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dragonsfell · 2 months

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wyll hc.

here's some things about what mizora did to wyll that you should make note of, as well as some additional information about devil pacts (source: the 5e adventure baldur's gate: descent into avernus)

Once the devil and the character agree to the terms of a deal, the agreement must be sealed with a contract, which the devil can produce as an action. The contract often appears in some theatrical manner; for example, it might arrive in a puff of smoke, accompanied by a fiendish cackle or an imp waving a sparkler. Contracts take a variety of forms, with the terms of the deal written out in Infernal, and are made binding in one of several ways, ranging from a simple signature to a revolting act. Once all concerned parties perform the actions necessary to enter the contract, the deal is struck. The character who struck the deal gains the benefits of the devil’s gift and is bound to pay the price.

The rest I will put under the cut because i am sharing a lot.

Here's about Breaching a Contract; which is what happened to Wyll

A character bound by an infernal contract who fails to pay the price specified in the contract immediately suffers a penalty for breaching the contract, as specified in the contract itself. Common penalties include the following:

The character’s soul is forfeit when the character dies (that is, the character is reborn in the Nine Hells as a lemure).

The character loses all monetary wealth and property, or a powerful magic item (determined by the DM), to the devil.

The character grows horns, a tail, or some other devilish features that can’t be removed by any means short of divine intervention (though illusions or disguises can conceal them). As long as these marks persist, the character detects as a fiend when subjected to detect evil and good spells or similar magic.

The character gains a new flaw. A character who exhibits behavior inconsistent with this flaw has disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until the behavior changes to match the flaw.

Spells that would affect Wyll specifically due to his punishment

Detect Evil and Good (1st level) // Until the spell ends, you know if there is an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead within 30 feet of you, as well as where the creature is located. Similarly, you know if there is a place or object within 30 feet of you that has been magically consecrated or desecrated.

The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Protection from Evil and Good (1st level) // Until the spell ends, one willing creature you touch is protected against certain types of creatures: aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. The protection grants several benefits. Creatures of those types have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target.

The target also can't be charmed, frightened, or possessed by them. If the target is already charmed, frightened, or possessed by such a creature, the target has advantage on any new saving throw against the relevant effect.

Magic Circle (3rd level) // You create a 10-foot-radius, 20-foot-tall cylinder of magical energy centered on a point on the ground that you can see within range. Glowing runes appear wherever the cylinder intersects with the floor or other surface.

Choose one or more of the following types of creatures: celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead. The circle affects a creature of the chosen type in the following ways: The creature can’t willingly enter the cylinder by nonmagical means. If the creature tries to use teleportation or interplanar travel to do so, it must first succeed on a Charisma saving throw.

The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets within the cylinder.

Targets within the cylinder can’t be charmed, frightened, or possessed by the creature.

When you cast this spell, you can elect to cause its magic to operate in the reverse direction, preventing a creature of the specified type from leaving the cylinder and protecting targets outside it.

Dispel Good and Evil (5th level) // Shimmering energy surrounds and protects you from fey, undead, and creatures originating from beyond the Material Plane. For the duration, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.

You can end the spell early by using either of the following special functions.

Break Enchantment. As your action, you touch a creature you can reach that is charmed, frightened, or possessed by a celestial, an elemental, a fey, a fiend, or an undead. The creature you touch is no longer charmed, frightened, or possessed by such creatures.

Dismissal. As your action, make a melee spell attack against a celestial, an elemental, a fey, a fiend, or an undead you can reach. On a hit, you attempt to drive the creature back to its home plane. The creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be sent back to its home plane (if it isn't there already). If they aren't on their home plane, undead are sent to the Shadowfell, and fey are sent to the Feywild.

Planar Binding (5th level) // With this spell, you attempt to bind a celestial, an elemental, a fey, or a fiend to your service. The creature must be within range for the entire casting of the spell. (Typically, the creature is first summoned into the center of an inverted magic circle in order to keep it trapped while this spell is cast.) At the completion of the casting, the target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, it is bound to serve you for the duration. If the creature was summoned or created by another spell, that spell's duration is extended to match the duration of this spell.

A bound creature must follow your instructions to the best of its ability. You might command the creature to accompany you on an adventure, to guard a location, or to deliver a message. The creature obeys the letter of your instructions, but if the creature is hostile to you, it strives to twist your words to achieve its own objectives. If the creature carries out your instructions completely before the spell ends, it travels to you to report this fact if you are on the same plane of existence. If you are on a different plane of existence, it returns to the place where you bound it and remains there until the spell ends.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of a higher level, the duration increases to 10 days with a 6th-level slot, to 30 days with a 7th- level slot, to 180 days with an 8th-level slot, and to a year and a day with a 9th-level spell slot.

Hallow (5th level) // You touch a point and infuse an area around it with holy (or unholy) power. The area can have a radius up to 60 feet, and the spell fails if the radius includes an area already under the effect a hallow spell. The affected area is subject to the following effects.

First, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead can't enter the area, nor can such creatures charm, frighten, or possess creatures within it. Any creature charmed, frightened, or possessed by such a creature is no longer charmed, frightened, or possessed upon entering the area. You can exclude one or more of those types of creatures from this effect.

Second, you can bind an extra effect to the area. Choose the effect from the following list, or choose an effect offered by the GM. Some of these effects apply to creatures in the area; you can designate whether the effect applies to all creatures, creatures that follow a specific deity or leader, or creatures of a specific sort, such as orcs or trolls. When a creature that would be affected enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it can make a Charisma saving throw. On a success, the creature ignores the extra effect until it leaves the area.

Courage. Affected creatures can't be frightened while in the area.

Darkness. Darkness fills the area. Normal light, as well as magical light created by spells of a lower level than the slot you used to cast this spell, can't illuminate the area.

Daylight. Bright light fills the area. Magical darkness created by spells of a lower level than the slot you used to cast this spell can't extinguish the light.

Energy Protection. Affected creatures in the area have resistance to one damage type of your choice, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.

Energy Vulnerability. Affected creatures in the area have vulnerability to one damage type of your choice, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.

Everlasting Rest. Dead bodies interred in the area can't be turned into undead.

Extradimensional Interference. Affected creatures can't move or travel using teleportation or by extradimensional or interplanar means.

Fear. Affected creatures are frightened while in the area.

Silence. No sound can emanate from within the area, and no sound can reach into it.

Tongues. Affected creatures can communicate with any other creature in the area, even if they don't share a common language.

Forbiddance (6th level) // You create a ward against magical travel that protects up to 40,000 square feet of floor space to a height of 30 feet above the floor. For the duration, creatures can't teleport into the area or use portals, such as those created by the gate spell, to enter the area. The spell proofs the area against planar travel, and therefore prevents creatures from accessing the area by way of the Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, Feywild, Shadowfell, or the plane shift spell.

In addition, the spell damages types of creatures that you choose when you cast it. Choose one or more of the following: celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. When a chosen creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, the creature takes 5d10 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice when you cast this spell).

When you cast this spell, you can designate a password. A creature that speaks the password as it enters the area takes no damage from the spell.

The spell's area can't overlap with the area of another forbiddance spell. If you cast forbiddance every day for 30 days in the same location, the spell lasts until it is dispelled, and the material components are consumed on the last casting.

