes even that one, on a technical level) but the script is weirdly simplistic even for a kid's movie?? Like even the Minions movie has more grown up speech that doesn't state what's happening so bluntly.
On the other hand, it doesn't try to inject non stop jokes and one liners, either, which is kind of remarkable. There are actually almost NO jokes in the Mario movies dialog and by today's standards that's like a damn miracle. Rev suggested maybe illumination writers just don't know what to put in when they're holding back from quips and sarcasm. I think that's probably true. I would still like to watch it in another language sometime. Anyone have any recommendations for its best dub
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anosci · 7 months
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selected albums ive listened to in 2024
this year I'm just posting the highlights so itll be shorter
[1] [2]
January
1/ VHS Head - Phasia (2023) first new album of '24 for me! "Strange Food" that zap pew beat is a delight! title track is p good, floaty. "Phocus" this is very vaguely leaning into…funk? i really like it. possible highlight? wondering why it shares the title of a different album.
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4/ VA - FM Synth 2 (2017) yeah i love fm "Mach 5 Fusion Force X" is a god damn tour de force. insane! "Work Without Rules" second fav of mine for its smoov smoov swingy wobs
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7/ Skee Mask - C (2024) first 2024 album in the list! dusty, crispy, chillout. analogue. deep bass when needed, never too thick of a presence. delightful chillout music. at worst, its a bit varied, as if it were an anthology. probably because it is. highlight: "Bassline Dub"
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12/ (all OCRemix posts from 2017) all over the place ofc some insano selections: "Multi-track Drifting" N R G!!! "Big Room Gobi" funny but in a goes hard way also: Star Salzman's Katamari mix!!! i keep coming back to that in particular
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15/ VA - Adventure Time, Vol. 1-5 (2019) they have extended versions of some sc cuts!! "Party With the Chief" esp(!) the biggest thing I noticed overall: this soundtrack is so…wack. meandering. ADHD in control of a quirky ensemble. continually amazed that this's from a hit show
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16/ Diverse System - JAPAN 2 (2023) a mostly rly good grab bag of bangers with a japan flavor! i adore the koto mixed in with tight electric beats. big big standouts with "灯火" !!! and the much more electric "Amatsu"
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17/ Patricia Taxxon - Bicycle (2024) laid back (mostly) textures n vibes. instant fav in "Frat Claws" and "I Do" specifically! i really like the FEEL within the sounds. i keep coming back to "Chipshop" and "Boys". visceral.
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23/ Aleksi Perälä - Starlight 1 (2018) surprisingly solid, albeit a bit all over the place much love for the smooth sounds of "UK74R1823040" much love for the stepfiltered "UK74R1823090" not as much a fan of the techno flavors this time but still!
it's hard to recommend this artist in general but ive been listening to a lot of AP music. just give those two highlights a try and see what you think.
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February
25/ BT - The Secret Language of Trees (2023) THE GOOD STUFF Producer's Cuts especially!!! "k-means clustering"……. the clicks in "Time Moves So Fast"…. if you ever wished ppl made more music from 2007, here it is. a return to the binary universe.
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40/ Tom Bragl - Regainable (2024) a few crunchy niceities, but just a few imo. "Klamra" f.ex. feels very 2007, which IS a delight. for anyone who wishes they made more music from 2007. here it is. funny it's marketed as "80s esque" lol. i hear it tho.
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43/ µ-ziq - 1977 (2023) mike has a very distinct style that stands out from a lot of his peers imo. i wasnt sure about this but the reverbed minimalist drum machine in tracks like "4am" and "Belt & Carpet" win me over. I think those two and the weirdly hazy house of "Houzz 13" are my favs. "4am" especially, with those ethereal (newage?) chopped vocals
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44/ Autechre - 2005-4-15 Glasgow (live set) apparently there are some old soundboard recordings laying around!!! this is super good. quaristice stuff. i love love love the multiple variations of chence9! the fast version of IO is rly good too. ez fav but still.
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March
47/ STAFFcirc vol. 9: MIDI MODULE FANATIX (2024) oh hell yes, midi AND rompler!!! "Thunder and Strawberry Wine" is otherworldly. i get how it was made but also. How? ooooghhh… "30 Domcaster St" delightful ooooghhh… "Cascade rev.2023" authentic zest "Yakumotatsu" god i love this trend of pushing msgs midi to the max "tunnel7_r35b" listen i love chimeratio and he brought his slapping
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57/ Fields Of Mist - Biospore Farmers (2024) try not to compare to boc challenge: impossible. it's lush damnit. but the perc is way way more analogue drummachine. its wall to wall good. that opening track would have blown my mind in 2007. they dont make it like that anymore, except i guess they do!
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60/ pilotredsun - Achievement (2016) an album misplaced in time. pristine early 00s bedroom musician vibes.
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woodworkingpastor · 2 years
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Hope Lifted Up -- First Sunday of Advent -- Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14 -- Chrismon: Brazen Serpent on Tau Cross
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To everyone who hopes worship will be “all Christmas, all the time” until December 25, for everyone glad that Q99 switched over to Christmas music two weeks ago, I offer my annual “defense of Advent” speech: Advent is a spiritual discipline in a “Mission Impossible” kind of way—your mission, should you choose to accept it, is an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus by reimagining your life’s priorities and deepening your understanding of Jesus—his humanity and his divinity. At a busy time of year rich with both tradition and meaning, there is an opportunity to take control of our schedules and prioritize our spiritual life. It is an opportunity to be religious in an irreligious world.
When we call something a “discipline,” it means we participate in that activity regardless of how we feel about it in the moment. When I’m running just to get some exercise, it’s easy to stay in on a cold or wet day. But when I’m training, I put on the extra layer or the rain jacket and head out anyway. Feelings take a back seat to purpose.
The spiritual discipline of Advent offers a choice to repent and reorient our lives in the direction of Jesus—to pick up practices that facilitate our spiritual growth. One way we will do that in worship is by giving attention to the symbolism of the Chrismons featured on the tree.
The word “Chrismon” is a combination of two words: “Christ” and “monogram.” The tradition was born at Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville, VA, beginning with the efforts of Rev. George Pass who began crafting symbols about Jesus for the congregation’s Christmas Tree in 1940. The idea was expanded into its current form by Frances Spencer in the late 1950’s with these symbols that artistically communicate theological truth about Jesus. Examine them closely at some point; you’ll see a wide range of symbols, crosses, monograms, letters, and words that expand our vocabulary and understanding of Jesus. There is a sheet in the pews that describe some of what is here, and you can also find an abundance of information on the Internet.
Each Sunday during Advent we will focus our attention on one or two of the Chrismons. We begin today with what looks like a snake on a pole—perhaps because I can’t think of something anything that, at first glance, seems to have less to do with Christmas as any of the symbols. How does this symbol point us to Jesus?
A strange story from Numbers
To find the answer to this question, we need to go back to the Old Testament book of Numbers. Not many of us pay attention to Numbers; perhaps because our plans to read the Bible through from cover-to-cover died somewhere in Leviticus. If we’ve heard the story about the serpent on the bronze pole at all, it’s likely because it’s mentioned in the New Testament just two verses before what is probably the most famous passage in all of Scripture, John 3:16!
The book of Numbers addresses events in the Hebrew people’s desert wanderings over a period of 38 years—from 2 years after their rescue from Egypt to the cusp of their entering the Promised Land. The name given to the book in the Christian tradition comes from the two censuses that are described in its pages, the Hebrew tradition titles the book from the first three words of the Hebrew text: “In the wilderness.”
One detail that makes Numbers a challenging read is how focused the early chapters are on the “mechanics” of faith. The infrastructure and organizational details that a group needs to have to function well don’t typically make for page-turning reading! It might be compared to the instruction manual for making Chrismons; it is an essential piece to making this tree possible—both in how to make the Chrismons and in what they mean—but that doesn’t mean I want to read it while sitting on the beach. But aren’t we thankful that someone took the time to both write the book and to follow the instructions to make the Chrismons!
So it is with Numbers. The author tells the story in a particular way for a particular reason. Numbers gives a historical account of the people’s unfaithfulness. To quote Emily Dickenson, the author of Numbers “tells the truth, but tells it slant.” Can you imagine the anniversary committee of a congregation preparing the program for the 50th or 100th anniversary of the church and making a historical presentation of all the times the congregation got things wrong! It’s hard to imagine such a thing—but right here it is in Numbers. For all the people who are surprised when Christians don’t represent God well, I always want to say, “You obviously haven’t read the Bible…it’s all right there!”
The story of the serpent on the pole begins with the people “speaking against” both God and Moses. Their trip through the wilderness is taking much longer than expected with much more opposition than anyone wished for. Even though slavery was a horrific experience, they were not used to having to live the way they were living. Change is always hard, even when the change moves you in a healthier direction.
To say that the people “spoke against” God and Moses is a rather tame translation; the Hebrew suggests rebellion, not grumbling. The people are on the verge of deciding that they can live better on their own instead of trusting God and his appointed leader, Moses. This isn’t the first time the people have threatened revolt.
This is what brings out the serpents. For modern congregations, this text portrays God in a difficult way. But don’t let that be a distraction to what is at stake here; the people are at a critical stage of their formation; how would things go for them if they abandon God now? The story is one of punishment because their spiritual rebellion would lead to disaster. The serpents are a harsh response that seem out of character with God; and yet in their rebellion, God offers a path to healing. Those who “look at the serpent of bronze and live” are given the grace to continue as part of the people of God; they can begin again and find both their humanity and their faith restored.
Here’s the thing: are we really any different? We might not expect to be bit by serpents, but are the ways we abandon God’s best hopes and plans for us and lead ourselves and our world into spiritual ruin any different from that of the Hebrew people in the desert?
Since last Saturday, 24 people have been killed and 64 people wounded in mass casualty shootings in America. Everything from an LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs to a Wal-Mart breakroom in Chesapeake to a living room and downtown city street.
Today’s Roanoke Times has an article about Robin Reed, who is retiring from WDBJ this week. Robin notes that his pumpkins ripen about three weeks earlier due to the impacts of climate change.
How many of our Black Friday sale purchases came at the expense of persons working for a wage insufficient to provide housing and healthcare for their family?
And through it all, the church of “us vs. them” analysis and “thoughts and prayers” solutions distract us from making choices that address the basic humanity of people who are suffering. Never mind the serpents for a minute; are we really any less in need of repentance, someone to whom we can look and live?  
How often is it that our rebellion against God fundamentally takes the form of devaluing the relative worth of another person’s life? Jesus had a reputation as being a “glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Could the same be said of us? Are we as likely to be found associating with those who lived beyond the margins of what many say is acceptable?
Jesus’ invitation
It’s an important—if uncomfortable—point to consider, because for however much we love the grand promise of John 3:16
For God so love the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life
the foundation of this promise is based on this story from Numbers:
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).
This strange Chrismon symbol of a serpent on a cross shaped like the Greek letter “tau” reminds us of our need of a Savior. Our sinful acts are not simply “mistakes” or “excusable behavior;” it constitutes an act of rebellion against God. When the people in the wilderness looked at the bronze serpent on the pole, they were made whole—they were brought back into the community to work with God to put all things to rights.
This first Sunday of Advent is a reminder of hope—that because we have a Savior, we too have been brought back into relationship with God to put the world to rights.
At some point in our futures, each of us is going to stand before God, and we will be asked to give an account of in whom we placed our hope. We won’t be asked about our politics. We won’t be asked about our money. We won’t be asked about our power. We will be asked how the faith we confess connected with those who were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or in need of clothes or healing. The question asks us to consider how our faith in the babe in the manger changed our perspective on our neighbor.
Our faith should be visible in the interactions we have with those around us, especially the last, lost, little, and least. Our trust is in the One who died to reconcile all things to himself, that all the world would come to reflect God’s original intent.
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lasclnow · 2 years
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Pcsx2 gsdx 11 plugin download ubuntu
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arundolyn · 3 years
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he was typecast
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canmom · 3 years
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Animation Night 76: Rankin//Bass
When it comes to naming Western animation studios, you’ve got the really old school studios from the early 20th century like Fleischer, Disney and Warner Bros. You’ve got the offshoots of Disney like Don Bluth Productions and Dreamworks. You’ve got the oddball directors like Ralph Bakshi would who hop from studio to studio, whoever would take their pitch. Head over to Europe and you find a lot of smaller studios like Cartoon Saloon, Bobbypills, Xilam or (long list of French studios) who tend to work on massively multinational collabs designed to scoop up arts funding from as many countries as possible. There are limited-animation oriented TV studios, which is to say there is Hanna-Barbera.
And then there’s Rankin/Bass!
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Rankin/Bass are a bit of an odd beast, in that they were perhaps one of the earliest studios to primarily produce animation via international outsourcing - and while nowadays that usually means South Korea and the Philippines, back in 1960 that largely meant Japan.
Rankin/Bass, founded naturally by two guys called Rankin and Bass (in 1960 under the name Videocraft International, based in New York), took American money and sent it to animators at some of the oldest anime studios including Toei, Eiken/TCJ and Mushi Pro to draw or stopmotion animate their films, which they would voice act with American VAs. But the studio they’re most associated with is Topcraft, which you may remember from Animation Night 70 as the studio which old Hayao chose to make Nausicaa; outside of this rare exception, Topcraft almost exclusively served Western productions, largely for Rankin and Bass. And after Topcraft vanished shortly after Nausicaa, with the majority of its animators going on to follow Miyazaki to the exciting new Studio Ghibli, but a certain portion hung on, creating Pacific Animation Corporation. You can see the full list here.
The way things seem to work at this studio, Arthur Rankin and and Jules Bass themselves directed basically all their movies. On the Japanese side, the stop motion ‘animagic’ productions are credited to Tadahito Mochinaga at MOM production; Topcraft was led by Toru Hara, formery of Toei, before he joined the Ghibli exodus.
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For the first few decades of the studios existence, Rankin/Bass specialised in, well, ‘holiday specials’ for various US xtian celebrations like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Since the official line of Animation Night is that the only valid one of these is Halloween and all others are revisionist, we are going to pass over these without much comment. Which means we’re speeding forwards to the late 70s, where they started to branch out a little. First were a series of hourlong TV specials, and then, suddenly, childrens’ books were in, starting with Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Why did this happen at this particular point in history? I’m honestly not sure, although perhaps the success of Zuiyo Eizo’s World Masterpiece Theatre series (also talked about on Night 70) had a lot to do with it? Or perhaps they were hoping to fill the space left by a weak decade at Disney? In any case, in the space of about a decade, Rankin/Bass dived head first into adapting fantasy books - among them Tolkien’s Return of the King, The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle (certainly the best remembered), The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson, and a version of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
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The particular visual style of this period of Rankin/Bass movies stands out - if not necessarily always for good reasons, those giant hobbit eyes are certainly a choice! The 70s and early 80s were a period when ‘fantasy’ had not yet ossified into its current rigid commercial aesthetic (i.e. the Star Wars money machine was still revving up), watercolour paintings and fantasy artists were throwing out some fascinating feelers into aesthetic space. At its best this led to some brilliant works like Belladonna of Sadness [Animation Night 69] over in Japan, the rise of French comics artists such as Meobius, and even disjointed but very compelling Bakshi movies like Wizards.