Divine Word (7th level) // You utter a divine word, imbued with the power that shaped the world at the dawn of creation. Choose any number of creatures you can see within range. Each creature that can hear you must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, a creature suffers an effect based on its current hit points:

50 hit points or fewer: deafened for 1 minute

40 hit points or fewer: deafened and blinded for 10 minutes

30 hit points or fewer: blinded, deafened, and stunned for 1 hour

20 hit points or fewer: killed instantly

Regardless of its current hit points, a celestial, an elemental, a fey, or a fiend that fails its save is forced back to its plane of origin (if it isn't there already) and can't return to your current plane for 24 hours by any means short of a wish spell.

Holy Aura (8th level) // Divine light washes out from you and coalesces in a soft radiance in a 30-foot radius around you. Creatures of your choice in that radius when you cast this spell shed dim light in a 5-foot radius and have advantage on all saving throws, and other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against them until the spell ends. In addition, when a fiend or an undead hits an affected creature with a melee attack, the aura flashes with brilliant light. The attacker must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the spell ends.

note this is all rules as written, or raw, which bg3/larian did have to follow for wotc to give the green light for the game to be made.

not only is wyll affected by spells effective against humanoids, but he is now affected by spells effective against fiends. basically fuck mizora even more for what she does to wyll, as well we should have gotten an additional question to acquire his contract (which looked to be an infernal scroll) because burning the scroll would have voided his contract.

#[ ABOUT ] Wyll Ravengard #[ ABOUT ] All headcanons

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dailyanarchistposts · 2 months

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Chapter 3. Economy

Don’t people need bosses and experts?

How can anarchists organize themselves in the workplace and coordinate production and distribution across an entire economy without bosses and managers? In fact, a great deal of resources are lost through competition and middlemen. Ultimately it is the workers who carry out all the production and distribution, and they know how to coordinate their own work in the absence of bosses.

In and around Turin, Italy, 500,000 workers participated in a factory takeover movement after World War I. Communists, anarchists, and other workers who were pissed off at their exploitation launched wildcat strikes, many of them eventually gaining control of their factories and setting up Factory Councils to coordinate their activities. They were able to run the factories themselves, without bosses. Eventually, the Councils were legalized and legislated out of existence — in part co-opted and absorbed into the labor unions, whose institutional existence was threatened by autonomous workers’ power no less than the owners were.

In December 2001, a long-brewing economic crisis in Argentina matured into a run on the banks which precipitated a major popular rebellion. Argentina had been the poster child of neoliberal institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, but the policies that enriched foreign investors and gave middle class Argentinians a First World lifestyle created an acute poverty for much of the country. Anti-capitalist resistance was already widely developed among the unemployed, and after the middle class lost all its savings, millions of people took to the streets, rejecting all the false solutions and excuses offered by politicians, economists, and the media, declaring instead: “Que se vayan todos! ” They all must go! Dozens were killed by police, but people fought back, shaking off the terror left over from the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina in the ’70s and ’80s.

Hundreds of factories abandoned by their owners were occupied by workers, who resumed production so they could continue to feed their families. The more radical of these worker-occupied factories equalized wages and shared managerial duties among all workers. They made decisions in open meetings, and some workers taught themselves tasks such as accounting. To ensure that a new managerial class did not arise, some factories rotated managerial tasks, or required that people in managerial roles still work on the factory floor and perform the accounting, marketing, and other tasks after hours. As of this writing, several of these occupied workplaces have been able to expand their workforce and hire additional workers from Argentina’s huge unemployed population. In some cases, occupied factories trade needed supplies and products with one another, creating a shadow economy in a spirit of solidarity.

One of the most famous, the Zanon ceramics factory located in southern Argentina, was shut down by the owner in 2001 and occupied by its workers the following January. They began running the factory with an open assembly and commissions made up of workers to manage Sales, Administration, Planning, Security, Hygiene and Sanitation, Purchasing, Production, Diffusion, and Press. Following the occupation, they rehired workers who had been fired before the closing. As of 2004, they numbered 270 workers and produced at 50% of the production rate before the factory was closed. Bringing doctors and psychologists on site, they provided themselves with healthcare. The workers found that they could pay their workforce with just two days of production, so they lowered prices 60% and organized a network of young vendors, many previously unemployed, to market the ceramic tiles throughout the city. In addition to producing tiles, the Zanon factory involves itself with social movements, donating money to hospitals and schools, selling tiles at cost to poor people, hosting films, performances, and art shows, and carrying out solidarity actions with other struggles. They also support the Mapuche struggle for autonomy; and when their clay supplier stopped doing business with them for political reasons, the Mapuche began supplying clay. As of April 2003, the factory had faced four attempted evictions by the police, with the support of the trade unions. All were forcefully resisted by the workers, assisted by neighbors, piqueteros, and others.

In July 2001, the workers of the El Tigre supermarket in Rosario, Argentina, occupied their workplace. The owner had shut it down two months earlier and declared bankruptcy, still owing his employees months in wages. After fruitless protesting, the workers opened El Tigre and began running it themselves through an assembly that allowed all workers a part in decision-making. In a spirit of solidarity they lowered prices and began selling fruit and vegetables from a local farmers’ cooperative and products made in other occupied factories. They also used part of their space to open a cultural center for the neighborhood, housing political talks, student groups, theater and yoga workshops, puppet shows, a café, and a library. In 2003, El Tigre’s cultural center held the national meeting of reclaimed businesses, attended by 1,500 people. Maria, one collective member, said of her experience: “Three years ago, if someone had told me we’d be able to run this place I’d never have believed them... I believed we needed bosses to tell us what to do, now I realize that together we can do it better than them.” [32]

In Euskal Herria, the Basque country occupied by the states of Spain and France, a large complex of cooperative, worker-owned businesses has arisen, centered around the small city of Mondragón. Starting with 23 workers in one cooperative in 1956, the Mondragón cooperatives included 19,500 workers in over 100 cooperatives by 1986, surviving despite the heavy recession in Spain at the time and with a survival rate many times better than the average for capitalist firms.

Mondragón has had a rich experience over many years in manufacturing products as varied as furniture, kitchen equipment, machine tools, and electronic components and in printing, shipbuilding, and metal smelting. Mondragón has created hybrid cooperatives composed of both consumers and workers and of farmers and workers. The complex has developed its own social security cooperative and a cooperative bank that is growing more rapidly than any other bank in the Basque provinces. [33]

The highest authority in the Mondragón cooperatives is the general assembly, with each worker-member getting one vote; the specific management of the cooperative is carried out by an elected governing council, which is advised by a management council and a social council.

There are also many criticisms of the Mondragón complex. To anarchists it comes as no surprise that a democratic structure can house an elite group, and according to Mondragón’s critics this is exactly what has happened as the cooperative complex seeks — and achieves — success within a capitalist economy. Although their accomplishment is impressive and gives lie to the assumption that large industries must be organized hierarchically, the compulsion to be profitable and competitive has pushed the cooperatives to manage their own exploitation. For example, after decades of sticking by their egalitarian founding principles regarding pay scales, eventually the Mondragón cooperatives decided to increase the salaries of the managerial and technical experts relative to the manual workers. Their reason was that they had a hard time retaining people who could receive much higher pay for their skills in a corporation. This problem indicates a need to mix manual and intellectual tasks to avoid the professionalization of expertise (i.e. creating expertise as a quality restricted to an elite few); and to build an economy in which people are producing not for profit but for other members of the network, so money loses its importance and people work out of a sense of community and solidarity.

People in today’s high-tech societies are trained to believe that examples from the past or from the “under-developed” world have no value for our situation today. Many people who consider themselves educated sociologists and economists dismiss the Mondragón example by classifying Basque culture as exceptional. But there are other examples of the efficacy of egalitarian workplaces, even in the heart of capitalism.