It may contextualise things to note that this song by Leonard Nimoy was made in 1968:
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...which is admittedly a full decade and then some before The Last Unicorn, but that’s the vibe. Imagine a drawing of a hobbit with a pipe on top of a weed shop... oh, you don’t have those outside of Glastonbury? Huh.
So, let’s have a look at a couple of these movies.
The Last Unicorn (1982) is actually the only one I’ve seen, capturing a suitably ethereal and melancholy atmosphere - perhaps not surprising since the book’s author Peter S. Beagle wrote the screenplay as well. Rankin/Bass were the last animation company to be approached, initially horrifying the author, but he came around after seeing the Japanese animators’ character designs (which include a fascinating cloven-hoofed look for the unicorn herself that recalls illuminated manuscripts and medieval tapestries, apparently intentionally!) and the voice actors’ performances. @mogsk​ reports actually meeting the guy at a screening of a remastered version with additional inbetweens, and he was very happy about the adaptation, only regretting that they hadn’t had the budget for more full animation in the first place.
It was rly cool, we were sitting in the second row to the front, and the guy in front of us kept turning around and excitedly talking about each scene, and when the lights came up at the end t hey handed him a mic and he was like ,"So yeah I'm peter s beagle!" lol
A lot of the tone has to do with the score, composed by Jimmy Webb with the band America and singer Lucy Mitchell. A reviewer is quoted as calling it “an appropriately somber and sentimental blend of fairy tale motifs and dark, Wagnerian cues” and disparaging the folk ballads which became so common in other rankin/bass films, but honestly these ballads now convey a feeling of ‘hey it’s (only just ceased to be) the 70s’ and it really works here. At least I think the OP is pretty :p
So yeah that’s who’s on it, but what’s it about? It’s a tragic little story about a unicorn who goes looking for any other survivors of the magical creature genocide by a tyrannical monster known as the Red Bull, falls into various misadventures including a traveling circus, and it gets very bleak indeed when she has to turn human to evade capture.
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As for our second movie... one of the Tolkiens might be an obvious pick, but instead, I’m going to take the opportunity to show @mogsk​ the one R/B fantasy film she hasn’t seen... and nor have I so this one’s a roll of the dice. That is The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson, If you look at the poster you might be like, “hey bryn have you gone mad” (you fools I was mad all along), but the film itself looks like... well, a late 70s fantasy film, so high drawing counts, some rotoscopy looking scenes, often kinda-stiff animation but also some beautiful 70s-anime approaches to stuff like fire.
This one... the plot’s pretty daft, a buncha wizards get together and have an argument about the fate of humanity. Forbidden to fight among themselves, the 'good’ wizards deputise a small group of humans to steal the bad wizard’s crown. Meanwhile a young Peter Dickinson - author of the book, self-inserting here! - gets isekaied into the past and accidentally downloaded into a dragon’s body. From there we get a kind of science vs magic subtheme which honestly sounds a little painful, as Peter attempts to fit dragons into his 20th-century ontology, but we shall see...
And oh! Guess this is actually our first isekai on here. Wasn’t expecting that. I shall save an attempt to research the history of isekai for when we end up doing an actual anime one.
Anyway, it looks like it will have some fun vocal performances and cool visuals, so hopefully a chill and amusing time, and it still has something of the colouring of 70s/early 80s anime which should give some visual appeal even if it’s not quite the technical showoffiness of something like Horus. Idk, let’s roll the device.
Animation Night 76 will start... now! I know, late again. Hopefully this will be a fun one to recover from any surgeries, illnesses, malaises, and misfortunes you may have experienced in the last week <3 head to twitch.tv/canmom when you are ready!
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vampiric-daydreams · 4 years
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Severance
Jasper x Reader
This is Part 4 of the Jasper miniseries. Here is Part 1.
Summary: Jasper approaches you one evening and tries to make things right - but between your fear and your lust, you find time to question the motives of him and the rest of his family. 
Word Count: 5,057
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“(Y/N), please come with me.” Jasper’s voice pulled you out of your shock. You never thought you’d ever see Jasper Hale standing in your bedroom. Sure, you’d thought about it almost every night, but you never thought he’d be standing there under these conditions.
“No.” Your voice sounded firm. You kept your breath steady, refusing to succumb to the hysterics that had preyed on you earlier that day. His molten gold eyes softened. He took a cautious step towards you, but stopped as you met him with a glare.
“You figured it out all on your own,” he spoke his words slowly, as if he was afraid of scaring you away again. “I know you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them for you. But before I do, I need to be sure we’re talking about the same thing. I need you to say the word out loud.”
“You say it.”
He exhaled sharply, “I can’t. I can’t say anything until I know you’ve put it together entirely on your own.”
It was there, lingering in your mouth, impatient to be spoken but afraid to drip from your tongue. “Va-” It wouldn’t come out. Just say it. Vampire. You were in love with a vampire.
“Please, (Y/N).” Was he serious about telling you the truth, or was this all a ploy to see if they could trust you? Did they send him here to kill you? All of this had started from your silly crush on him. Was it his job to dispose of you?
You swallowed hard, and then the word fell out. “Vampire.”
The word hung in the atmosphere, turning the frigid air so brittle it could snap. He glued his eyes to you, but you could only look at the ground as your cheeks burned. How silly it sounded out loud. You may as well have called him a fairy. Your teeth nipped at your bottom lip as your last shred of confidence diminished, stranding you with dread and anticipation for the mocking laughter that never came. 
Jasper denied nothing.
“I tried to give you answers at school today, but you wouldn’t follow me.” He took another step towards you; careful and steady, leaving a muddy footprint in his wake.
“Are you going to kill me because I found out?” You looked at him then. He seemed so out of place, surrounded by your mess; and thoughts of dreams you’d had of him coming to your room like this contrasted with the cold reality that threatened to devour you.
“No,” Jasper stopped you in your tracks. “We aren’t like that. We’re different from our kind, we don’t hurt humans.”
“But don’t you… drink blood?” That brought your attention to each pulse of your heart. It made you aware of the warmth rushing through your veins; and how gratifying it might feel for Jasper if he sank his teeth into the soft flesh guarding your neck.
Jasper took another wary step closer to you. “Think of us like vegetarians. We don’t drink blood from humans, but from animals instead-”
“So, you bite neighbourhood pets?” You tried to lighten the mood, hoping to distract him from your growing anxiety with humour. Jasper returned a polite chuckle, seeming to understand.
“Think more like mountain lions and bears.” A sudden flash of delicate little Alice tearing at the throat of a mountain lion made you shudder.
Jasper glanced around. “(Y/N), please know that I understand your discomfort and I don’t want to worsen it, but your house won’t be empty for much longer. It isn’t safe to have this conversation here, and I know you won’t wait until tomorrow. Please come with me, and I swear I will return you safely. The minute you say you want to come back home, I’ll stop everything and make it so.”
You wanted to take the plunge—you were already alone with him, so how different would it be? But the thought of being the single human among a family of vampires—vegetarian or not—begged you to refuse. Though it wasn’t like the last time you had spoken to him; it wasn’t like when Alice or Rosalie or Emmett had approached you. This time, your gut fought its natural survival instincts and told you that the sincerity splashed across Jasper’s refined features rang true.
“I’ll go with you on two conditions.” Jasper held eye-contact; ready to abide by your rules. “One; you keep your promise and bring me home as soon as I ask for it.”
“Of course, (Y/N).” He gave you his word. “And the second condition?”
“I get to leave a note behind saying I went with you in case something happens. Neither you nor your family can touch it, hide it, or edit it. If you meant what you said about not hurting humans, accountability shouldn’t be too harsh a term.”
He followed you into the kitchen where you grabbed an orange sticky-note and began writing a quick message. “There is no reason for us to meddle with it. You’ll be safe.”
“You guys can’t steal it either, like I know you did with my notebook.”
Anyone else would have missed the quick flash of hurt in his eyes, but you caught it right before he masked it. “My family and I aren’t the evil people you think we are. But that notebook is evidence, and therefore a danger to our existence. We can’t have it falling into the wrong hands.”
You frowned, “I wasn’t going to…”
“We know that now, but we can’t risk anybody else finding it.”
“Is… Is that why you guys were so unkind to me? Was I close to figuring it out?” Despite the supernatural discoveries and truth, being treated like that by those so close to the guy you liked had stung you deeply. If you were correct about him having an emotion-influencing ability, it was likely he knew how you were feeling. Jasper didn’t answer.
“We need to go, now,” was all he said. You grabbed your keys as he led you out the front door to where his motorbike was parked on your front lawn. He passed you a black helmet. “I’ll answer more questions when we get there—whatever you want. I’ll stay by your side until sunrise if that’s how you want it.”
You took the helmet from him, grazing his hand on purpose. It was just as cold as last time. You took his hand in yours and held it for a moment. He didn’t pull away yet, and allowed you to press your soft, warm flesh against his icy marble skin. It was hard like stone. You turned his hand so that his palm was facing upwards and traced it with your finger; slowly grazing from his palm to his wrist, noting the absence of veins but the appearance of bite marks, similar to Bella’s; though larger in quantity. He pulled away from you, then.
“The sooner we leave, the sooner you can ask me everything.” He put his own helmet on, likely for the sake of appearances, and sat on the bike. You followed him.
“What, you aren’t going to turn into a bat and fly me there?” you asked as the motorcycle revved.
A genuine chuckle escaped his lips. “No, that’s a myth; and I didn’t want to scare you with our natural method of travel.”
You wrapped your arms around his waist as the bike took off slowly, building speed. “What is it?”
He didn’t answer you; not that you would have been able to hear him as you ripped through the wind, wondering if you were on the road to certain death. As hard as your heart was beating; both from the uncertainty and the physical contact, the smell of Jasper, of fresh citrus and some sort of flowery scent, made you never want to let go. You waited for him to speed up again, to give you an excuse to hold on tighter. The town of Forks faded away, your surroundings growing deeper and denser with forest. Before long, you could see the Cullen house through the trees.
It wasn’t at all what you had expected. You hadn’t thought of gloomy castles with dungeons or anything, but the openness of the architecture surprised you. The house was large and extravagant, easily worth millions. The bright colours stood out against the greens and browns of the surrounding woods; and the rectangular shapes and wide windows introduced a stunning, modern feel.
Jasper parked the motorcycle in the driveway, hanging his helmet on one handlebar. You copied him. “Are you going to tell me everything, now?”
“(Y/N), I’ve admitted to being a vampire and brought you to my home. Don’t you want to poke around?”
“Loitering outside the lion’s den is risky enough; there’s no way I’m walking straight in.” You spotted a log in the distance; blanketed in thick, green moss that was definitely not inside his house. He followed behind and sat beside you.
“What do you want to know?”
You didn’t even know where to start. Combing through what you already knew, you thought it best to elaborate a little. “Why do your eyes change colour?”
“They change based on feeding. When we’re full, they look like mine always do. But when we’re hungry, they darken.”
“So, do you… overeat or something? I’ve never seen your eyes look any different.”
He shifted his weight. “I prefer to be well-fed when in the presence of humans; particularly in high-density areas like high schools.”
Stupid question. “O-Of course. You guys wouldn’t want any accidents… Have there been any accidents? Have you ever killed someone?” When you asked him this, it was because you were embarrassed about asking such an obvious question. You tried to cover it up by rambling. So, when Jasper’s gaze lowered to the forest floor and his lips sealed shut, the shock of it made you jolt. He had.
“You’re getting scared. I can feel it. (Y/N) I promise that was a long time ago and as difficult as this diet is for me, I’m getting better and better every day.”
The next question shot out of your mouth like a bullet. “Exactly how safe am I with you right now? You’re getting better? Is it hard for you to be near me right now?”
“You’re very safe. The others are inside and will stop me if anything happens.” The way he spoke about the prospect of murdering you was so uncomfortably casual, like it happened all the time. It was as if a thousand disapproving eyes were glaring down at you, wondering what the hell you were thinking by coming here.
“When was the last time you killed—no—when was the last time you tried to kill somebody? Successful or not?” Bella’s bitten wrist was at the forefront of your mind as you waited for an explanation. “Did you give Bella that bite?”
“No, that was from another vampire. He’s dead now; but he drank human blood and went after Bella.” Jasper paused, studying you with his citrine stare. “This isn’t helping. You’re still afraid.”
“Am I already in danger because I know?”
Jasper slid closer, bridging the gap between you. “Not so long as no one else finds out.”
“I’ve told you I won’t tell anyone.” It hurt that he didn’t seem to trust you; like this entire thing was an excuse for the Cullens to follow up on your character. You stuffed your hands in your pockets and looked at the dirt beneath you; wondering if that was how the Cullens thought of you. Dirt. For liking Jasper, they probably hated you; Edward certainly seemed to feel that way. Perhaps their apologies only came once their rudeness drew too much of your attention? Little did they know.
“Other vampires,” Jasper’s clarification interrupted your spiralling mind. “So long as no vampires find out.”
“What about Bella? Is she-”
His next words slashed your heart like a knife. “Bella’s situation with Edward is different to yours and mine.”
The reminder knocked the wind out of you. It was the truth; the vampire you had fallen in love with wasn’t available, and you solving the mystery of his true nature would not change that. It would not impress him so much that he’d slide into bed with you and abandon the girl who—for all you knew—he had been with for hundreds of years. An unkind part of you wanted to kiss Jasper there and then; just to get something out of this mess. Or was it to prove to him you could be like Edward and Bella? A powerful urge to further insert yourself fought to take over. It couldn’t be that difficult. He wasn’t too far to miss. You fought back against the desire.
“Can we go inside? I-If that’s still okay… I’m cold.” You disregarded your fear about entering a vampire’s lair. Now, you wanted to see where he lived, and sat, and watched TV.
Your hands were still stuffed in your pockets, freezing. You wondered if they would be the same temperature as his now. You got your answer as he held your hands in his, gently helping you stand; ever the gentleman. Every instance of chivalry you had watched him perform for Alice ran through your brain like a movie. It was a habit of his time. His hard marble skin contrasted with your own soft flesh as you fought the urge to entwine your fingers with his; to bring your lips to his, to make him press you against a tree.
Instead, he pulled you up and then let go of you without a second thought. Shame weighed down your shoulders. He winced, not looking at you now. Your voice trembled. “Can you sense emotions?”
“Yes.”
Did that include lust?
You changed the subject, not daring to ask for elaboration. “When we go in… is everyone—are their eyes going to be gold?”