Gore Associates, based in Delaware, is the billion dollar high-tech firm that produces waterproof Gore-Tex fabric, special insulation for computer cables, and parts for the medical, automobile, and semiconductor industries. Salaries are determined collectively, no one has titles, there is no formal management structure, and differentiation between employees is minimized. By all capitalist standards of performance — employee turnover, profitability, product reputation, lists of best companies to work for — Gore is a success.

An important factor in their success is adherence to what some academics call the Rule of 150. Based on the observation that hunter-gatherer groups around the world — as well as successful communities and intentional communes — seem to keep their size between 100 and 150 people, the theory is that the human brain is best equipped to navigate webs of personal relationships of up to 150. Maintaining intimate relationships, remembering names and social status and established codes of conduct and communication — all this takes up mental space; just as other primates tend to live in groups up to a certain size, human beings are probably best suited to keep up with a certain number of companions. All Gore factories keep their size below 150 employees, so each plant can be entirely self-managing, not just on the factory floor but also including the people responsible for marketing, research, and other tasks.[34]

Skeptics often dismiss the anarchistic example of small-scale “primitive” societies by arguing that it’s no longer possible to organize on such a small scale, given the huge population. But there is nothing to stop a large society for organizing itself in many smaller units. Small-scale organization is eminently possible. Even within a high-tech industry, Gore factories can coordinate with one another and with suppliers and consumers while maintaining their small scale organizational structure. Just as each unit is capable of organizing its internal relations, each is capable of organizing its external relations.

Of course, the example of a factory producing successfully within the capitalist system leaves much to be desired. Most anarchists would sooner see all factories burned to the ground than anti-authoritarian forms of organization used to sugarcoat capitalism. But this example should at least demonstrate that even within a large and complex society, self-organization works.

The example of Gore is still problematic because the workers do not own the factory, and also because formal management could be reimposed at any time by the company owners. Anarchists theorize that the problems of capitalism do not exist only in the relationship between workers and owners, but also between workers and managers, and that as long as the manager-worker relationship persists, capitalism can reemerge. This theory is certainly born out by the Mondragón example, where over time managers gained more pay and power and renewed the unequal, profit-focused dynamics typical of capitalism. Taking this into account, several anarchists have designed an outline for a “participatory economy,” or parecon, though no one has yet had the opportunity to set up such an economy on any considerable scale. Among other things, parecon emphasizes the importance of empowering all workers by mixing tasks that are creative and rote, mental and manual, thus creating “balanced job complexes” that will prevent the emergence of a managerial class.[35]

During the rebellion in Oaxaca in 2006, people without prior experience organized themselves to run occupied radio and television stations. They were motivated by the social need for free means of communication. The March of Pots and Pans, the legendary women’s march on August 1, 2006, culminated with thousands of women spontaneously taking over the state-run television station. Inspired by the sudden sense of power they had won by rebelling against a traditionally patriarchal society, they took over Channel 9, which continuously slandered the social movements while claiming to be the channel of the people. At first, they made the engineers help them run the station, but soon they were learning how to do it themselves. One woman recounted:

I went daily to the channel to stand guard and help out. The women were organized into different commissions: food, hygiene, production, and security. One thing I liked is that there were no individual leaders. For each task there was a group of several women in charge. We learned everything from the beginning. I remember somebody asking who could use a computer. Then many of the younger girls stepped forward, saying, “me, me, I can!” In Radio Universidad, they announced that we needed people with technical skills, and more people came to help. In the beginning, they were filming headless people, you know. But the experience at Channel 9 showed us that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Things got done, and they got done well. In the short time [three weeks] that Channel 9 was running, until Governor Ulises commanded that the antennas be destroyed, we managed to spread a lot of information. Movies and documentaries were shown that you could never have imagined seeing on TV otherwise. About different social movements, about the student massacre in Tlatelolco in Mexico City in 1968, the massacres in Aguas Blancas in Guerrero and Acteal in Chiapas, about guerrilla movements in Cuba and El Salvador. At this time, Channel 9 wasn’t just the women’s channel anymore. It was the channel of all the people. The ones participating made their own programs as well. There was a youth program and a program where people from the indigenous communities participated. There was a program of denouncements, where anyone could come and denounce how the government had treated them. A lot of people from the different neighborhoods and communities wanted to participate, there was hardly enough airtime for all of them.[36]

After the occupied television station was taken off the air, the movement responded by occupying all eleven commercial radio stations in Oaxaca. The homogeneity of commercial radio was replaced by myriad voices — a radio station for university students, one for the women’s groups, one radio station occupied by the anarchists from a punk squat — and there were more indigenous voices on the radio than ever before. Within a short time, people in the movement decided to return most of the radio stations to their self-styled owners, but kept control of two of them. Their goal was not to suppress the voices that opposed them, as artificial as commercial voices are, but to win themselves the means to communicate. The remaining radio stations operated successfully for months, until government repression shut them down. One university student involved in taking over, running, and defending the radio stations said:

After the takeover, I read an article that said that the intellectual and material authors of the takeovers of the radios weren’t Oaxacan, that they came from somewhere else, and that they received very specialized support. It said that it would have been impossible for anyone without previous training to operate the radios in such a short amount of time, because the equipment is too sophisticated for just anyone to use. They were wrong.[37]

#anarchism #daily posts #communism #anti capitalist #anti capitalism #late stage capitalism #anarchy #anarchists #libraries #leftism #anarchy works

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greathoughtsphilosopy · 1 year

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Hey Baby ! Check out my Bowling Rink <3

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kingdoms-and-empires · 1 year

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Heey, sorry if this kind of question is not very related with your if and you can ignore it if you want, but i’d like to start writing and im not sure if CoG is a good place for it (considering all the drama going on lol) or it’s better doing it with Twine on Itch.io, i mean i love the community of CoG in comparison on Itch.io (cause the way people can interact its very limited) and the people there usually tried to help, but I think Twine can be used in a more imaginative way, the saves you can keep in your desktop etc (and you dont need to put up with some people with power on CoG) sorry, you are a writer I admire a lot so I thought i could ask you about it, if its not a bother, so my questions are:

why did you choose dashingdon over twine? And what do you think is better for amateurs?

Oh nice If you are starting to write, you'll probably be heading towards Hosted Games. Contrary to what people may think due to recent activities lol https://www.reddit.com/r/IFHub/

I actually think that Hosted Games is a great way to put your foot in the door. It'll look good in a resume if you really wanna get into writing as a career.

The idea is, Choice of Games wantes to let amateur writers create small stories that the company would host (ie Hosted Games), most times at a loss, so they could get experience writing. In the literary world, it's straight up demoralizing to try and get published, but Hosted Games makes it easy.

Even with all the recent drama surrounding the company, Hosted Games offers a market, a forums that can get you beta testers, an easy engine to code with, and brand recognition. If you want experience, want to do it as a hobby, or just see if you got the chops for writing Interactive Fiction, Hosted Games is a great place to do it.

If you want monetary gain, you're gonna be disappointed. The contract with Hosted Games is 75% to the company, 25% to you for earnings. You get limited to no help from the company while you make it, since the expectation is that you'll use the forums to beta test and polish your product. Because we have to remember...Hosted Games was made for lil titles that were usually 50k-250k words in length. The behemoths like Fallen Hero, Zombie Exodus, The Golden Rose, and Lords of Infinity that are over 1 million in terms of word count, was not in the mind of the company when creating Hosted Games.

Are they happy about it? Why of course! So are the readers. The quality of writing and length of titles are becoming better and longer as time goes on. More and more titles raise the bar, and more and more titles try to meet that bar and hopefully surpass it.

So if you want to succeed monetarily, ya gotta make bigger titles that honestly would be award winners if this were a contest of Interactive Fiction in the past. But, Hosted Games also has an interesting "partner" in all this.

Patreon.

If you create a popular title that people like, they may choose to support you financially to help you keep writing! There are multiple authors who work with Hosted Games that make very good money from Patreon and KoFi. Hosted Games asks (demands) that you publicly release your patreon demo after a certain amount of time. I dont remember if its 2 weeks or 4. I usually do 1 week cause i have an ego and like to see people talking about my game lol. They also have another deal that lets you keep the demo behind a paywall, but you have to give 25% of all your patreon earnings to them in exchange. You asked me if either Twine or Hosted Games was better for amateurs. I say Hosted Games. Build yourself a reputation, maybe even publish a game to get experience with that side of the business, and if you do well enough and have a following, go to Twine for a game and try to self publish and cash in. You may even be invited to Choice of Games instead of Hosted Games if you prove yourself to be a good writer.

I really hope this helps you and anyone else!

#interactive fiction #choice of games #hosted games #twine

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loan-sharks · 1 year

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Cog Boss Headcanons

these are mostly based on observations from each boss fight battle, their headquarters, etc. even promotional material from Disney themselves

obviously my own headcanons, no one has to follow these if they don’t want to!

The Senior Vice President of Sales (the VP):

-often leaves out the ‘senior’ part of his title (he does not like it)

-the most impulsive of the four

-unsurprisingly the most charismatic. he’s gotta make those sales after all

-he’s a bit of an airhead but does not like it when others point it out (one of the few things he’s insecure about)

-often nicknamed ‘sparks’ due to his light bulbs occasionally sparking when he feels extreme emotion (ecstasy, rage, shock)

-the VP is surprisingly crafty. he’s a bit of an inventor (whose creations often fail) that tries to come up with new gimmicky products to sell. he also made his toon cage all by himself

-his bulbs light up when he gets an idea of any kind

-closest to the CFO

-often butts heads with the CEO (their egos clash with each others’), they never agree on anything

-he loves the holidays! besides making additional monetary gain he genuinely enjoys the tackiness of it all

-the only boss that tries to get to know his employees on occasion

(more headcanons below)

The Chief Financial Officer (the CFO):

-one of the more grounded/mature bosses

-kind of a grump but that’s due to his throbbing headache after getting run over by trains multitudes of times

-ironically, he loved trains and train sets. after constant run-ins with toons however, the sight of them gradually makes him sick (and a bit traumatized even oops)

-has sharp teeth to prevent anyone from getting the idea of sticking their hands into his mouth to steal his money (he’s still a cash register after all) (the VP may or may not have tried this before, ouch)

-gets super embarrassed when his cash register mouth opens in public

-of his three colleagues he likes the VP the most but will never admit it to anyone not even himself (haha tsundere)

-the only person he’s (openly) scared of is the Chairman

-dislikes toons the most. untrusting towards them as well

-kind of paranoid of everyone being after his money. this man needs therapy

-he LOVES goons, they’re the ‘dogs’ of the cog world. often pets them and goes “who’s a good tattletell???”

The Chief Justice (the CJ):

-the most mature one of the bunch but honestly kinda absent minded

-will never tell you if his hair is really a wig or not

-he will never tell you if he has eyes or not either

-the “nicest” of the four; as in he still doesn’t like toons and does his job no problem but treats them with the most dignity anyway (such as letting saddened toons go with their gags intact)

-in order of the colleagues he respects the most to least: CFO, VP, CEO

-never the cause of drama between his colleagues

-when drama does ensue however, he tends to walk away until his colleagues stop squabbling. he’s too old for this

-naps in his spare time, wears a sleeping mask over his blindfold (for comedic effect)

-physically he is there, but mentally he is on an island getaway. that being said he daydreams a lot about his ideal vacation/retirement

-greatly enjoys puzzle games. he is the number one pro minesweeper player and is super quick at completing it, even the CFO fears his power

-legend has it if you honk his nose, it will emit bicycle horn sounds

The Chief Executive Officer (the CEO):

-in public meetings/outings he pretends to be the most mature of the four since its expected of him, but he’s probably the most unpredictable/erratic one behind closed doors

-likes to carry his golf club everywhere he goes

-never takes his hat off

-the meanest one in general. is only “nice” to his colleagues because he is (visibly) scared of the Chairman (but pretends he’s not)

-despite this he does not like it when his fellow bosses try to exclude him out of events

-has humiliating memories of being demoted to a Flunky many times before

-the only thing he loves more than power is golf. sleeps right next to his favorite/signature golf club every night (yes even giving it a pillow and tucking it in at night)

-has named said golf club “putt-putt”. he’s too far gone

-prone to throwing temper tantrums on occasion

-hates opening up to anyone and thinks showing emotion is considered weak

-the only boss that enjoys eating real food (sandwiches, apples, cupcakes and cakes are his favorites). or at least, he tries to as every attempt gives him a stomachache (clogging up his insides and making a mess)

-this is likely why toons attack him with seltzer bottles instead of cakes. they don’t affect him and he tries to eat them anyway

The Bosses in General:

-they can switch from sitting on their podiums to having legs in-between shifts

-the only cog bosses that have tried physically fighting each other before is the VP and CEO; whenever this happens the CFO and CJ have to restrain them apart

-the Chairman expects the bosses to get along with each other, mostly in order for their business to run as smoothly as possible

-they’re all quite lonely (especially during work hours) but all four have different attitudes about it: the VP tries making conversation with his employees or distract himself with office duties. the CFO tries to brush it off and ignore it. the CJ accepts it for how it is and is at peace. the CEO denies such feelings because then he will be perceived as weak

-the VP and CJ have tried jump-roping together before out of boredom; however they were told to stop by everyone else as they were unintentionally causing mini earthquakes (explaining their high jump attacks)

#toony ramblings #toontown #toontag #cog bosses #I have many Thoughts about these mechanical behemoths #I hope you enjoy them all

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goldenpinof · 6 months

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Hi me again, sorry for sending another ask on this, i just think the conversation is really interesting, feel free to delete the ask if you dont feel like another long post lol

Its an interesting perspective definitely, I liked reading it and I agree with a lot of what you said, and I dont think either of us or anyone other than them will know the real behind the scenes. I just think that the idea that dnpg is only there to keep veiwers happy is and serves no other purpose, undersells a little bit how much they themselves like the content that they made/are making. I guess, I dont know if they plan on expanding it, or if you're right and it may be the same content (except more unhinged I agree) and then fizzle out again after a few years once they move on to different things — But I just dont really agree that its nothing more than something to squeeze an extra couple bucks out of the dan and phil brand. Im not naive enough to think that money plays no factor, and maintaining their brand is unimportant, they have a very expensive mortgage and relatively extravagant lifestyle to pay for, so obviously making money is important, but i also believe that they are really passionate about entertainment, and I think that they are geniuinly proud and happy about the dan and phil brand and what theyve made over the years. Especially with how much dan has spoken about how important it is to him that what he produces represents him authentically, and tells the narrative how he wants to tell it, so i dont necessarily believe that even dnpg could just be a throwaway project for either of them. I want to believe that they are doing it for a purpose more than monetary gain, even if that purpose is to transition into newer content. Because as proud as i think they are of what they've made, i think they are ready for a new era, I dont know that either of them are really all that passionate about the 2016 style of youtube vlogging and gameplay anymore. But i also think they are finally understaing that completely disregarding it and their history doesnt work either. To be honest, I didnt say it, but was quite nervous about a dnpg return bc even if some of it was a mess, I really quite liked that they were evolving their content, that they were exploring new avenues, bc to me comfort videos can only go so far. Before the revival i hadnt watched a dnpg video in over a year. I only really thought about dnp when they uploaded something, and I was starting to fall out of the loop with everything. But once that first video dropped I could see this isn't exactly a copy and paste of 2018 videos. They have matured they have changed their style a bit and im happy about it, but I also really want it to evolve further bc if its just nostalgia hour for another 4 years, idk how long ill be hooked for. Im not 14 anymore and I dont want to be 14. I want to watch content made for a maturer audience, that represents who they are now. I grew up with them and that means a lot to me, I thought i would never outgrow them, but it only really works if I actually get to grow with them, if they grow aswell. Which is why im skeptical about the style of dnpg as it is, and im hopeful that this is just a transitioning period. Idk maybe none of this makes sense, and it doesnt even really matter anyway, bc honestly ill probably still be keeping up with them to some extent even when im 50. Its just interesting to think about all the directions thos could all go in, and its interesting to hear another perspective on it all.