He seemed to relax as you said that; chuckling softly, like music to your ears. “Nobody is thirsty, so yes. You’ll be fine in there. They want to see you for themselves again, though. And there are some things Alice would like to clarify.”
Alice. Would she pull you aside and intimidate you? Stay away from my boyfriend or I’ll literally kill you?
You swallowed thickly, following Jasper up to the front door of the house. Inside, his home was light and inviting. The walls were painted white, and there was a lot of open space. Various paintings decorated the walls, including an enormous picture frame filled with a rainbow of graduation caps. Your lips curled as you got the joke.
“Where is everyone?” Knowing they were aware of your presence was startling, in a way. Could they smell you the whole time you were outside? Had they heard what you were saying? An overwhelming sense of dread consumed you as you realised who else would be waiting. Did Edward hear you contemplating kissing Jasper? You hadn’t seen Edward at all since the incident at school. He hadn’t approached you like the others had, and the mere thought of seeing him again after all his mind-reading made your knees quiver.
Jasper didn’t reply and continued to walk. You followed behind him, sticking closer than he probably would have liked.
Alice was the first to reveal herself, meeting you at the top of the white staircase. Her usual beaming smile was absent from her face as she looked between you both. “(Y/N), thank you for coming.” Bile rose in your throat; you wanted to throw up. Edward had likely told her about what you were thinking outside. You couldn’t speak and only nodded your head in response. You risked a glance at Jasper, who was staring intensely at his girlfriend; but Alice’s attention was fixed on you. She took a small step closer to you. Her usual voice, as graceful as wind chimes, sounded cracked. “Can I borrow you first?”
Jasper’s eyes were downcast while Alice’s held an edge of urgency. “O-Okay… Um-”
“I won’t be long, Jaz.” She cut through your mumbling, still not looking at Jasper. He nodded, jaw clenched, and walked past her, deeper into the house. Alice seemed to relax after he left and took your hands in her cold ones. “How are you feeling about everything?”
That was the last thing you had expected to hear from her just then. “I’m fine… considering.”
Her smile returned, adding sugar to her sweet, honeyed eyes. “I want to take it upon myself to explain what really happened. I’m sorry I lied to you at the café—but we have an important secret to protect and I just couldn’t-”
“I get it, it’s fine. But now I’m wondering, did I actually deserve it?”
“(Y/N), come with me.” She twirled around and fluttered down a hallway to your right. She led you to a room covered in everything Alice. Walking through the door was like having her entire personality punch you in the face at once. Like the rest of the house, the walls were painted white, and the ceilings were to the heavens. All-white modern furniture decorated the space; accompanied by some mannequins modelling some of Alice’s nicer luxury pieces by the vanity. White, floating bookshelves hovered on the back wall beside modern artworks and posters of fashion designs. Enlarged photos of Alice and Jasper in black-and-white decorated the walls on the opposite side. A pile of designer clothing was heaped onto the enormous, white bed on the left side of the room.
“Couldn’t decide what to wear?” You cracked a joke as you took everything in. Alice returned a smile.
“At least someone around here understands.”
Looking at the intricately designed headboard, the words left your mouth before you could stop them. “You don’t sleep in coffins?” You looked at her wide-eyed. Just because Jasper was okay with the stereotypes, it didn’t mean Alice would be.
“Oh, no. That’s a myth. We don’t sleep.”
“At all?” You looked between her and the gigantic bed, and then realisation clicked. A pang of jealousy twisted your insides as you understood exactly how the bed was used. You recalled Jasper’s old words. So, Alice and I will have the entire house to ourselves again, which is always a pleasurable time.
As if sensing where your mind was going, she changed the subject. “There are some things that I need to explain—with the truth, this time—I promise. Please, take a seat wherever you like.”
After seeing the bed and knowing what its sole purpose was, you couldn’t stop yourself from spitefully sitting right on it .. “Did I freak you guys out back then or something?”
“(Y/N), we know you’re already aware of what Edward and Jasper can do. My gift is seeing the future. It’s a little flimsier than what you’re imagining. I can see the decisions people make and then what the outcomes of those decisions will be. And I’ve been having quite a few visions about you.” You watched her, mouth hanging open, waiting for her to continue because you didn’t know how to respond to that. What had she seen? What decisions had you made without realising? Alice continued, “I saw you finding out we were vampires early on. During your fascination with Jasper, you noticed the same things you ended up noticing, anyway. In the vision, you reacted differently. You let your fear rule you, and you came close to exposing our secret.”
“Did you kill me?” You asked. “In the vision?”
“No, but the decisions themselves were fragile. I had three unique visions about you in one day, all in which you found out about us. And in only one of them, you kept our secret. At first I didn’t realise how you were figuring everything out, but Edward heard your thoughts about Jasper and we put it together. We tried to wean you off of him; so Jasper talked to you more - but only about me and how happy we were. The plan was to make you stop liking him so you’d stop noticing things—but it backfired. Jasper used his gift on you when you were too close to figuring it out. Edward suggested a colder approach, which was too hard for Jasper as he could feel everything you were feeling.
“Then, I met you at the café and tried to smooth over the situation. We approached it differently again. So, we treated you kindly and acted like the entire thing was just Edward running on a tangent—but my visions about the outcome were murky. They kept changing. Sometimes you’d figure it out and react badly, other times you’d let it go and move on from us, and only once did you find out and accept us. I think we’re living in that vision now.”
It was a lot to take in, and you had so many questions; but the one that came out was, “I can’t imagine trying to tell anyone about any of this.”
“The whole Edward-as-the-scapegoat story wasn’t a complete lie. When he read your mind, he saw that you would often fantasise about-” she paused, almost as if she was about to choke. “About separating Jasper and myself. Jasper had no intentions of letting that happen—but Edward wondered if your disposition might change after you found out about everything. If you were capable of blackmail, or-”
“I’m not. So you can all chill out, if that’s what I’m really here for.” Your anger at Edward was justified, then. “For all of you to check if I’m safe.”
“My intention tonight wasn’t to upset you-”
“Jasper!” You called out. Behind you, one door to the adjoining rooms opened and Jasper emerged. “I want to go home now.”
“Of course.” You didn’t miss the look he gave Alice; it was one of frustration. And as before by the stairwell, Alice didn’t look back at him.
“Goodbye, (Y/N),” Alice’s angelic voice rang from behind you as you left the room. “I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you.”
It didn’t take long for you to get back outside. The wind had picked up, and the air smacking against your face made it harder to hold back your tears. Jasper’s voice came as a comfort. “Are you okay, (Y/N)?”  
You didn’t reply and only shook your head as a stream of tears spilled down your cheeks. The embarrassment of it all. These people truly thought the worst of you. Edward was still assuming your entire personality and relaying the most negative parts of it to the rest of his family; and Alice insinuated that you were a traitor. Meanwhile, all of this was happening in front of Jasper. You were now crying in front of him, and he wouldn’t even comfort you.
“What were you doing in the neighbouring room?” You wiped your tears on your sleeves.
“We have a closet and an office adjoined to our room, and I wanted to be nearby to keep my promise about taking you home.”
You were glad you were facing away from him, because you couldn’t stop yourself from squeezing your eyes shut and silently sobbing. Our room. They shared it; of course. You had been mistaken in thinking it only belonged to Alice. All the humiliation on top of the physical reminders that Jasper was spoken for was too much at once. You regretted ever going inside. Now you definitely wanted to throw up. The vampire thing should have scared you away from him. It should have made you run for the hills; and while you were still afraid from time to time, it somehow made you love him even more.
Jasper had moved closer to you while you cried, and you could feel his cold hand chilling your shoulder through the fabric of your shirt. “Are you ready to leave?”
You still had so many questions—the tension between Alice and Jasper being at the forefront of your mind. Had you caused it? But you couldn’t ask, not with your feelings already so out in the open. You had embarrassed yourself enough up to this point. So instead, you nodded and turned to face Jasper; no longer caring if he saw you cry. Your voice sounded raspy as you said, “I want you to use your gift to make me stop feeling sad. Will you?”
“You’re sure?” But he didn’t hesitate; and already the melancholy made way for contentment. You wiped the rest of the tears from your face.
“Thank you.” You wanted to ask him to do something else, but couldn’t will yourself to ask the question. He handed the motorcycle helmet to you for the second time that night, and you paused. “What’s your natural method of travel? The one you mentioned earlier?”
“We can run really fast. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen, and faster than you could imagine. I’d be happy to run you home, but not if it will scare you.”
“It won’t.”
He gestured for you to climb onto his back, and you did; resisting the urge to bury your face in his neck. His muscular arms held you close as he reminded you softly, “Hold on as tightly as you can.”
Without another moment’s notice, he launched you through the forest at an impossible speed. The tall trees surrounding you morphed into an indistinguishable wall of brown and green, and the ground behind you moved so quickly it made your eyes blur. Before you could even think to breathe, Jasper had stopped outside your front door and the world around you was visible again. The world was spinning, and Jasper picked you up bridal-style and carried you through the front door to your bedroom; carefully laying you down on your bed and sitting beside you on the mattress. “You’ve had a big night, you should get some sleep.”
“Wait,” you called out before he could disappear. “What happens now?”
You wanted him to say he would call you tomorrow, or meet you somewhere. You wanted to be told that this would continue—but the serious look on Jasper’s face warned that you wouldn’t be hearing any of that. Conflicting looks crossed over his features as he looked like he was debating something within himself. “You should talk to Alice again when you can. There’s a lot more to her vision than what she explained to you. It’s important that you seek her when you’re ready to listen. It’s about you, and you deserve to know what she believes will be coming.” He added dryly, “You’ll like what she saw for you.”
“And what about you, though?”
“Because of… foreseen circumstances, Alice has asked for some distance in our relationship for now. I can feel her emotions. I know what she’s trying to do—and you’ll find out when you talk to her—but I can’t let her. Please understand this. Regardless of whatever Alice says to you, I need you to keep a distance from me.”
“But-”
“There is nothing you can say to change my mind, I meant what I said. I love Alice with my entire heart. We have been married since 1950. Now you know everything, there’s no reason for you and I to continue talking about it. Please talk to Alice; but listen to me. I will not leave my wife for you.”
That was the final blow; all you needed to push you into an unfamiliar territory; one where you wanted to sever the one-sided bond. You thought back at the question you didn’t ask him earlier and realised you might die if you didn’t. “I want you to use your gift again to help me achieve that. Every time I feel attracted to you, every time I love you or I want you… You have to quell it. I realise I’m in way over my head. I realise I am embarrassing myself by continuing to love you.” Jasper winced as you said the last sentence, but watched you intently as you continued. “I can’t stay away from you if I can’t get over you. I need help. Will you please put me out of my misery and control my feelings for me?”
“I can only do it while I’m in range. It’ll wear off-”
“It might at least condition me to stop thinking about you. I don’t know. Can we at least try it?”
His beautiful eyes locked with yours, and your heart felt lighter. As you watched the vampire in front of you, he looked less godlike, less devastating. Still conventionally attractive, you felt the adoration slip away as you studied his face, his hair, his body… Everything melted away and was replaced by neutrality. For the first time in a while, you stared at Jasper Hale and you didn’t want to kiss him, or hold him, or profess your love with him. 
If anything, you wanted him out of your room. 
And so, with one last look at you to make sure it worked, Jasper turned away from you and walked out the door.
For the first time in a long time, you could breathe again.
*
Tags: @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @eggmettcullen @scuzmunkie @xcharlottemikaelsonx @oi-itsemily @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @aw0kenangel @jelly-fishy-babie @kawaiikpoplover268 @awkwardnesshabitat @salsameter @dillybuggg @awesomebooklover17 @badgirlsdeaddreams @raindancer2004 @camillapad @champagnejoker @tweedlydumbtweedlydoo @starrybumbles @bubblegumcat229 @boywivlove @mauvette268 @pleasantlycrazyworld 
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opendoorlorien · 7 years
Text
out of everyone in Echoes Luthier probably has the highest “husband potential” for me I’d pet some cats with him if you know what I mean
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sabraeal · 4 years
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Hypewired Unsolved Drinking Game, Rule #2: Shirayuki Despairs Over Obi’s Life Choices
Rule #1
Written for @ruleofexception on the occasion of her BIRTH. I thought this would be more ghost hunting and less metrics, but I should have known I couldn’t resist a premise-building chapter.
[Shirayuki] Have you ever heard of the Gardner Museum Heist?
[Obi] Oohhh.
[Shirayuki] *laughs* What was that?
[Obi] Oh, nothing, nothing. It’s just... I love heists.
[Shirayuki] You love heists? *laughs* No, I take it back, that doesn’t surprise me at all.
[Obi] *laughs* Come on, who doesn’t love a good heist?
[Shirayuki] This one *is* known as the biggest art heist of its kind.
[Obi] Oh ho ho ho. You’re saying all the right things to me.
The thing about haunted houses-- the real kind, not the ones that hire teenagers to wear stage make up and hold fake chainsaws-- is that they’re hard to book.
“Oh, in my hometown, they hired ex-convicts,” Obi says in the same casual way he says anything vaguely terrifying about his childhood, “and they gave them real, working chainsaws.”
Her jaw drops, face still plastered to her phone’s screen. Soft jazz worms into her ear. “That can’t be true. That has to be a-- a rumor or something.”
“Nah, nah, the farm had a work program with the local prison. I think sometimes they did seasonal work too?” He shrugs. “I don’t know. But it definitely made the hayride more popular. Gave it a real element of danger, you know?”
Shirayuki stares. “And they gave them real chainsaws?”
“Well, they only revved them a little.” He twitches his shoulder, as much of a shrug as he ever gives. “One time a guy hopped on the cart and chopped the bale next to me, but I mean, I probably deserved that.”
She might be sitting down, but oh, she could really do to sit down again. Harder. Mentally. Emotionally. “And you’re sure these were ex-convicts?”
“Yeah, probably.” Not an endorsement ringing with confidence. “I mean, I’m sure they were in for non-violent crimes, at least.”
There are two wolves inside of her, and one of them is pleased to hear about a local business working to place disadvantaged community members, and the other-- well, the other thinks that maybe everyone should be a little more solid on the whole non-violent convictions than they are.
Before she has the chance to suggest it, the phone clicks, and a pleasant female voice says, “Hill House, Donna speaking, how may I help you?”
“Oh, hi, yes,” she fumbles, “I’m Shirayuki calling from Hypewire. We would like to talk about booking your location.”
“Hypewire?” Donna pauses, the good long kind that means she’s probably from a generation that prefers to read its news on paper, and not from a website that has an option to react with emojis. “Oh, did you want to do an article on the house?”
“Ah, something like that.” Obi arches a brow, lips twitching as he crams another Funyon between them. He’s far too distracting to have around while she needs to have thinky thoughts, especially if he’s going to make faces at her. “I’m the producer of Hyperwire Unsolved, and we were wondering if we could possibly do a, ah--” she coughs-- “an investigation? Of the house? For the show?”