(This follow up ask was far longer than i intended it to be, i apologise in advance)

you see, i agree with you on mature content and heading in this direction. i was asking for it for years. i just never thought it would land on dnpgames. AP was my main target because it became the main source of content after 2018. Dan's content was already mature for a couple of years before he "left youtube". idk how gaming would be mature though? swearing doesn't make it one. and that leads to other types of content like podcast or regular liveshows.

idk, if it's a mechanism to protect myself or just bitterness. but after 2019-2022 i don't believe they (Dan) will jump on dnp brand and do what we have been begging them to do since 2019. i just don't believe he completely changed his opinion after wad, sat down with Phil and made a whole ass 5-year plan for dnpgames including all our wishes and suggestions (which he was so opposed to right till he went on tour). the timing is very suspicious. the timing of everything including the change of their managers. money is involved, and that's okay with me. (i want people to understand, that when i comment on dnp doing something for money, it's not a negative comment. it's their job. if the revival of dnpgames is 80% to make an easy bank — good for them! as long as we have content that we enjoy i don't care if money is a huge factor in its existence. again, youtube adsense, sponsorships, brand deals — it's their job. as long as they are not killing themselves or losing all authenticity in the process, go right ahead. i worry about their marketing like my life depends on it, because marketing gives more views and engagement = more money)

call it a stupid trauma or whatever but i am afraid they're gonna drop us suddenly again. we got dnpgames back but it's so fragile because we don't know the reasons, plans or anything that could secure us. in 2018 liveshow Dan said, "i'm not leaving youtube", and then he did. and they killed everything dnp related, one by one. i remember the feeling, and i don't like it. i had to completely forget about dnpgames, bury it, and let it go. and now, here we are :)

for you and people who think like you about dnp's plans for dnpgames, i hope you're right and won't get disappointed. i, personally, can't allow myself to get my hopes up ❤️

#i almost started crying thinking about 2018-2019 #this is so bad. mental illness for real #it's not even about parasocial relationship. it's like developing a habit for years and then having it snatched from you leaving a hole #when you least expect it #answered #un-interactive-introvert #dnpgames

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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In the end, it wasn’t a last-minute smoking gun but a prosecutor insisting that evidence shows Donald Trump was aware of a scheme that his Trump Organization’s executives hatched to avoid paying personal income taxes on millions of dollars worth of company-paid perks.

After telling jurors on Thursday that Trump “knew exactly what was going on” with the scheme, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Joshua Steinglass followed up by citing trial evidence and testimony that he said made clear “Mr. Trump is explicitly sanctioning tax fraud.”

Steinglass, speaking on the last day before deliberations at the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud, showed jurors a lease Trump signed for one executive’s Manhattan apartment and a memo the former president initialed authorizing a pay cut for another executive who got perks.

He also cited Weisselberg’s claim, during his three days of testimony, that he told Trump he would pay him back after Trump agreed to cover his grandchildren’s hefty private school tuition cost. Weisselberg then adjusted his payroll records to cut his pre-tax salary by the cost of the tuition.

“I mention this all to show that this whole narrative that Mr. Trump was blissfully ignorant is just not real,” Steinglass said.

Trump himself is not on trial, as Steinglass reminded jurors, but Judge Juan Manuel Merchan gave him the green light to talk about Trump’s possible awareness of the scheme after the company’s lawyers, in their summations, claimed that Trump knew nothing about it.

Trump has denied knowing that Weisselberg and other executives were dodging taxes, writing on his Truth Social platform this week: “There was no gain for ‘Trump,’ and we had no knowledge of it.”

After Steinglass finished Friday, Trump Organization lawyer Michael van der Veen asked Merchan to declare a mistrial, arguing that the prosecutor had irreparably harmed the defense by effectively portraying Trump as a co-conspirator in the tax fraud scheme.

“I don’t believe it’s necessary to declare a mistrial. That’s not really even a thought,” Merchan said, agreeing to instead caution jurors about Steinglass’ remarks.

But Steinglass’ sudden focus on Trump’s knowledge of the scheme, right as the Trump company’s trial was ambling to a conclusion, begged the question: Why wasn’t he charged, too?

The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment, citing the ongoing trial. District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who inherited the case when he took office in January, has said that an investigation of Trump is “active and ongoing,” and that no decision has been made on whether to charge him.

The Trump Organization, the entity through which Trump manages his golf courses, hotels and other ventures, is charged with helping some top executives avoid paying income taxes on non-monetary compensation. The company’s case is the only trial to arise from the Manhattan district attorney’s office’s three-year investigation of Trump and his business practices.

Prosecutors argue that the company is liable because Weisselberg and an underling he worked with on the scheme, controller Jeffrey McConney, were “high managerial” agents entrusted to act on behalf of the company and its various entities. If convicted, the company could be fined more than $1 million.

The defense has alleged that Weisselberg came up with the tax dodge scheme on his own, without Trump or the Trump family knowing, and that the company didn’t benefit from his actions.

“We are here today for one reason and one reason only: the greed of Allen Weisselberg,” Trump Organization lawyer Susan Necheles said Thursday.

Weisselberg testified that Trump didn’t know, but that the Trump Organization did derive some benefit because it didn’t have to pay him as much in actual salary. Van der Veen peppered his summation Thursday with the defense’s mantra: “Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg.”

“Their entire theory of the case is a fraud,” Steinglass said Friday morning before the jury entered the courtroom, as company lawyers were seeking to temper his rhetoric.

One company-paid Manhattan apartment even went to Weisselberg’s son, Barry, ostensibly so he could respond quickly to emergencies at the Central Park ice rink the company managed.

“This is all part of the Trump executive compensation package: free cars for you, free cars for your wife, free apartments for you, free apartments for your kids,” Steinglass said. Barry Weisselberg, he quipped, “wasn’t living on a Zamboni in Wollman Rink. He was living in an apartment on Central Park South.”

At the outset of the trial, Merchan cautioned the defense and prosecution to avoid talking about Trump so as to not give jurors the impression that longtime real estate honcho was, or should have been, sitting at the defense table.

But the judge noted Friday that the tenor of the trial changed after defense lawyers and prosecutors frequently mentioned Trump during arguments and testimony, even though he did not testify and did not attend the trial.

Steinglass, wrapping his summation, told jurors that Trump was “the elephant that’s not in the room.”

#us politics #news #donald trump #trump organization #trump organization scandal #alan weisselberg #ap news #ap #2022 #Joshua Steinglass #tax fraud #Judge Juan Manuel Merchan #Michael van der Veen #Alvin Bragg #Jeffrey McConney #Barry Weisselberg

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wannabe-cartoonist-blog · 9 months

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Historical Notes for “What Was I Made For” video

DISCLAIMER/TRIGGER WARNING: HISTORICAL HETALIA. Allusions/references to wars and politics, including current events are made. None of these references are made In mockery or meant to diminish these events, but to acknowledge them. That being said, these characters are fictional, but a lot of the scenes depicted here are based upon real facts + events. As always, please take everything with a grain of salt.

- Up until the global Great Depression following WW1, Liechtenstein was off on her own being a fabulous little nation with lots of castles and culture and history. WW1 monetarily ruined Liechtenstein though and their economy was never able to recover on their own. Then Switzerland stepped forward to supply monetary and military support. To this day, Liechtenstein is still closely guarded/monitored by Switzerland. I obviously alluded to those famous scenes from the anime here (the scene where Liechtenstein collapses and when she cuts her hair to be like Switzy + when she gets the ribbon from Switzy).

- Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of South Italy were all under the rule of Spain’s Habsburg House. From 1556-1771, Belgium remained under Spain’s rule. Eventually, the Netherlands fought for its independence from Spain with the Eighty Years War lasting from 1568-1648. For the video, I had Belgium view it at her little family breaking apart. (Though Belgium’s bid for independence wasn’t too far behind, and Belgium would then be under the Netherlands’ rule until 1830). Finally, Belgium got shafted a LOT during WW1 + 2. Poor girl went through it. Wish we got more WW2 stories with her in it, as Belgium was a vital area in the Western Front; the Germans had to go through Belgium before they got to France.

- The island of Taiwan gained independence from Japan in 1952. Before that, it had spent much time under China (it was taken by the Japanese when they were doing their whole little empire thing). When China turned communist in 1949, the old Chinese government fled to Taiwan. So, in this video, I had her be an “ideal” old world China in that sense (at least to the Taiwanese). In this video, during a parade, Taiwan notices a little girl and her father, and it causes her to morn her lost childhood (which you don’t really get when you’re a nation). The car scene is based on President Eisenhower’s (US) visit to Taiwan in 1960.

- Seychelles was founded in the 18th century. Prior to Europeans bringing enslaved people there, there were no inhabitants. Seychelles was owned by France for a long time until it was surrendered to Britain in 1811. Poor girl’s probably got a heavier dose of identity crisis/imposter syndrome than most nations. Though she’s doing pretty well for herself today: in 1976, Seychelles gained independence from Great Britain.

- I inarguably do not know much about Monaco as a character + country, as she could have a number of origins. Like did she not exist until the Grimaldi family established there in 1215? Or was she still around as a personification when the Romans were there? Without a doubt though, France is the foreign power that has had the most influence on Monaco. It has claimed it then later recognized its independence a few times now, between all of France’s different Kings and Emperors. I think Monaco, for all intents and purposes, is France’s “sister”. In my fanon, she came to exist when Phonecia colonized it in the 6th century, then it was taken by Rome, but she later becomes a colony of the Republic of Genoa (Italy), then later France, then a brief stint with Spain, then France again… Monaco gained independence in 1861, though to this day, it is militarily defended by France (so sorta a similar relationship to Switzerland-Liechtenstein, here, hence the sibling headcanon). I think Monaco views the Italys as cousins of a sort and France as a sort of pseudo big brother. Spain is some guy she lived with/who protected her/a potential love interest, idk.

- Vietnam is another country with a long rich history of their own, but for a long time, they’re been forced under the influence of foreign powers. For this video, I decided to alluded to the Vietnam War, fought by the Capitalist United States (America) + South Vietnam and the Communist Soviet Union (Russia) + North Vietnam. Civil Wars are messy and confusing when it comes to this fandom, let me tell ya… Though without a doubt, this was a time of immense conflict for her.

- Oh man the countries that exist as females in canon so they can not-gay marry another man, you own my whole heart. That’s right, I’m talking about you, Hungary and Czechia. Both these ladies have a long history of being badass warriors. In Hungary’s case, she even canonically crossdressed/thought she was a boy. I imagine that even after she went through puberty and realized her true gender, she still crossdressed to be taken seriously. But of course, she later marries Austria and becomes a bit of a housemaid. That’s so sad. Let my girl fight. I imagine that Czechia would crossdress too (I imagine a lot of female nations do, especially in times of war) before she would later marry Slovakia. I also think that even though Hungary and Czechia both love their ex-husbands and understand they’re in a similar bind with the arranged political marriages, they still long for the times before they were placed in a box based on their gender/nationhood. (On an almost unrelated note: I love the himbo/useless boyfriend Slovakia we see in the anime, 12/10 content).

- Often in the fandom, Belarus is pretty one-note in her devotion to Russia and her distain for anyone else. But I imagine that Belarus is actually quite a complex character who often questions where her loyalties lie. Belarus used to be part of the kingdom of Lithuania-Poland, where I imagine for a time she was happy until she wanted to be on her own/back with her family. Then it was part of the USSR. Then it left the USSR and was creating ties with capitalist America, her brother’s sworn enemy. I imagine Belarus has always been loyal to her brother, but in the 90s she sorta gets all turned around when the Union collapses and has to rethink everything she thought she knew. Obviously, her path leads her back to her brother, as Russia and Belarus still have strong political ties to this day.

- Finally, we have Ukraine which has a long history of terrible things happening to it via another country. I contemplated whether or not to include such current, sensitive subjects. But, this is history we’re witnessing, and so I decided to include an allusion to the present war in Ukraine. Ukraine is another character in the show/fandom who is often portrayed pretty one-note as just a devote matriarch to her family/brother. Obviously, especially with the current political climate and the relationship between the actual countries of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, that’s pretty bullshit/insensitive. I imagine that for the nations, there is a healthy dose of disconnect between them and politics; the countries usually represent the PEOPLE of the country, not the political/governmental parties, in my mind - they’re still their own people with their own feelings and relationships - but I definitely feel like (the characters of) Ukraine and Russia’s relationship has been strained since the 90s (probably even the 80s, since Chernobyl).

This blog supports a free Ukraine. 💙🇺🇦💛

#wannabespeaks

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moonartemisia · 1 year

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Moriarty the Patriot Fanfiction: Crown of The Night || Arc I: Silence Endeavour

Fanfiction written by Elise

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Moriarty the Patriot/Yuukoku no Moriarty franchise and it’s characters, but the original character under this story for imaginative and creative attribution within the storyline. Owners of this series goes to Ryousuke Takeuchi for the plot alongside with Hikaru Miyoshi for the illustrations. Based on the original Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming’s James Bond series giving a crossover dynamic between the two famous stories. All rights reserved respectively.

WARNINGS: THE FOLLOWING STORY MAY CONTENT NSFW MAINLY GORE, TORTURE, HARSH LANGUAGE AND OTHER ANGST OR SENSITIVE ASPECTS THAT DRIVEN WITHIN THE VICTORIAN ERA. AS MUCH AS THE AUTHOR WOULD TRY HARD TO DEPICT IT’S REVELANT SOCIETY ON THE PARTICULAR TIME. PLEASE READ IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐈: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

Daybreak begins to foil the cracking rays of Durham. Birds twittered merrily through the veneer spring winds. The green pastures passed muster pleasantly, and cattle behaved, feasting their stacks of hays and grass; abidance is the key to all nurturing needs. That's what the spirit settles today. In a beak of its glass windows, seen with a weaved robe worn— flashes upon, crimson eyes shone in a brief sentiment through the awakened sunlight, darted by the uplifting sky blue clouds. Hands were calm, scuffling digits scaffolding to be standing against the upfront living room. His lips— were sealed as relaxed for the sunrise to shine its full glory that would bring soreness to his eyes.