“Oh, Hypewire Unsolved!” The woman laughs. “My nephew loves you guys. But don’t you do true crime?”
[Sender]: [email protected] [Recipients]: [email protected] [Subject]: Re: Episode Filming
Thank you for your interest in our venue for an episode. Some of our interns are big fans of your show! However, we have to admit some confusion, as we were under the impression you were a true crime show…
“How’d they get that impression?” Higata grunts, hunching further over his keyboard. His screen in the only light in the editing bay, castling a ghastly glow over his face. “The art department just sent me six different aliens to pick from for the Roswell episode, and now we’re Serial? Come on.”
Shirayuki sighs. “I know. But it seems our more popular episodes are the ones about collar bombers and serial murderers. At least by the metrics”
Higata might only be twenty-six, but he’d be right at home at the VA buffet with the way he grumbles. “You know His Highness over there was talking to me about making true crime and supernatural separate seasons. Something about...keeping views and organizational groups or something.”
“Huh.” She sits back, nibbling on her lip. “It would certainly give me more of a focus each season. What do you think?”
“I guess it’s fine. Two editing credits for my resume for one show’s work is a good deal.” He overlays a shadowy police sketch into the video, shoulders rounded and tense. “What do I know? I just sit in the dark and pick which ghostly visage I want to layer over your audio.”
She leans in with her sunniest smile, squeezing his arm right above the elbow. “And you’re so good at it!”
“I am.” He’s too much of a professional to look away from his work, shifting the same image three pixels over and then three pixels back, but his bicep relaxes beneath her grip. “I am a top tier spooky face picker. All the commenters say so.”
She blinks. “Oh? They do?”
Higata twists in his seat, gaze somehow even more incredulous in the lack of light. “No, Shirayuki, they don’t. But they should.” He gestures to the screen vaguely. “They mostly just talk about how much they want to fuck Obi.”
“OH.” There’s some information she really, really didn’t need. “That’s um, ah--”
“Your job, according to roughly half our fan base.” His mouth hooks into a grin she does not enjoy. “What do you say, Lyon? I think we could break the bank if you kissed him once on camera.”
“I-- I mean--” it’s a ridiculous request, clearly a joke, but her heart is pounding so loud in her ears she can’t hear her own thoughts-- “that’s not really w-what the show is about.”
Higata laughs. “That’s what you think.”
“What does who think?”
Shirayuki jumps straight out of her chair.
It’s not an exaggeration; there’s literal air between her butt and the seat, and when she lands again, the soft cushion makes the most obvious whoosh noise in existence, only worse, since it’s slow too. No obnoxious whoopee cushion womp, oh no, just an endless, air pump whoosssssshhhhhh that’s as blatant as a rattlesnake in the silence.
“Obi!” His lean shadow fills the doorway—wow, is he actually that tall?—and his head tilts, just enough so that his eyes shimmer gold. “I—nothing! We were, um, nothing?”
“We were talking about true crime,” Higata supplies, darting her a pitying look, “and how that’s what everyone thinks we are. Winchester House just emailed back.”
Obi grimaces, teeth flashing white in the dark. “Ah, great. Another one of those.”
“Yeah,” she sighs, deflating into a slouch. “I could talk about Big Foot until I’m blue in the face, but everyone thinks I have nuanced opinions about Jeffrey Dahmer.”
One narrow brow arches toward his hairline. “But you do have nuanced opinions about Jeffrey Dahmer.”
“I just think animal mutilation is probably a sign things aren’t going right in your life and someone should have noticed.” She waves her hands, at a loss. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to explore a supposedly haunted house.”
His lips twitch, right at one corner. “For a skeptic, you’re really into the idea you could see a ghost.”
“Stories are part of the human experience,” she explains primly. “We use them to understand what feels inexplicable. And ghosts are part of how we compartmentalize death.”
“Or they are the remnants of people who died too soon.” Obi pushes himself off the jamb, sauntering over to where they sit. “Or whatever bad juju is left by human misery—hey, that’s a sweet mugshot. Who’s it supposed to be?”
Higata squints. “I keep thinking it might be Shiira? But the cheeks are all wrong.”
“Huh.” Obi leans between the two of them, nose hovering mere inches away from the screen. His arm presses into her shoulder, too warm. “Brecker.”
“Brecker?” Higata tilts his head. “Oh yeah, I see it now. He’s not gonna like that.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Good thing he doesn’t watch joyless tripe like Unsolved then.”
“Yeah.” Higata snickers, raising the opacity. “Good thing.”
Obi settles back on his heels, hand gripping the back of her chair. She dares a glance up, and there he is, watching her with one of those looks she doesn’t know how to read. “Don’t worry, Lyon,” he says, thumb rubbing at the plastic back. “The season’s only just started. Give it some time.”
“I’d love to,” she mutters, tilting her head back, resting it on his wrist. “But try explaining that to Izana.”
[Obi] I’m just saying, there’s no sexier crime than a heist. ...Well, I mean, that doesn’t involve actual sex.
[Shirayuki] *wheeze*
[Obi] You know what I mean.
[Shirayuki] Do I? Am I finding out too much about you right now? Is this how you get seduced at parties? Girls just cornering you and telling you about high-profile robberies?
[Obi] *laughs* This is absolutely not how I get seduced at parties. Unless you’d like to try...?
[Shirayuki] . . .
[Obi] Besides, it’s not like this is just a regular robbery. Heists don’t happen to normal people. Just the rich ones.
[Shirayuki] Well, this *is* a museum. It’s for learning purposes.
[Obi] Oh, like all that stuff actually *belongs* to a museum anyway.
[Shirayuki] Actually...this time it does!
[Obi] Wow, now there’s a mystery I want to investigate.
“We want to capitalize on the energy from this season.”
Izana isn’t a man who lounges; his mesh office chair is relentlessly ergonomic, only a few aggressively rolled lumbar supports away from a torture device. But still, he gives off the energy of a cat lazing in a sunspot, already gotten into the cream.
“Unsolved has always had excellent metrics, but since the premier--” he glances pointedly at Obi-- “they’re unparalleled by any other digital media Wisteria has put out on any of its platforms.”
Obi sprawls in one of the wire-frame chairs Izana has out, far too big for its delicate frame, every inch of him as still as the grave. Except for his one, bouncing knee, practically vibrating as he asks, “That’s...good right?”
“Very good.” Shirayuki may not be a metrics person, but working with Zen gave her more than a passing acquaintance with what success sounds like. “I think he’s telling us...we’re his cash cow.”
Izana’s lips lift into a smirk. “Just so. You’re more popular than Stand the Heat, and that’s saying something.”
It is saying something-- Obi’s show consistently has the most hits and the highest likes-to-views ratio. It’s been the backbone of Hypewire’s digital media section since it premiered last year, and now-- now Unsolved has passed it. If the graph Izana’s laid out is right, they’ve passed it by...a lot.
Shirayuki sneaks a glance at Obi as he leans over, taking in the numbers. She can’t move, can’t even breathe as he stares, eyes rounding as he understands what’s happening.
He rips the paper off the desk, shaking it at her. “Do you see this?”
She blinks. “Y-yes?”
His mouth breaks into a grin, like a Labrador who has found a particularly giant stick. “We’re awesome.”
“Oh,” she breathes, and wow, this is really not the time to think about the-- the Abayan effect, even if that smile makes it extremely hard not to. “Okay.”
“We should have you on the show.” His knee bounces a mile a minute, words barely keeping pace. “See if that makes the ratings draw even.”
Shirayuki stares at him, but there’s no hint of sarcasm, no undertone of agitation. For all intents and purposes, it seems as if he’s just...inviting her on his highly rated cooking show.
That can’t be right.
“Not a bad thought, Abayan,” Izana hums, fingers tapping at the desk. “Turn that in to me with the rest of your proposals for next season.”
Obi grins. “No problem, boss.”
“Wait.” This is all happening too fast; it’s all too much. Three weeks ago she was scrambling for a new co-host, and now she’s sitting next to Hypewire’s media darling, talking about how she needs to be on his show for his ratings. “I don’t-- we shouldn’t--”
“Oh, can you not cook?” Obi smiles, and it’s-- entirely too much. “Don’t worry, Lyon, you’ll be on top when I’m done with you.”
“N-no!” she chokes. “I-- I’m the daughter of a bar! I mean, my grandparents--” ugh, four years to get a journalism degree, and she still can’t word good-- “they owned a pub.”
“Great.” His teeth flash, half-feral. “Then you’ll know how to follow my lead.”
“I think,” Izana says, tipping her a speculative look, “that Shirayuki is less worried about her prowess in the kitchen, and more about what these sort of numbers might mean to a show like Unsolved. Isn’t that right?”
“Ah, I mean...” It’s terrible how good he is at his job. “It’s all so...quick. We’re still editing this season, and already I’m working on the ideas for next one, and I have to not only write scripts but also scout locations, and Higata is already stretched thin--”
“We’ll get you another editor.”
Her jaw drops. “W-what?”
Izana folds his hands, so calm, and tells her, “We’ll get you another editor.”
Shirayuki stares, mouth utterly dry. It had been a struggle to get Higata last season; after Obi had roasted the idea during Pitch Fight, Hypewire’s higher-ups had been loath to put any actual support behind Unsolved. Only his dogged enthusiasm-- and flagrantly working on the project behind their backs-- had gotten him on board after the pilot took off. And now Izana Wisteria was just handing her someone else. Personally.
She reaches down and pinches herself. Yep, this is-- this is real life. Somehow.
“You want to-- you mean that--” she gulps-- “you want to give Unsolved a team?”
He nods, brusque and efficient. “I can get you another researcher as well. Or if the locations appear to be a problem, perhaps a personal assistant?” He lifts a hand, a Wisteria shrug. “Just let me know your needs, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Unless it’s time, right?” Obi asks wryly. “That’s straight out.”
Izana’s mouth stretches into the barest grin. “The internet is instant, I’m afraid. You have to strike while the iron’s hot. I hope--” he fixes her with a meaningful look-- “we are all able to make the best of this opportunity.”
kisskissfall4luv: does ne1 no f this guy is gonna b here 4 the hole sesson? i luv Zen but i lik the nu guy 2 hes so funny!
kayla0202: I hope he is! I never thought I’d like something as much as Stand the Heat, especially a show about aliens and weird crime, but Obi and Shirayuki make me tune in every week! How long are Unsolved’s seasons again??
unsolvedjunky42: There’s only one other season, and that was 12 eps, though a lot of those were 10 minutes long, and these ones are averaging 17-20min. It looks like Obi Abayan is credited as co-host for the rest of the season: [follow link] So glad he signed on, I thought Unsolved would be dead in the water without Zen but Obi brings a whole new dynamic I didn’t ever realize the show was missing.
zenluvr999: i no were only 3 eps in but i think im gonna need a new name lmao
“Ah, I understand, but we really are looking to--” Shirayuki clenches her stress artichoke, its plush petals ballooning out from between her fingers, and stifles a sigh. “Yeah, I see. Thank you.”
The call cuts off with a beep, too cheerful a sound for its finality. Another opportunity lost. Shirayuki spills over her keyboard, groan lost beneath the function keys.
“Going that well, huh?” Kihal barely spares her a glance, but she does pull aside a headphone; the way editors show they care. “Tell me again how much you love this job.”
“I do love it,” she insists, muffled by the cool metal of her desk. “It’s just...so much work.”
“You know, we could just get that personal assistant.” Higata drops his headphones around his neck, settling back in his chair. It creaks beneath him, protesting his slouch. “I still can’t believe you said no to that.”
“We don’t need another team member.” Shirayuki lifts her head, just barely, to give him a warning glance. “We already have Kihal. That’s more than enough.”
“Really? We still have half a season left to edit, you have another season to write, and you want to tell me we couldn’t use another set of hands?” His eyebrow twitches up toward his hairline. “You just love making all those phone calls, huh?”
“It’s not that.” She rolls back, lifting herself upright. Her spine reminds her sharply that it doesn’t like doing that, that it was having a fine time as she was, but if there’s one thing Shirayuki knows how to ignore by now, it’s a complainer. “Unsolved was my idea to begin with, and if we can’t do the proposal we submitted last week, it should be me who’s to blame for it, not some poor intern.”
“She’s so cute,” Kihal coos across the cluster. “She’s got morals and everything.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Higata deadpans. “Didn’t you unionize the Yuris office?”
Her teeth flash predator white between the crimson stain of her lips. “Why do you think I volunteered to work this gig?”
He sighs, long-suffering. “See, this is the problem: the both of you like working too much. It’s getting in the way of having someone fetch my coffee for me.”
Shirayuki levels her best glare at him, the one she’s honed from one too many long nights in the editing bay. “If we had a PA, their job would not be to get you coffee.”
“If we had a PA, their job would be to make these stupid phone calls so Shirayuki can get actual work done,” Kihal informs him with a playful superiority than makes his eyes roll. “Instead of spending all day in a fugue of sadness and misery because no one will take her seriously.”
Shirayuki almost protests—there’s no fugue, and if anything, the rejections just make her more desperate and determined, but—
Her list of high-profile options has been reduced by a half, red lines spiking through some of her best hits with no relief in sight. She is about two seconds from eating her feelings through the oversized cinnamon buns in the company vending machine, and a fugue state is starting to sound like a preferable way to spend her afternoon.
“Ugh,” she decides, and lays down again.
“There, there,” Kihal croons, patting her back across their desks. “Someone will have to give you the time of day at some point.”
“I’m getting calls back.” She rolls over onto one cheek, thoughtful. “People are fans of the show! They just...don’t think we’re serious.”
Kihal scoffs. “About what? Aliens? Ghosts? I’ve been fielding queries all morning from Shuuka asking which direction we want to go for The Alexandria episode.”
“It’s the whole ghost hunting angle.” Higata leans over, liberating her artichoke from her grip, tossing it between his hands. “If I want to be fair, which I don’t, but here we are—it’s a new direction for the show. I guess it could be confusing to people used to our format.”
“I know, I know.” She pillows her chin with her hands, letting out a sigh. “I just wish one of them would give us a confirmation instead of—“ she waves her hand at her empty schedule—“all this.”
“They will.” She doesn’t know where Higata unearths all this unearned confidence, but she’s glad one of them has. “Let this season run its course. Zen was never big on the supernatural episodes, but these ones with Obi...people are definitely going to pay attention.”
He wouldn’t be saying that if he had to suggest waiting to Izana Wisteria. “They’re already paying attention to Obi. I’m always getting asked if--”
“If I’m as handsome as I look on screen?”
The thing is-- she’s not expecting it. One minute she’s sprawled across her desk, and the next Obi’s purr is tickling her ear, and--
“Ow, fff--” his gaze darts over where he clenches his nose-- “fudge. Sicles.”
“Nice save,” Kihal deadpans. “Now if only you could do that in the first minute of every video.”
“What can I say,” he honks, rubbing his nose. “I’m an off-the-cuff kind of guy.”
“You’re a ‘ruining our monetization’ kind of guy,” she shoots back, though she pushes over an abandoned chair for him to sit on.
“Oh, Obi!” Shirayuki yelps, hands hovering on either side of his face as he sits. “I’m so sorry! I was just--”
“Surprised, yeah, got that part.” he lifts his fingers, wobbling the bridge of his nose. “No harm done.”
“Good thing,” Higata mutters, “that face gets views.”
“Oh please.” Obi grins, devastating as always. “Chicks love a broken nose.”
Kihal barks out a laugh. “When it comes to you, chicks love breathing.”
He shrugs, sliding into a slouch. “Still no luck, I’m guessing?”
“None,” Shirayuki confirms. “Though people have been saying they enjoy the new season.”
“The concierge at the Roosevelt says you’re a lot cuter than Zen,” Kihal offers, needlessly.
Obi’s grin widens, wolfish. “You don’t say.”
“Maybe you should start using that Abayan charm to get us some bookings,” Kihal suggests wryly. “Earn your keep around here.”
“Please, I earn my keep. I’m the eye candy.” He winks. “Besides, I’d be happy to, but the big boss over here always tells me--”
“You don’t need to worry about it,” Shirayuki says, “it’s really my job--”
Higata waves a hand, long suffering. “You see the problem.”
“I do.” Kihal settles back. “Well, if you really just need a place...”
“I’ll take anything at this point,” she says to the particleboard of the ceiling. “Even if it’s just a haunted hole in the ground.”
“All right, well--” Kihal grins, sheepish-- “my condo is haunted.”
[Obi] So you’re telling me that this is just some crazy lady’s house, filled with all her stuff?
[Shirayuki] Isabella Stewart Gardner was a socialite and a philanthropist, *not* a crazy lady.
[Obi] Right, okay, but...she did turn her house into a museum, and then made everyone promise not to touch it. Not exactly what I think of when someone says ‘stable.’
[Shirayuki] Because she *curated* it, Obi!
[Obi] So what you’re telling me is that she knew that from forever to the end of time, she would have better taste than everyone else on the planet.
[Shirayuki] *sputtering* W-well--
[Obi] No, no, you’re right. I retract the crazy lady thing. Because that’s *baller*.
[Shirayuki] *laughs* O-obi!
[Obi] I want to be that lady. Like that is shade from the grave.
[Shirayuki] . . . . She also was personally friends with Monet.
[Obi] SEE? Life goals.
“So,” Obi hums from around a dumpling, his chopsticks already rooting for another, “what do you think?”
Shirayuki looks up, halfway through a very un-dainty bite of her own. “About--? Oh! I can’t believe they’re only fifty cents each! Where did you find this place?”
Despite his reputation on camera-- forward-facing, casual, intimate-- Obi isn’t someone who looks at people head-on. She’ll catch a glance sometimes, or maybe a considering look from the corner of his eyes, but for the most part, he’s always moving, eyes darting around to watch who filters into a room, or at the cars moving outside, or staring down the squirrel that likes to scratch at their window.
So when he looks at her, gold eyes trapping her as thoroughly as amber, she notices.
“Well,” he says after a long moment, “when you run a food show, people do give you some hot tips. But, ah--” he rubs at the back of his head, ears pink at the tips-- “that wasn’t really what I, ah, meant.”
Her mouth rounds. “Oh.”
His hands raise, chopsticks knitted under his knuckles. “Though I’m glad you like it! It’s, ah, one of my favorite places too. I just thought that you might have some, er--” he grimaces-- “thoughts, about the whole haunted condo thing.”
“Oh! That.” She taps her chopsticks on her plate, trying to gather her thoughts. “I just think...I don’t know. It’s not a bad place to start, but I just wanted...”
She blows out her cheeks on a sigh. “The ghost hunting is a new aspect of the show, and I wanted us to come out strong with an actual location...”
His mouth curls at a corner, too knowing. “And having us just carry around proton packs and talk about cold spots in a friend’s house isn’t really going to do much for our supernatural cred?”
“Yeah.” She slumps against the chair, defeat. “That. But I also feel like beggars can’t be choosers, and no one else is telling us yes, so...”
He nods, mouth pressed into a thoughtful line. “So there’s no rush to say no.”
“Right, yeah.” She glances at him from the corners of her eyes. “How about you?”
Obi blinks, eyes fluttering wide. “Me? This isn’t really my--” he hesitates, mouth working, starting a half dozen words-- “ah, I mean, I think...it’s smart. You’re right, a bigger place will give us more credit, but if one doesn’t come through then we have to start somewhere. Besides,” his mouth tics at a corner, twitching toward a smirk-- “I’ve always wondered whether she’s bikini or boyshorts.”
It’s only when her chin hits her chest that she realizes her jaw has dropped. “We’re not there to look in her underwear drawer!”
“Well, we’re not at work for her to look in my gym bag either,” he replies, sour, “but she did anyway.”
“She already said that was an accident--”
“--a likely story--”
“--That’s not what I meant anyway,” she admits with a huff. “I wanted to know if you were okay with the whole, ah...” her shoulders round, shy-- “metrics thing.”
“Metrics?” His head cocks, quizzical, but then-- “you mean, the stuff Izana showed us weeks ago?”
“Two weeks ago,” she corrects, heat flaring on her cheeks, “and, um, yes. I just...you’re not mad?”
Obi stares. “About what?”
“Unsolved.”
He shakes his head. “You’re...really going to have to be more specific than that.”
“The ratings.” She pokes at a dumpling, miserable. “Stand the Heat-- that’s your baby isn’t it? You pitched it and everything.”
“I...did?” he says, brow furrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s just-- Unsolved is doing better.” It’s not bragging, she knows that, but it feels like it. “And it’s-- it’s okay if you’re, um, upset about it. You’ve been doing this for--”
“OH.” Obi coughs, suddenly looking anywhere but at their table. “No, I really-- you don’t need to worry about that. At all. Please.”
She stares. “Obi, it’s okay. I’m not going to take it personally if you--”
“Kid, please,” he begs, holding up his hands. “It’s nothing. I mean, yeah, if Stand the Heat was on top, I’d be happy. I mean, I was happy when it was on top. But, this is...” his fingers twirl his chopstick mindlessly-- “this is good, too.”
“But--”
“Listen, I know you may find this hard to believe, especially with how we, uh, met, but I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a huge fan of the show. Not even a little. Understated it, in fact.” The tips of his ears flush. “So, uh, it’s kind of cool that I joined my favorite show, and now it’s super popular. That’s sort of the whole fanboy dream, right?”
“O-oh!” She stares down at her hands, willing them to stop trembling. “I, uh...I didn’t...I didn’t really think of it like that.”
“Yeah, well, now you know you don’t have to worry about it,” he says with a laugh. “I’m living the dream here. Not only am I on the show, but I’m more popular than the last guy. And I get to take the cute host out to lunch and call it business. The only square I need to finish fanboy bingo is getting to ki--”
His teeth snap down, so loud she hears the click. “Haah, never mind. Hey look, is that the waiter? Could we, ah, get the check?”
[Sender]: [email protected] [Recipients]: [email protected] [Subject]: Season 3 Hard Proposal
Is there any reason this isn’t in my inbox already?
Shirayuki closes her inbox with a grimace. “Ah, hey, Kihal?”
Her editor looks up, brows raised. “Yeah?”
She licks her lips, bracing herself. “Just...how haunted do you think your condo is?”
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96thdayofrage · 4 years
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October 1, 1919, in and around the rural farming town of Elaine, Arkansas, an enraged white mob, incited by rumors of a “Negro insurrection,” attacked and murdered hundreds of African American men, women and children. They were joined by mobs from surrounding counties and states, and later by 600 federal troops requested by the Arkansas governor to help quell the “Negro uprising.”
All told, five white men and anywhere between 200-1000 Black individuals lost their lives over the course of two days. Those who escaped lost family, land, homes, livelihoods, and community. With current efforts underway to identify mass graves, Elaine might be the site of the largest race massacre in American history.
While the Tulsa Oklahoma (Black Wall Street) Race Massacre of 1921 has become a widely acknowledged, ugly chapter in American history, the Elaine Race Massacre of 1919 has not. The facts of this atrocity were well hidden or overlooked by the media and historical accounts, yet descendants of survivors have never given up hope for public recognition and accountability.
The Elaine Legacy Center (ELC), founded by descendants of survivors, has been working tirelessly to lift up awareness of this horrible event in 20th Century American history. Recently, they’ve been making their mark. In 2019, 100 years after the massacre, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, a United Nations NGO and organization of progressive African American faith leaders, held a Truth-Seeking Commission Hearing in Elaine with oral history testimony from descendants. With hopes for educational, cultural and economic development, and in partnership with local and national institutions, the ELC is furthering its goals of telling its story and gaining reparations for families and the community.
Elaine Museum and Civil Rights Building
This year, during Black History Month, the Fund For Reparations NOW! (FFRN!), a predominantly white organization, is helping to shine a light on this especially dark chapter in America’s treatment of its Black citizens. “These residents have a passionate conviction to improve their community and leave their mark on the national narrative of Civil Rights,” says Alex Freedman of FFRN! about the ELC.
“We are honored to help amplify the work of the ELC and the oral histories shared by descendants of survivors from the massacre.”
The Fund For Reparations NOW! is the white ally arm of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), one of the leading Black organizations at the forefront of the current US reparations movement. In addition to its robust support of HR 40, the reparations legislation currently before Congress, NAARC developed a 10-Point Reparations Plan, a “model” for what reparations could look like once federal legislation is passed. Until that time, following NAARC’s leadership, FFRN! is working in solidarity to help breathe life into the plan.
The ninth point in NAARC’s Plan is “Preserving Black Sacred Sites and Monuments.” In NAARC’s words: “Black sacred sites and monuments must be preserved as permanent memorials to continuously inform and inspire future generations of people of African descent about this legacy of trials, tribulations and triumph and to remind America of the white supremacist terror employed to obstruct the path to freedom of African Americans.”
At the request of NAARC, in line with Point 9, FFRN! has joined forces with the Elaine Legacy Center, not just to help tell its story, but to raise funds toward erecting a permanent and long overdue memorial monument honoring the lives of the African American residents murdered in the 1919 Race Massacre. (In 2019 the ELC had planted a memorial tree which was chopped down in short order and the memorial plaque stolen.) FFRN! is also raising funds to help restore of the historic museum adding interactive oral history and visual displays, and will assist ELC in obtaining additional sources of funding.
The Fund for Reparations NOW! was founded in 2019 by David Gardinier of Los Angeles, a member of AWARE-LA, to coincide with the 400tth anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved people in Jamestown VA. Efforts took off in early 2020 via the Fund’s Website and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
FFRN! has more than 7,000 social media followers, upwards of 400 contributors, and has raised close to $100,000. On July 4, 2020, the organization pledged $150,000 to support the work of the Elaine Legacy Center, and sent its first reparations payment for $50,000 in December. This Black History Month FFRN!’s social media is dedicated to spotlighting the 1919 Elaine Race Massacre. Concerning this project, Jennifer Hadlock from FFRN! says, “In order to ever start on a real path for racial justice, we have to have reparations. A key component of repair is acknowledging the truth and apologizing. I am humbled to be able to amplify the story of the Elaine Massacre.”
FFRN! also partners with NAARC and other national organizations such as N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America), the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Association) and HRW (Human Rights Watch) as part of the “We Can’t Wait Campaign” to help pass HR 40 in the House of Representatives. HR 40 calls for a government appointed commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans. This legislation has been sitting in Congress for 32 years, re-introduced session after session, first by Rep. John Conyers of MI and now by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of TX. But with unprecedented public support and 167 co-sponsors in the House already this year, the time is now. Reparations are centuries overdue.
In the spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal 1963 “Why We Can’t Wait” Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 300 organizations and businesses around the country have signed on in support of the “We Can’t Wait Campaign,” urging Congress to pass HR 40 now. The “Campaign” is also asking individuals of good conscience to contact their Congressional Reps and urge them to sign on to HR 40 as a co-sponsor. Here is a link to the list of current HR 40 co-sponsors. If they’ve already signed on, thank them for doing so.
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“the plaintiff [Hyung Jin] has failed to articulate a secular legal right... over who is the rightful leader of FF.”
“The complaint also alleges that the Family Federation has no articles of organization or written bylaws governing its affairs, as the Family Federation is “governed and operated pursuant to an established and recognized set of practices, procedures, policies and customs,” in which the edicts and instructions by Rev. Moon were “authoritative and required to be followed by all Unification Church entities and organizations.”
“Here, the fact that the plaintiff [Hyung Jin] has failed to articulate a secular legal right implies that he has also failed to articulate how the defendants may have deprived him of that right in the guise of a religious act. While we might not owe deference to a church’s decision whose religious nature was a pretext for its secular purposes, we cannot intervene here to adjudicate what remains an essentially religious question over who the rightful leader of the Family Federation is.”
https://casetext.com/case/moon-v-moon-42
____________________________________________
Full title: HYUNG JIN MOON, "SEAN", Plaintiff-Appellant, v. HAK JA HAN MOON, HOLY… Court: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT Date published: Nov 5, 2020
Citation: No. 20-168 (2d Cir. Nov. 5, 2020)
Opinion No. 20-168 11-05-2020 HYUNG JIN MOON, "SEAN", Plaintiff-Appellant, v. HAK JA HAN MOON, HOLY SPIRIT ASSOCIATION FOR THE UNIFICATION OF WORLD CHRISTIANITY, FAMILY FEDERATION FOR WORLD PEACE AND UNIFICATION INTERNATIONAL, HYO YUL KIM, "PETER," DOUGLAS D.M. JOO, CHANG SHIK YANG, KI HOON KIM, MICHAEL W. JENKINS, MICHAEL BALCOMB, FARLEY JONES, ALEXA WARD, JOHN DOES 1-6, Defendants-Appellees. For Plaintiff-Appellant: AARON M. HERZIG, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Cincinnati, OH. For Defendants-Appellees: LAURA G. FERGUSON (Alan I. Horowitz, Brian A. Hill, on the brief), Miller & Chevalier Chartered, Washington, DC. For Amici Curiae Hyun Jin (Preston) Moon and UCI: William A. Burck, Derek L. Shaffer, Jan-Philip Kernisan, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Washington, DC; William G. Laxton, Jr., Jacob M. Roth, David T. Raimer, Jones Day, Washington, DC; Henry W. Asbill, Veena Viswanatha, Buckley LLP, Washington, DC.