What awaits an adequate; equilibrium for the known master and his serving breakfast goes earlier than was planned.

Chisel with his tipping chin of smiles. His reflection looked upon a figure— prepping tea to his delight.

"You're up early, dear brother."

"And so you are, William... just in time to stare at the sunrise for your tea."

"I'd never fetch you before you could see me standing— awake, I'd suppose you wondered."

A fellow sibling shook his assertions, amusing to his delight, "Gracefully. You know how I come to see you awake quite a time..."

"Well, tea is a spot for my comfort... you made for me, thank you, Louis," he whispered his appreciation to him. Sitting down comfortably at his embarked velvet sofa, tugging his arse by the cushions with his spine postures perfectly well— a pipping cup by his hand as he took a sip.

William enamoured thoughts— through his reflection by the spot of tea. Eyes suddenly became misty— somehow relatively a new mimic mystery. Not mimic, but something to decipher.

"Have you checked at the other bank we brought in with our banknotes the other time we deposited? Louis?"

"Yes, Lilibark Uniondale? Is it, brother? What brings?" Louis asked calmly as he seamlessly bridged his glasses; properly.

"I assume the deposits you asked for were transferred there for transactions. Because the other bank you mastered nearly put a scare." He added, remembering the constructed plan of his brother at the previous event— hurdled many citizens.

"Alas, indeed..." it was never scorned to William's ideas that would create a toll of concussion, giggling about how no one has spoken of it since.

Lilibark Uniondale, a pristine bank afoot near their manor, is acknowledged as an estate owned by a known noble. The Hemsworth of Yorkshire. People ought to think they have an abundance of pennies to mention such; feasible enough with negotiable credentials. A handful of clerks, accountants, and staff were inside. Amongst them, priorities are the profitability and standard of financial shares, including assurance— a fortune. A modern strategy of monetary gains and investments lives taught nowadays. Which is the majority seizes to switch their profits. William adhered to the addresses, consequently. He did exchange good benefits from the stakes, as heard. Approved a new account to pursue demands of income. Observed— how keenly managed a prospect this bank can handle. Much to his curiousness. He still needs to learn more about the bank's background. Especially the owner who goes to their word of: "enabling both statuses to open their accounts." Merely gestures are a hint that made the mastermind indulge in deducing details.

"I'm certain they quoted 'enabling both statuses to open their accounts' means a bunch of definitions."

"Come again, brother?"

"No—," William heaved a sigh. Earth to his mumbling thoughts spoken out of his way.

There must be a hidden agenda to that remark.

"I have an order for you, Louis. Please bring Bond, Moran, and Fred along. All of you are in charge of checking my warranty today. The queue is today's due."

Chimes his morning smile— the blonde coveted his hands tucked in place of comfort. "For now, it's still early. I must nod off..."

"Very well. Don't be a bit laid off as you need much time to regain, awaken."

While the sun peaked through— alas, Louis followed suit with his older brother's chore. Him, departing the rest of the reports in his hands. He fetched his gang as ordered. There— meeting down the halls: a tall, stoic figure who stood above six feet. Former colonel Sebastian Moran. He dressed formally and eloquently to go to the bank just as in the previous event. Fred Porlock, a young lad of his awareness. Personal assistance, a messenger boy to his master, and espionage. He composes stumbling a brilliant disguise to form tricks as needed.

"Only you two? My word, where is Mr Bond? Have you called him?"

"He was with the old hag earlier. Maybe I should—"

Before the colonel could even fetch the other, there was a screeching halt below the polished floors. A loud incoming presence— upon their eyes met a panting blonde, hooking his grey coat. Effortlessly, he brushes his hair, fixing his ilk.

"Apologies, almost late as you would try to fetch me, Moran! So, are we ready?"

Louis reacted, eyes a bit hankering in a blunt manner. Thus, the blonde saw scratching the back of his head.

"I'll explain further details after an errand, Mr Louis. I'm sorry it took a minute or two. Let's go on."

The four left the manor as they wad towards the stakes— in the meets of the new bank estate. Lilibark Uniondale Bank. Walking passed a busy civilization of people, Durham is a straightforward society; people prefer to go by this location for solace and desires. Much not likely to compare London's dirty and busy environment. A place where the brothers would stay lay low from aside the capital.

When they arrived at the entrance— the bank's architecture was massive and articulate; the opening was remarkable. It is likely those in ancient Greece. The five pillars were sculpted and designed in Greek Corinthian patterns. On top of the pillars was altered. As the layouts of objects were replaced and stood up, a carved coat of arms was. Even at a glance— the top gate frames have a similar design. Their representation? Glancing at the outlines and objects of the coat of arms were significantly detailed through the inner corners and openings. These spotted the attraction of the people, probably alluding that the Hemsworths might have artistic connections.

They're putting in a lot of dignity and settlement for creating such a bank, as Louis was familiar with the structures. He's been here with William occasionally. It is to affirm the Hemsworths are reputable, judging by their stakes.

So much so that they're countless people coiling around to see more than what this bank carries. Hence, the four trek through, sighting every corner of the place. Impeccable.

"They have a lot to show", Louis pondered.

Not to mention every place feels as if it lies on its name. Namesake? Quite an ordeal— coming from them.

"No additional checking at the vault? Or wait? What did Will advise you to take us here?"

Bond promptly asked the other blonde, who turned at the centre, pausing his trace.

"Just the deposits he told me. There must be a queue around here. I'll go by the other departments. While I need you both patiently get in line."

Louis commands Bond and Fred to take the queue, whereas he and Moran will stroll the bank's area. This place is instead uniquely unseen, yet seemingly not.

"Alright then, we will go to the queue. Have fun "busying" the stroll."

Bond waved to them— then whistled at the place, "Wow, I never thought coming to a bank this fancy, don't you think so? Fred?"

"Agreed, it is. Now, where is the queue?"

They begin scanning the centre floor. Eyes watching every section they go as spying binoculars everywhere they're searching. Until Bond quipped to what he saw, the queue— immediately he and Fred found the deposit branch. A few people were designated as follows. Astounding and manageable— the line of people is intact. They weren't packed and patiently waiting in line to get a call from a registrar. Through the counter where clients are accepting their deposits neatly. Well-reserved mannerisms, service, and eloquence towards time.

"I think they minister with a lot of professionalism. How properly do they work in such a prestige bank? Good worth? Hm, fascinating."

"I do quite have the same opinion as you, Fred. Maybe the bosses fed them well." Within the tone of jokes, the agent pulled aside his friend, chuckling.

"Come, I think we should be in line— they aren't many lads here."

The two gentlemen started walking straight towards the counter. Both Bond and Fred were greeted; with a bow. The blonde veered his fedora upwards, a polite nature fleeting to his gesture.

"Good day, Miss. May I request a check-up deposit?"

"To whom you're checking?"

"William James Moriarty?"

Heeded the registrar, she flitted to her post to see if the warrants scaffold was available to write for later. Louis has instructed him beforehand. He can authorize the cost of the signature in William's favour. Good to take notice as the two of them grin at each other while they wait.

"Here is the deposit you asked for— read first the fulfilment pay before you sign your contract; below right." The registrar broke their silence until a hand extended setting on a piece of paper, giving it gently to Bond for him to inscribe.

Bond reaches out a pen. That is positioned next to him over the counter. He jots his name below where it has written "signature" under the lines. Now, it is time to take the money.