FOR THE COURT: Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk SUMMARY ORDER RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007 IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT'S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION "SUMMARY ORDER"). A PARTY CITING TO A SUMMARY ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY OF IT ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, held at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, in the City of New York, on the 5th day of November, two thousand twenty. Present: JON O. NEWMAN, ROBERT A. KATZMANN, JOSEPH F. BIANCO, Circuit Judges. For Plaintiff-Appellant: AARON M. HERZIG, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Cincinnati, OH. For Defendants-Appellees: LAURA G. FERGUSON (Alan I. Horowitz, Brian A. Hill, on the brief), Miller & Chevalier Chartered, Washington, DC. For Amici Curiae Hyun Jin (Preston) Moon and UCI: William A. Burck, Derek L. Shaffer, Jan-Philip Kernisan, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Washington, DC; William G. Laxton, Jr., Jacob M. Roth, David T. Raimer, Jones Day, Washington, DC; Henry W. Asbill, Veena Viswanatha, Buckley LLP, Washington, DC. Appeal from the judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Buchwald, J.). UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment of the district court is MODIFIED and, as modified, AFFIRMED. Plaintiff-Appellant Hyung Jin Moon appeals from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissing his lawsuit for lack of subject matter jurisdiction on grounds of ecclesiastical abstention. We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts, the procedural history of the case, and the issues on appeal. We review an abstention decision that implicates subject-matter jurisdiction de novo. See Hartford Courant Co. v. Pellegrino, 380 F.3d 83, 90 (2d Cir. 2004). "Since at least the turn of the century, courts have declined to interfere with ecclesiastical hierarchies, church administration, and appointment of clergy." Rweyemamu v. Cote, 520 F.3d 198, 204-05 (2d Cir. 2008). "First Amendment values are plainly jeopardized when church property litigation is made to turn on the resolution by civil courts of controversies over religious doctrine and practice. . . . [T]he Amendment therefore commands civil courts to decide church property disputes without resolving underlying controversies over religious doctrine." Presbyterian Church in U.S. v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Mem'l Presbyterian Church, 393 U.S. 440, 449 (1969); see also Serbian E. Orthodox Diocese for U.S. of Am. & Can. v. Milivojevich, 426 U.S. 696, 709-10 (1976) (holding that the principle articulated in Presbyterian Church "applies with equal force to church disputes," like the present one, "over church polity and church administration"). Indeed, "where the identity of the governing body or bodies that exercise general authority within a church is a matter of substantial controversy, civil courts are not to make the inquiry into religious law and usage that would be essential to the resolution of the controversy." Md. & Va. Eldership of Churches of God v. Church of God at Sharpsburg, Inc., 396 U.S. 367, 369-70 (1970) (Brennan, J., concurring). Unless otherwise indicated, in quoting cases, all internal quotation marks, alterations, emphases, footnotes, and citations are omitted. At the same time, courts are not precluded from resolving disputes simply because the outcome would have religious implications. For instance, courts may apply "neutral principles of law" for the resolution of disputes involving religious matters, so long as the "neutral principles" allow the court to avoid deciding questions of religious doctrine, polity, and practice. Jones v. Wolf, 443 U.S. 595, 602-04 (1979). Relying on Jones, the plaintiff argues that the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine does not apply because we may rely on neutral principles of corporate, non-profit, agency, property, and gift law to grant him the relief sought. Beginning with the claims for declaratory judgment, we hold that, based on the allegations in the complaint, there are no neutral principles by which we can adjudicate these claims without deciding the religious question of who the rightful successor to the late Rev. Sun Moon is. The complaint alleges that defendant-appellee Family Federation for World Peace and Unification International (the "Family Federation") is a Korean entity, but its precise corporate status is unclear. The complaint also alleges that the Family Federation has no articles of organization or written bylaws governing its affairs, as the Family Federation is "governed and operated pursuant to an established and recognized set of practices, procedures, policies and customs," in which the edicts and instructions by Rev. Moon were "authoritative and required to be followed by all Unification Church entities and organizations." Joint App'x 10. And both the complaint and the plaintiff's briefs are silent as to any Korean law that might govern the organization of the Family Federation in the absence of written documents. On the basis of these allegations, we find no neutral principles of corporate, non-profit, or agency law that would allow us to declare rights and obligations that concern "matter[s] of internal church government, an issue at the core of ecclesiastical affairs," Milivojevich, 426 U.S. at 721, without making a decision "on the basis of religious doctrine or practice," Jones, 443 U.S. at 602. Similarly, we reject the plaintiff's argument that we can rely on neutral principles of property and gift law to grant him the declaratory relief sought. The plaintiff's attempt to recast this case as a property dispute is belied by the complaint, which does not request any relief specific to certain crowns and robes that were given to him as part of his alleged appointment as the leader, and which vaguely refers to other "property and assets" without identifying specific property interests in them. Joint App'x 14, 21, 29-30. As in Milivojevich, which incidentally involved church property, "this case essentially involves not a church property dispute, but a religious dispute the resolution of which under our cases is for ecclesiastical and not civil tribunals." 426 U.S. at 709. For the first time on appeal, the plaintiff argues that the Family Federation should be judicially estopped from arguing for ecclesiastical abstention because it argued against the doctrine in a different litigation. Because this argument was not properly presented before the district court, we do not consider it here. See Broidy Cap. Mgmt. LLC v. Benomar, 944 F.3d 436, 444 n.7 (2d Cir. 2019). Even if we were to consider it, "no action of the parties can confer subject-matter jurisdiction upon a federal court. Thus[,] . . . principles of estoppel do not apply." Ins. Corp. of Ir., Ltd. v. Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee, 456 U.S. 694, 701-02 (1982). Alternatively, the plaintiff contends that a purported exception to the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine for fraud or collusion should apply. In Milivojevich, the U.S. Supreme Court noted the possibility of an exception for fraud or collusion "when church tribunals act in bad faith for secular purposes." 426 U.S. at 713. But as that phrase suggests, if the exception exists, it would apply where a religious entity engaged in a bad faith attempt to conceal a secular act behind a religious smokescreen. Here, the fact that the plaintiff has failed to articulate a secular legal right implies that he has also failed to articulate how the defendants may have deprived him of that right in the guise of a religious act. While we might not owe deference to a church's decision whose religious nature was a pretext for its secular purposes, we cannot intervene here to adjudicate what remains an essentially religious question over who the rightful leader of the Family Federation is. Other than the claims for defamation for a statement made in April 2015, tortious interference, and violation of New York's whistleblower protection statute, each of the remaining claims depends squarely on the resolution of the plaintiff's core claim that he, not defendant-appellee Hak Ja Han Moon, is the rightful leader of the Family Federation. Accordingly, we lack jurisdiction to adjudicate these remaining claims on ecclesiastical abstention grounds. With respect to the claims for defamation for a statement made in April 2015 and tortious interference, we have a neutral principle to adjudicate them: the statute of limitations. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's dismissal of these claims on the basis that they are time-barred, with the modification that such dismissal be with prejudice. With respect to the claim for violation of New York's whistleblower protection statute, contrary to the district court's dismissal on ecclesiastical abstention grounds, we hold that a small subset of the allegations in support of the claim—specifically, that the plaintiff was "suspended from his role as the International President of Family Federation" for exposing that the Unification Church and Family Federation leaders "were benefitting from excessive salaries and benefits at the expense of the Unification Church and Family Federation," Joint App'x 37-38—can be evaluated without reference to any religious doctrine. Nevertheless, we affirm the district court's dismissal on grounds that the complaint fails to adequately allege what law or adopted policy of the Unification Church and Family Federation these officials violated (or, with particularity, what fraud they have committed) in paying themselves excessive salaries. See N.Y. Not-for-Profit Corp. Law § 715-b(a); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b). To clarify, on ecclesiastical abstention grounds, we lack jurisdiction to adjudicate the claim for violation of whistleblower protections to the extent that it is based on the succession dispute or other issues of religious practice—for instance, that these officials were acting improperly by "dishonoring the directions and teachings of Rev. Moon to curry favor with Mrs. Moon," that the retaliation consisted of these officials "asking him to go along with Mrs. Moon's exercise of authority," and the like. Joint App'x 37. We do not reach the unsettled issue of whether N.Y. Not-for-Profit Corp. Law § 715-b(a) confers a private right of action. -------- We have considered all of the plaintiff's remaining arguments and have found in them no grounds for reversal. For the reasons above, we MODIFY the judgment of the district court to reflect that the time-barred claims are dismissed with prejudice and all other claims are dismissed without prejudice and AFFIRM the judgment as modified. FOR THE COURT: Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
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theonyxpath · 4 years
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This week we’re releasing the core rulebook for Dystopia Rising: Evolution into both stores (the traditionally printed version) and on DriveThruRPG with the PDF and physical book PoD versions.
When Mighty Matt McElroy brought up the idea of talking to the DR folks, the only thing I knew about Dystopia Rising was that a fair number of people I knew with good gaming taste enjoyed getting dressed up in Mad Max style gear and heading out to its live action events. I did see a ton of DR players at several Mid Winter Conventions leading up to sitting down with Michael and Ashley, so I had an inkling of the setting, at least.
Talking with them, and subsequently taking a deep dive into the already existing material made me impressed by what they had accomplished, and pretty sure that we could create an evocative TTRPG version. My big concern with any new game is whether we’ll be retreading ground we’re already covering, and while we had touched on post-apocalyptic milieus, we had not yet gone all in.
The chance to work with a post-apocalyptic setting, and then to adapt the Storypath System, which was just in its infancy when we decided to use it, combined for a very exciting project on both the setting and system levels. The final result, which you’ll be able to get on Wednesday, delivers both those things, and combines them, in ways we had only hoped to achieve when we first decided to make the game.
Eddy, as developer, was able to take the base Storypath System and, as we had hoped with the System, tweak it and add in elements like scavenging/building rules to better portray the setting.
Scion Companion art by Andrea Payne
So, the question has come up as to whether this post-apocalyptic opus is appropriate to offer right now. Certainly, a lot of folks are feeling like they are living in a plague movie right now, and I’d certainly understand not wanting to be reminded of that.
One of my thoughts about DR:E since first reading Eddy’s text, is how the setting demonstrates the adaptability of humanity in the face of seismic changes to civilization and society. DR:E isn’t set during the fall of society, but after humanity (in a wider definition of that term) has begun rebuilding. Which in its own way is a positive message that we can use in challenging times, like now.
Plus, there a a lot of different zombies to fight!
Along the same lines, as the rebuilding of communities is very important in the game, so are the live-action communities that have been built have been the key to DR’s success all these years. We like art imitating life imitating art, so in the interest of the tabletopDR:E‘s community we’ll be opening its Community Content site next month.
Now, as a bit of an aside, we’re not sure how many stores are actually going to be able to order this, get it, and then sell it. If they have an online store component, and you’ve been buying from them that way, please let them know that their store can get copies from Studio2 and IPR. And if you don’t have a store option right now, you too can direct order.
They Came From Beneath the Sea! art by Brian LeBlanc
How Are We Doing?
A question we share with old friends, co-workers, family far more now, and with good cause. We asked our developers, in two “town hall” group meetings last week, this very thing.
Mostly, our creators are doing okay, with varying degrees of focus from day to day (hour to hour?) on their projects. So far, two of our creators have been diagnosed with Covid 19, and so far they are doing okay. We also fielded some concerned questions as to the state of Onyx Path these days.
So far, so good. Like I’ve mentioned these last few weeks, our variety of sales channels have helped us, and we’re still rolling along with our projects even while being responsive to the challenges in the lives of our creators.
And in this taxing time, it is also tax time.
In terms of the work that we’re not just still doing but are really excited about, here’s an interview with Dixie, Neall Raemonn Price, and Monica Speca talking about Exalted Essence, a pretty innovative and important project that they continue to pull together. Lots of new details from the book in this interview: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/exalted-essence-dev-team-interview
Let The Streets Run Red art by Michael Gaydos
Finally, as a personal example of finding ways to find the fun while being shut-in, this Easter I created an Easter Bunny scenario for the Gloomhaven boardgame for my kids, and their characters chased him through maps of the city streets, dodging the Easter Eggs he was blocking their way with. Each egg they picked up corresponded to a plastic egg with prizes inside I was hiding under the game table!
It was fun, plus I got an even better appreciation for how the designers set up and balanced Gloomhaven. Which I’ll consider as we review our own games, but it’s worth noting that info came through a diversion. Sometimes that’s what we need; we need to come at things indirectly. Even moreso when under stress.
Here’s hoping we’re providing you folks with a similar break, and a similar chance to explore new ideas…not to mention our:
Many Worlds, One Path!
Blurbs!
Kickstarter!
We’ve cancelled the Legendlore Kickstarter for the time being. While we wait for that happy day, here’s a fantastic Legendlore interview with developer Steffie de Vaan, hosted over at High Level Games! https://www.highlevelgames.ca/blog/legendlore-rpg-from-onyx-path-publishing-an-interview-with-steffie-de-vaan
We’ll get Legendlore back on KS as soon as we can, and meanwhile we are building the M20 Technocracy Reloaded Kickstarter!
Onyx Path Media!
This Friday is the Onyx Pathcast‘s 100th full episode! Huge congrats to Dixie Cochran, Eddy Webb, and Matthew Dawkins! Here’s to another 100!
This week, the Terrific Trio present a brand-new episode of Scion Actual Play! So if you’ve ever wondered how Scion plays – this is your chance to hear it in all its glory!
As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/
As we mentioned last week, Virtual Horror Con took place raising lots of money for charity! If you haven’t already, do check out their website https://www.gehennagaming.com/, and if you missed some of their actual plays of our games, please check them out here:
CofD Mortals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdPfkI0FLFk
Trinity Continuum: Æon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7masQukyjQ
Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13UtpbAFAfk
And here’s Gehenna Gaming’s Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gehennagaming
If you’re self-isolating or locked down, you can always tune in to our games this week. A few of our usual hosts are having breaks due to the situation in the world right now, but we’ve got plenty coming over the next few days, including V5, Scion, Pugmire, Changeling: The Lost, Changeling: The Dreaming, Mage: The Awakening, Scarred Lands, and a Dark ErasWerewolf: The Forsaken chronicle!
There are also several shows not yet on the schedule that are revving up to fill in for those who need a break right now, so please check out our Twitch channel during the week and keep an eye on Onyx Path social media for announcements of new programming!
This week you should really check out the new Scion game we’ve got going on our channel. You can subscribe to our channel over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath to catch up with any episodes you missed!
Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:
Trinity Continuum – Aberrant: Community Service: https://youtu.be/51-Y_Diaefg
Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion: https://youtu.be/uysogPwNFOM
Vampire: The Masquerade: Blood City – Chicago by Night: https://youtu.be/MKoMRxi9x0w
And still more Trinity Continuum – Aberrant: Community Service: https://youtu.be/5SXY7Q-Z80M
Do subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!
Have you checked out the Botch Pit‘s gaming transcripts? Have a look on their clean, beautiful website, and check this one out for a Chronicles of Darkness game: http://thebotchpit.com/new-england-by-night-season-1-session-01-im-not-making-anyone-a-supernatural-yet-transcript/
https://ift.tt/3b89G4W
More new Occultists Anonymous for all you Mage: The Awakening fans:
Episode 96: Other Mages With the dark gift of a vampire’s patronage looming over their heads, the cabal seek out the names and identities of mages they think are appropriate sacrifices to the vampires’ bloodlust.https://youtu.be/3m0-va-JvdM
Episode 97: Short Straight The cabal gathers together their collected grimoires in one place, checking for further magical resonance and consult the ghost of a dead mage for further information.https://youtu.be/fjG2wPalY-s
Here’s the Story Told Podcast with an excellent interview with Dixie Cochran, Neall Raemonn Price, and Monica Speca on the subject of Exalted Essence: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/exalted-essence-dev-team-interview
Garblag Games have commenced a new series of Mage: The Ascension, which has got off to a rocking start right here: https://youtu.be/yN47_NjYxtA
And if you loved V5 Chicago by Night, tune in to Junie von Esch’s channel to watch her group play through some Vampire: https://www.twitch.tv/junie_von_esch
Roll the Role continue with their Scarred Lands Gauntlet of Spiragos actual play! Roll the Role is a fantastic show, so please do give them a look: https://www.twitch.tv/rolltherole
And the bizarrely named Scabby Rooster continue their actual play of Scion, right here on their Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/scabbyrooster
One of Matthew’s personal favourites, Devil’s Luck Gaming, continues their Werewolf: The Forsaken chronicle over here: https://www.twitch.tv/DevilsLuckGaming Please do give them a follow!
Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!
Electronic Gaming!
As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)
Update: the devs are working on the updates for the roller in both Android and iOS; here is the rundown from them:
1) Redo the UI for system for Android. It will look the same as the current design. My goal is to have something ready by Saturday to send out to the Facebook users, asking them if this fixes the issues. This will be a beta type thing. This will break several of the fancy dice.
2) If the above worked out and the android users give all the clear, we’ll redo the graphics system to fix the fancy dice that got broken. We’ll do another Android beta through Facebook. This might take up to two weeks, as my schedule allows.
3) If everything worked well, we’ll release to Android for real at that point.
4) Port all of the existing stuff to iOS and release on that.
On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).
If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!
Our selection includes these latest fiction books:
Our Sales Partners!
We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game
Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost
Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands
Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/
And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order!
Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition continues its fantastic sale at IPR, soon to be joined by Game-Line Bundles! Check them out!
As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!
On Sale This Week!
This week the Dystopia Rising: Evolution core book will be available in PDF and PoD versions on DriveThruRPG on Wednesday, and the physical traditionally printed books will be available in stores via Studio2 and IPR!
No one knows how long it’s been since the world was blasted with nuclear radiation and became infested with the undead. The survivors of the Fall were the first strain of deviation of the human condition and were able to make it through the rapidly spreading epidemic. Finding a community of decent size in this world is rare; finding one that has any concept of equality or morality is rarer still.
Oh, and people have the unnerving ability to come back from the dead, regrown from the very virus that destroyed the world.
Some highlights of Dystopia Rising: Evolutioninclude:
Rules for creating characters for 24 different Strains, variations on humanity that survived the Fall. 
Details on the powers of faith and psionics.
Advice on running action-adventure stories, webs of personal intrigue, and procedural investigations.
Dozens of antagonists, including a variety of zombies and raiders to use in your series.
Welcome to the Evolution!
We’re also offering the Dystopia Rising: Evolution Gaming Screen on Weds!
Conventions!
Though dates are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s our current list of upcoming conventions:
UKGames Expo: https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/
GenCon: https://www.gencon.com/
Tabletop Scotland: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/
Gamehole Con: https://www.gameholecon.com/
PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/
And now, the new project status updates!
Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)
Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)
Under Alien Suns (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)
The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)
The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)
Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)
M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)
Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)
Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)
V5 The Faithful Undead (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
Redlines
Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)
Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)
Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Second Draft
Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)
Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)
The Book of Endless Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)
N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Development
Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)
M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)
Manuscript Approval
Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)
Post-Approval Development
Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)
Editing
Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Buried Bones: Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)
Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)
Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)
TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)
Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)
LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)
One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)
Post-Editing Development
City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)
W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)
Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
Legendlore core book (Legendlore)
Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)
Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)
Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
Indexing
Art Direction from Mike Chaney!
In Art Direction
Scion Titanomachy – Wrapping up contracting.
Tales of Aquatic Terror – Contracted.
TC Aeon Terra Firma – Most of the art is in, maybe all of it.
V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Tweaking some art re: WW art approvals.
Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs
WoD Ghost Hunters
Aberrant – Contacting and contracting – wrapping up half-pagers and portraits.
Pugmire Adventure 
Hunter: The Vigil 2e
Mummy 2
Deviant – Rolling along.
Legendlore – Kickstarter on hiatus.
Technocracy Reloaded (KS) – Art and graphics ready to go.
Cults of the Blood God – Rolling along.
In Layout
Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad
Contagion Chronicle
Vigil Watch
Duke Rollo Book
Proofing
Trinity Aeon Jumpstart 
Pirates of Pugmire 
TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – Inputting proofing comments.
Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Awaiting 2nd proof notes.
Scion Companion – Tweaking art re: proofing notes.
At Press
TC Distant Worlds
Night Horrors : Nameless and Accursed – Awaiting Errata.
Dark Eras 2 – PoD proof shipping.
VtR Spilled Blood – PoD proof shipping.
Dystopia Rising: Evolution – On Sale this Wednesday!
DR:E Screen & Booklet – On Sale this Wednesday!
DR:E Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties
Geist 2e Screen
TCFBTS Screen and Booklet
They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Reviewing Indexing.
Geist 2e Anthology – PoD proof ordered.
C:tL 2e Oak, Ash, & Thorn – Awaiting Errata.
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
Happy Birthday! to the 5th Doctor: in 1951 Peter Davison was born. He’s looking at me right now from my 2020 Doctor Who calendar, as April is the month he appears in this year. Must have been a tough assignment following Tom Baker after the 4th Doctor had been burned into people’s minds for 8 years. Yet, for many, Davison’s Doctor is Their Doctor, which is the way it should be – so kudos to him for creating another version and era of the classic character!
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anosci · 1 year
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(241-255 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18])
names and thoughts below cut
241/ Wavfire - One Day (2023) this music glistens! it's super soft but has a sharp transient texture sprinkled in i love love the contrast between the intimate piano and the electric bursts. the breakdown in "With You At Dusk" could've been BT. beautiful.
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242/ SDEM - Vortices (2023) god i love these textures. ive been obsessing over ae's 2016 soundscapes and this carries that vibe. doubly in love when the tune has a hip hop tempo to it. foh "bladelores" im into "NSEM Rev" now
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243/ SPACELECTRO - For you (2023) i was worried this would be too "UKHC" for me but it deviates from that timbre just enough for me to have a good time by the end! fun color bass in the title track + some fun lower tempo stuff ie "Cassis"
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244/ Datsik - Darkstar (2016) this is, for the most part, "just ok", to my taste. the title track is kinda nice. if very… hmm… stereotype club wub. mostly it's "No Mind" that hits right for me. i dig those flangy flavors.
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245/ VA - The Umbra (2023) a nice variety of hits and misses for me. overall quite good! standouts: "Mandragora" ah, the rare dnb song i like. "Emerald Green" !! MAN. i love this sort of sound. feels like glass. beautiful. "solarblade" holy shit 100% my fav. all around standout
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246/ litmus* - ルミちゃんかわいい (2023) mixed feelings on this one. lots of "eh" trax. but i really enjoy the sound design. and it's fun! personal fav is "Despair" i think. funky harmony feeling. still fun overall also: final track is actually super funny and i love it for that
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247/ VA - CYBERNETiX Vol.1 (2023) "Deity Mode" holy shit this is heavy with INTENT. kick ass. 1000% the highlight. i ADORE it the rest of the tunes range from nice to banger as well. "Farewell To Reality(From Atoms to Code)" is surprisingly sexy. sounds legit like demoscene work
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248/ VA - IRREGULAR NATION 9 (2023) true to the title, this is a mixed bag of flavors. two standouts imo: "ダラク・デ・ナイト" is a delightful low tempo high synth groove that hits good. "Ideology" is just all around cool and prolly my fav. sound design. vibes. a delight.
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249/ Rickyxsan - Them Vibes EP (2016) 3 tracks is kinda skirting the line of inclusion for my list but Every Single Track here bangs hard. absolutely beautiful obnoxious screeching. "Trippy" lives up to its name (well… dizzy?) and is my fav. esp the sub-less wobs 2m in. love
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250/ VA - PARA OUT 3 (2023) mostly (but not entirely) dnb. not my flavor. However!!!! "Junction Cave"! god that's a cool texture. like a pure percussion performance in a metal can. how did something this wild get into a dnb comp?
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251/ VA - PSYALUME (2023) more psy than color. still a neat exploration. i love the chordscape in "bass of a lifetime". mixed strangely with the bass. truly the best of color and psy! "Antimatter" stands out too but it's its own clubby thing.
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252/ VA - Virtual Odyssey: Emotion 3 (2023) bright and clubby music. not bad but i dont feel too strongly about it overall. the vocals in "Deep Down" are kinda funny. im into it lol i also appreciate the absolutely ham filtering in "Identical"
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253/ muyu - Dream of _ (2023) "Hello My Friend" som quote???? man this is pure bubblegum good vibe energy. lovely it's not representative but I'd like to highlight "Lucid Dream" for the way it treats its piano. wow and flutter, growing beyond limitations
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254/ VA - Spirit Chords 3 (2023) good clubby fun with a few standouts: primarily "FLARE", which BANGS. "Capricorn" also!! actually, same for "Emergency Call", the track in the middle. that's just a REALLY good 3-track run in there.
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255/ Cryptovolans - Passenger (2022) special selection for #0xFF :) id describe this as "a really cool 90s rompler sound" but it is, somehow just midi. the vastness of the SC astounds me. "Board Room" and "Birdhouse" appeal to me in particular. Bass. twisted into a proggy sponge
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Feb. 26, 2020: Obituaries
Annie Harris, 69
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Annie Lou Harris, age 69, of North Wilkesboro, passed away Thursday, February 20, 2020 at her home. She was born April 9, 1950 in Wilkes County to Grover and Margaret Whellington Gentry. Annie was a member of Denny Grove AME Zion Church, where she served as a deaconess, on the usher board; and the treasury board. Mrs. Harris graduated from East Wilkes High School and attended Wilkes Community College with a major in Early Childhood education. Annie had a passion for teaching and spent 30 years in the Woodlawn community preparing preschool children for elementary school. She felt that cultural exposure, discipline and resilience were qualities to equip children with a strong foundation. Mrs. Harris always encouraged children to learn from their mistakes and discouraged them from repeating the same mistakes. Her faith in God was her foundation for life. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Surviving are her husband, Douglas Harris of the home; daughter, Teia Weldon and spouse Dexter of Marietta, Georgia; step-daughters, Nena Gilreath Lucas and spouse Waverly of East Point, Georgia, Hope Gilreath Carter and spouse Allen of Jonesville; step-son, Douglas Harris and spouse Tysole of Ellenwood, Georgia; brothers, John Edward Gentry of Boone, David Gentry of Roaring River; sisters, Lillie Miller of Lancaster, California, Shirley Gentry of Charleston, South Carolina; nieces, DeShanta Richardson, Siah Perez and spouse Francisco, Michelle Gentry; nephews, Kirkland Gentry and Keith Gentry; great nieces, Andrea Richardson and Amiah Richardson; great nephews, Miguel Perez and Liam Perez host of loving cousins and friends.
Funeral service was February 25, at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Michael Gillespie, Rev. Wayne Harris and Rev. Gene Martin officiating. Burial  followed in Mountlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Denny Grove AME Zion Church, P.O.Box 253, Wilkesboro, NC 28697. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  
  Talmo Holbrook, 84
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Talmo Holbrook, age 84, of Traphill, passed away Friday, February 21, 2020 at Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson. Talmo was born October 18, 1935 in Wilkes County to Lester and Ruby Richardson Holbrook. Mr. Holbrook was a retired U.S. Army Veteran and National Guard. He was the best fiddle player in town. Talmo was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife, Rosemarie Schumann Holbrook.
Surviving are his daughters, Angela Wyatt and fiancé Scotty Church of North Wilkesboro, Jeannette Goss and spouse Rick of Traphill, Debbie Woodie of North Wilkesboro; son, Benny Holbrook and spouse Libby of North Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Brittany Luffman and spouse Austin, Brad Brown, Tyler Woodie, Brad Eller and spouse Corrina, Jon Rhodes and Traci, Ricky Goss and spouse Samantha; great grandchildren, Jaxton Luffman and Zane Luffman; brothers, Randall Whitley and spouse Ruby of Traphill, Jesse Whitley of Wilkesboro.
A private family memorial service will be held. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Woltz Hospice Home, 945 Zephyr Road, Dobson, NC 27017. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  
  Elmer Pearson, 81
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Elmer Delano Pearson, age 81, of Boomer, passed away Thursday, February 20, 2020 at his home. Elmer was born October 2, 1938 in Wilkes County to John Philo and Lucinda Goodwin Pearson. Mr. Pearson was a member of Mt. Caramel Baptist Church. He loved to do woodwork and had his own woodworking shop. Elmer loved bird watching, loved raising bees and using his metal detector. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brothers, Robert and Earl Pearson.
Surviving are his wife, Romilda Penley Pearson of the home; his children, Gregory Pearson and spouse Sandra, Barbara Huggins and spouse Hal, Susie Griffith and fiancé Marvin Stamper all of Boomer, Jeffrey Pearson of Mulberry; grandchildren, Stephanie Eller, Jonathan Pearson, Beth Huggins, Shannon Reed, Jessica Huggins, Ronnie Griffith, Misty Howard, Adam Griffith, Corey Ferguson, Mindy Govea, Cassie Pearson; and sixteen great grandchildren.
Memorial service was February 23,   at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Jerry Key and Rev. Billy Moore officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Moravian Falls Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the American Lung Association, PO Box 27985, Raleigh, NC 27611. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.
 Jesse Adams, 95
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Jesse "Howard" Adams, age 95, of McGrady, passed away Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at his home. Howard was born May 2, 1924 in Newhall, West Virginia to Jonah and Bertha Wagoner Adams. He was a World War II Army Veteran, where he received the Eame Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Distinguished Unit Badge. He was proud to serve his country. Mr. Adams was a craftsman with woodworking. He enjoyed fishing, gardening, feeding the birds and flowers. He loved his family and his dogs. Howard was preceded in death by his parents; his son, James Glenn Adams; several brothers and sisters.
Surviving are his wife, Martha Shew Adams of the home; sons, Howard Junior Adams of McGrady, Ronnie Lee Adams and spouse Traci of Crumpler; daughters, Debra Call of McGrady, Diane Holloway and spouse Ervin of Ronda; seven grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and two great great grandchildren.
Funeral service was February 22,  at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Sammy Taylor and Rev. Billy Shepherd officiating. Burial with military honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard Post 1142  followed in Mountlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at Miller Funeral Service from 6:00 until 8:00 Friday night. Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  
Roger Petty, 59
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Mr. Roger Dale Petty, age 59 of Moravian Falls passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at Wake Forest Baptist-Wilkes Medical Center.
A Service to Honor His Life was February 23,   at Antioch Primitive Baptist Church in Sparta with Brother Hugh Miller officiating. Mr. Petty was born June 25, 1960 in Alleghany County to Juanita Petty Irwin.  Roger was the 1995 class valedictorian in the first Paramedic Class offered at Wilkes Community College.  He started his career at Wilkes EMS and then after several years ended his career as a cardiac catheterization technician at Watauga Medical Center in Boone.  He retired from the Wilkes County Rescue Squad in December 2016 with 38 years of service.
He was preceded in death by his step-father; Eugene Phipps Irwin and a sister; Lisa Edwards.
Mr. Petty is survived by his wife; Annette Hutchens Petty of the home, three daughters; Tara Petty Shore and husband Andy of Wilkesboro, Amanda Petty of Las Vegas, NV, Taylor Petty Johnson and husband Michael of Moravian Falls and one son; Logan Petty of the home, five grandchildren; Brett Shore, Nicolas Zeildon, Isabelle Petty, Isaac Petty and Madison Johnson, one brother; Bobby Edwards and wife Denise of Browns Summit and two step-brothers and their spouses; Mark Irwin and Kate of Mouth of Wilson, VA and Phillip Irwin and Chris of Raleigh.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wilkes Ministry of H.O.P.E., 514 Elkin Highway, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.
 Peggy Day, 86
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Mrs. Peggy Creasman Day, age 86 of North Wilkesboro passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at Wilkes Sr. Village, on what would have been her and Frank's 64th wedding anniversary.  Peggy has relocated yet once again, this time to her eternal home in heaven to be with her Lord and her childhood sweetheart.  
Funeral Services were February 22, at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Dr. Bert Young and Dr. Dean Simpson officiating.  Entombment was in Scenic Memorials Gardens Mausoleum.  
Mrs. Day was born April 8, 1933 in Davidson County to Roy L and Pauline Kindley Creasman. She was a member of the First Baptist Church where she was in the Euzelian Sunday School class.  
When Peggy was a teenager she worked for Belk's and Penny's on holidays and weekends.  She graduated from North Wilkesboro High School in 1952 and attended Woman's College in Greensboro (now U.N.C Greensboro) and worked as a secretary in North Wilkesboro at Wilkes Auto Sales from 1953 until 1955 and she also worked at Modern Globe.  
Having met while sledding in the eighth grade, Frank and Peggy quickly became an item; they were inseparable for nearly 60 years. She married the love of her life, Frank Day, in 1956. Peggy did everything with Frank, until he predeceased her nearly a decade ago.  After she married Frank she became a mother and homemaker. Then she went back to work at Nancy King Textiles.  
Nearly thirty years ago, Frank and Peggy Day took the empty Rose's building, once the retail hub of the Wilkesboro's, and turned it into a Victorian themed mini-mall. It was their hangout and a retirement passion after many decades of manufacturing. The Melody Square Mall became an active second hub of the downtown from its inception.  
In the wake of Frank's death, Peggy kept the Mall and her retail store going for many years. For her, the mall and the store were so much more than just a business. Frank and Peggy helped dozens of businesses get their start inside this Victorian village. Most of these new business owners, and their regular customer, became like family to them.  
Likewise, they also enjoyed seeing friends and acquaintances drop in.  It was like the venerable country store where folks came for more than merely shopping and eating.  Many pulled up on a bench to talk, or just sit and watch people go by. Others used the pleasant space to walk laps around the corridors. The mall has changed hands. And now, Peggy has moved on to sled once again with the love of her life.
She loved the Lord, her church and her family with all her heart. She loved and was loved by many friends.  
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband; Frank G. Day.
She is survived by a daughter; Melody Lynn Rasmussen and husband Gerald of Wilmington, NC and a son; Tim Day and wife Diana of Marietta, GA, four grandchildren; Davis Day, Cameron Day and wife Emily, Alexander Lee Rasmussen and wife Shaina, Nicholas Paul Rasmussen and three step-grandchildren; Joanna Toso, Grace Toso and Jared Toso.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Helping Hands Ministries, POB 5037 Statesville NC, 28687, or http://www.hhmworldmissions.com/ or to Samartians Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.
Carol Kilby, 80
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Mrs. Carol Brown Kilby, age 80 of North Wilkesboro passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at her home.
Funeral services were February 21,   at Mtn. Valley Baptist Church with Rev. Scott Church and Rev. Glenn Dancy, III officiating.  Burial was in the church cemetery.  church.
Mrs. Kilby was born October 2, 1939 in Wilkes County to Roby Hobert and Fannie Isado Vannoy Brown.  She was a member of Mtn. Valley Baptist Church.  
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband; Maurice Kilby.
She is survived by three daughters; Sandra Lambert and husband Allen, Maurica Kilby, Gail Smith and husband Keith all of North Wilkesboro and one son; Alan Kilby and wife Terri of North Wilkesboro, eight grandchildren; Daniel Lambert, David Kilby, Sydney Culler, Grayson Hart, Jaren Smith, Braden Smith, Avery Hart and Seth Culler and four great grandchildren; Baylee Kilby, Lucas Lambert, Kailee Lambert and Jason Kilby, five sisters and one brother.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Mount Valley Baptist Church Building Fund, c/o Bobbie Witherspoon, 1420 Cartpath Road, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.
 Janie Greenwood, 69
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Mrs. Janie Childress Greenwood, age 69 of Ronda passed away Sunday, February 16, 2020 at Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson.
Funeral services were February 20,   at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Pastor Bert Mathis officiating.  Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.  
Mrs. Greenwood was born April 5, 1950 in Iredell County to Lee and Annie Ball Childress.  She was a member of Cherry Grove Baptist Church and she loved corvettes and she loved to travel.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by a brother; John Childress.
She is survived by her husband; Alan Greenwood of the home, three sisters; Barbara Sebastian of North Wilkesboro, Merlene Anderson of Cricket and Pat Royall of North Wilkesboro, five brothers; Larry Childress and wife Joyce of Taylorsville, Wayne Childress and wife Judy of Millers Creek, Bill Childress of Wilkesboro, Dennis Childress and wife Dorothy of Ronda and Kim Childress of Hays.
Flowers will be accepted.
 Paul Marley,Sr. 92
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Paul Marley, 92 passed away peacefully on February 15, 2020 at his home in Wilkesboro, NC
surrounded by loved ones.  Born in West Jefferson, NC on October 9, 1927 to Coy B Marley and Virginia M Dunn Marley.
 Paul served two terms in the United States Army from May 14, 1946 until April 12, 1947.  
He was inducted near the end of World War II and was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas where he served in the Medical Corp and later was a Clerk General in the mail room.   Later he was called back to duty in January 24, 1951 for the Korean War and was stationed at Ft. Jackson, South  Carolina. His main duty was processing new recruits, many of the boys were from Wilkes County coming through the lines that later were stationed at other bases for training.
Paul worked for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture as a Poultry Inspector for 40 years before retiring.   He was a member of the Rotary Club and helped them start an annual fundraising horse shows and served as show chairman for many years.  Also, he coached the girls' softball team that the Rotary Club sponsored. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, raising Beagles with his father, music and always had a good joke or story to tell.  After retiring Paul work with Wilkes County Habitat for Humanity raising money and building homes. Also, he traveled with his daughter, Teresa to dog shows all over the United States and a large part of Canada.   Enjoyed spending winters in Florida with his son, Cecil and his wife. Once asked about his children all living so far from Wilkesboro, he answered " If I had known they would all move to great places to visit, I would have had more kids"
He is survived by his wife of 65 years Peggy (Bumgarner), his sister Charlotte Edmiston (George) of Ferguson, his daughter Teresa Marley (Charles Jones) of Indian Wells, California, his son Paul Cecil Marley, Jr (Jennifer Marley) of Palm Bay, Florida, grandson George Bynum of Hudson, NC along with nephews, nieces and countless friends.    He was preceded in death by his parents, bothers Ralph Vernon Marley and James Turner Marley, sisters Pauline Marley and Annie Marley-Funkhouser and daughter Paula Bynum.
The family would like to thank all Paul's wonderful caregivers, staff at Rose Glenn and Wake Forest Care at Home Hospice.  In lieu of flowers, the family request that memorial contributions be made to Parkinson's Foundation at www.parkinson.org, phone 800-473-4636 or  200  SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.
Jackie Gayles, 84
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Pastor Jackie Bejerano Gayles, age 84 of Wilkesboro, passed away Friday, February 14. 2020 at University Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Charlotte.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm, Saturday, February 22, 2020 at Mt. Carmel TPC Church in Harmony, NC with Bishop Jerome Temoney officiating. Burial will be in the church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Mt. Carmel TPC from 1:00 until 2:00 pm on Saturday prior to the service.
Mr. Gayles was born April 29, 1935 in New  York to Daisy Gayles. He was a member at Seventh Day Adventist in Wilkesboro. He was employed at Bec Car Printing as a Printer retiring after twenty five years. He loved his family and teaching the word of God. His passions were hunting and reading.
In addition to his mother he was preceded in death by a daughter Cecilia Scott and a son Kim Gayles.
He is survived by his wife JoAnn Gayles of Wilkesboro, a daughter Elena Gayles of Florida; three sons, Marc Misher and wife, April of Huntersville; Don Vito Gayles and wife, Tony of Richmond, VA; Keith Gayles of New York; twelve grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren; a sister Elena Simmons of California; and a brother, Dr. Carlos Gayles M.D. and wife Cynthia of Rochester, MI.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials to the Donor's choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.reinssturdivant.com
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Day 4 Pennsylvania, Virginia
Begin the day east of East Stroudsberg, PA at the Werry’s Motel & Pub (Est. 1917). Travel east to Bethlehem.
Bethlehem Iron Company, 1861. From here the iron rails used by the railroad to connect the country were created. In 1899 the company transformed to Bethlehem Steel Company. During the first four decades of the 20th century Bethlehem Steel produced the structural steel used to build much of the country. Responsible for 85% of the NYC skyline, and landmark structures like the Supreme Court and the Golden Gate Bridge. They produced the ships & canons for WWI & WWII. After the destruction of much of Europe in WWII, 80/90 % production capacity to the world came from the US. On November 18, 1995 the blast furnace was used for the last time. After 138 years of operation the ovens were turned off. By 1998 all operations ended. The rusted carcass of Bethlehem Steel sits empty along the Lehigh River. Part of the factory land is now a casino, another part an outlet mall. Walkers, like those you’d find in mall in the morning stroll the perimeter of the former blast furnaces. The city still promotes itself as a center of production but now makes items such as Crayons, Peeps and Mike & Ike candies, hardly comparable to its history. Work in the steel factory was difficult and dangerous but workers could look across this country and see the outcome of their toil, the cities which rose from the ground, the wars that were won, the automobiles they drove. Being here I question the future of work in America.
Onward… an interstate afternoon. The asphalt heats up and there is no shade. A brief shower drops the temperature 6 degrees but it’s quickly back to 91. An accident on interstate 81 brings traffic to a halt. I’m moving towards the right shoulder to scoot ahead of semi-trucks then see emergency lights in my rear view. I’m quickly back in my lane before 3 highway patrol, 2 fire trucks and 2 ambulance pass by on the shoulder to my right. Just ahead two large pick trucks are off the road, one has spun nearly 180 degrees. Stopped at the scene are a car and a motorcycle- still standing. I don’t care for riding on the interstates. It’s not the speed but the congestion and unpredictability of the drivers. Tractor trailers account for almost half the vehicles each with 18 wheels that kick up gravel, spray blinding water in rain, 18 wheels that could blow at any time. The trucks have large blind spots and cause powerful wind drafts. There was a time when truckers were considered to be the safest drivers on the road. This is no longer true. I stop for gas and Gatorade. I soak my cool-down vest made of material that retains water and slowly releases the moisture to cool you off under your riding jacket much like sweat evaporates to cool your body. Only warm water comes out the bathroom sink. I take the drenched vest to the refrigerated drink section and chill it amongst the bottles and cans while I pace the store. Still unsatisfied, I move it to a freezer with ice cream sandwiches. I give it 10 minutes there while I look at the map and check my messages. The clerk spots me take the vest out of the freezer and laughs - “well, you’ll be cool now”. I hope so. I zip up the vest and head back to the interstate as three emergency vehicles push through traffic to the on-ramp racing to another accident. 100 miles later a third accident has the interstate at a standstill. I stand on the pegs scoping out the situation and 3 New York Hells Angels (identified by the full rockers on their denim vests) on Harley’s in group formation aggressively push past. They rev the throaty throttles of their Harley’s cutting back and forth weaving in and out of the lanes quickly muscling ahead. They are NOT fucking around. I try to get another look at the burly men but in a moment they’ve pushed beyond my sight. I was once passed by San Francisco Hell’s Angels just before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. It was night. I was reveling in the evening air. I was moving fast on my black and turquoise cruiser when they flew by me as if I were standing still. For a few miles I tried foolishly to keep up and couldn’t. I knew better than to join the pack but I couldn’t get close enough for it to be an option. Like those fellas, these Angels ruled the damn road.
I exit to Staunton, VA for the night. Eager to put the day behind me I order a drink at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel bar. A second gets me where I need to be. I find the swimming pool and eagerly jump in. I kick my legs and swing my arms moving all the parts of my body that are stiff from having held me steady and firm on the interstate today. Pool - hot tub - pool - hot tub- pool. I change and walk past BlackFriars play house then down Beverley Street with its idiosyncratic shops. Past Staunton Trains and Hobbies with an unusually large selection of toy models, past Ware House Miniatures with a woman sitting by a window making a miniature McMansion. Past Fretwell Bass specializing in stand-up bass instruments. Past the Beverly Cigar store, past the Charcuterie and the Fair Trade shop and the antique store and the barber offering $6 haircuts. Past the Camera Heritage Museum. Over to the train station where the Amtrak still runs, through the neighborhood of historic homes, past the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum and Mary Baldwin University founded in 1842 as Augusta Female Seminary. Onto Greenville Avenue past Lees Heating and Cooling, Clyde’s Auto Body Shop and Miller’s Auto Clinic where at 10:05 PM the garage door is up and there’s a mechanic working on a yellow Mustang GT.
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