"Oh, I see that you're done. Thank you for the assistance."

"Louis, you came! How was the tour?"

"Simply fine, I've got so much to chatter about what we found, is it Moran?"

I shall also report this to my brother. He probably has more presumptions to add later. There's a definite hunch about this.

Besides Louis, his partner, Colonel Moran— stood with his arms crossed between his pectorals, quietly nodding.

"Here, the money is sealed by this envelope."

Upon receiving the parched envelope, from afar, a herd of noise evoked the whole area. It alarmed the gang to turn overheads witnessing a man shouting at one of the accountants through the counters. Faces stand framed to be calmed yet in compulsory reactions. Judging by the man's behaviour, in particular. Louis thought of chaotic trouble.

I guess this is something scandalous in a public space like this. He concluded.

"Where the bloody hell are my banknotes? You probably snatched it all!"

"Please, sir, remain in your senses. We will inform our employers about this situation. If you must refrain yourself—"

"I have no time for waiting! Do you simply think that my impatience will test me?! This is the last check I had to go to! My blood is boiling with rage— you all must pay!"

The four were left with nothing to help the commotion down. Louis eyed the man's temper at the workers, as this could cost big problems. Uproar in inconvenience made the rest of the crowd look. His heart was beating horribly at an abrupt scene.

"Oh God— shall we help them, Louis?"

Asked Bond, worrying it might cause a quarrel.

"If we are to help, then..."

"I believe if you raise a fist or voice within this stake or to my workers. I'll handle you to the Yard for interrogation."

Words shunned— someone came. To a surprise, the voice hollered was coming from a woman standing between the man. Whom just passed towards; a demure and prominent lady intruded on their talk. Closely seeing her debating against a diminutive issue.

"Heh, and who are you to butt in, madame?"

"If you want the banknotes, I'll pay what you wanted as regard. I'm the one who is in charge. Now, please we shall talk about this privately with my employee. Just as long as you don't violate my policies. Are we clear?"

"Tch, a woman like you shouldn't be upheld. But, since you have quite an attraction— I will be kind to slide this off."

"My charms aren't worthy of your displayed desires." Spatted the woman as she stealth on her profession.

"Whatever you say so, tch. Your bank doesn't hold profitable accountability. So, be it with your words."

A scoundrel buff infuriated man stormed off, completely. Rest assured about the cases of rumours indulging inside. The woman from earlier who stood up to the employees bowed for an apology.

"My sincerest apology for my clients as it went inconveniently. We will try to break down this issue that happened. Please, thank you for choosing our services."

Turmoil has been lessening much to the lady's dismay. It brought me to the moment when the gang saw her stand up just now; a scoring one. This inflicted Louis and his group's peculiarities upon the woman, nevertheless. Her upbringing appears as it goes through her liberties.

"Who is she? I'm quite hesitant to approach her. That's a spirited ovation there." Said the blonde agent, an awed impression towards the lady.

"Maybe we can talk to her for once. If it's not much trouble, wouldn't it?" A glanced colonel spoke after him.

Louis follows a sigh, "Well, the least we could try."

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I see you all got a keen eye on me."

How did she notice—

"Pardon me for being rude. It was a catch that I already know."

"We may, sorry, if we ever made you feel uncomfortable—"

"Oh no, not to brag about it. However, I'm the heiress of this bank. If I'm not mistaken you guys saw what I did at that moment. Stressful, isn't it?"

She's very chattering, Louis described. Listening to her talk the incident occurred.

"Well, again I'm sorry."

"Not at all, I know clients can act mighty, demanding at some point— and entitled to their own will. You must not mind those people. We are only fetching errands here; a deposit."

The blonde remarked, stating his arrival alongside his group— all grinning at the lady's presence without interfering.

"Good, it was all thanks you've chosen my stakes. We will be handling our issue first. Glad to meet you, Sir-"

"Louis James Moriarty."

Worded the man, as he tipped his top hat.

"Oh, well then. I must be off."

Afterwards, the lady shortly left. A pleasing conversation, a short one of an encounter blistering the blonde's impression of her.

Charismatic, and demure, her aura is somewhat I cannot describe— alluring. Mentioning she is the heiress, probably an owner. A noblewoman. Simplistic attracted to her appearance as I thought that she belongs to the workers in charge of this running bank. How intriguing... I must tell this to brother.

"Hm, I wanna bump on the scenes. You've seen the girl in person."

In the coming response from the colonel— observing their momentum just now. Meanwhile, in front of him, Louis shushes the man before him not to spill something.

"Let's go back to the Manor. We have a lot to discuss with my dear brother. Also, Moran, you'll conclude what we've investigated here."

By the time the four men eventually went outside the bank. Louis's introspections vividly stick with his determination, but on what certain metier did he inspect back there? Furthermore his short time with the lady earlier, who is she? At last, arriving at the manor. They found Albert standing in the yard— together with Jack Renfield, their maestro. Also known as Jack the Ripper, formerly. Meeting them shortly after their visit errands, Bond came forth to explain details as the rest heeded inside. Louis appealed to Albert to uprising his interesting news brought from an event; this is indeed important. Hence his confession delivered to William may help to discuss.

"I'm pretty aware of this insight, Louis. Moran already went in— we should too."

"The portraits by the upstairs hall we both discovered the Hemsworths. I never saw them before as you do with my brother's meetings or any particulars. So, they're from Yorkshire, is it? Brother Albert?"

"Oh, their namesake holds a lot of their generations." Albert pressed the conversation, moving on with the other walking inside the manor.

"If I'm not erroneous about their background they come from a line of economic privileges, especially Duke Harrison Hemsworth's. A long format to talk about— in fact, they're sometimes appointed to the queen. That's why I barely greet to chitchat with the family. Although, his daughter—"

”My, my, going through the insights without my guard? How cunningly crude of you, brother Albert."

In time, abruptly the criminal mastermind was summoned, and he breathed a small laughing matter. Keenly smirking his brother aside with his hands folded behind him as usual; much to his anticipation. Welcoming his two brothers beyond the opened corners— standing in front.

"I'd suppose you could say that only the four of us are aware of Hemsworth's vogue of riches— to simply put... Well, lavish outcomes. Though, they're very private with their matters. As I've known to read about their lifestyle once in a bulletin: "Simplistic Nobles of England" hearsay. I'd find it very exceptionally reputable— not on the bad side whatsoever. I don't see any hints of malicious motives. They do a lot of charity work, I guess no wonder they built a bank."

"Yes, you are right, brother. Moran and I earlier discussed he also knew a bit of Hemsworth's background. Their reputations being the noble saints they said." Louis agreed as he proceeds with finishing his brother's words.

"To begin with I may conclude that their daughter by the name of Stephanie Cris Hemsworth. The only daughter of Duke Harrison brings so much image towards their stature. An independent and responsible, yet sociable woman; a socialite. She is named "Jewel of the Night" by the noblemen who attend banquets. She is always presentable. Although, I cannot simply say she is a threat. Much to what I've figured out."

William explained briefly to his brothers what he had known of this woman, Stephanie Cris Hemsworth. Born in Yorkshire, a dashing woman of her finest. She is recognized by their hometown being the precious mineral, as assumed she and Albert shared the same coloured eyes— but hers were much lighter than his pigment. A lot of people know her as a demure, but a quick-witted woman of her charms. It is said she handles any physical prowess taught by her mother— and is a lover of operas. Aside from that a half-French lady who used to reside and goes to a girls' school in Paris. Finally lives today back here in England; helping in Lilibark Uniondale Bank her father's business.

A charter of statements William inputs at the moment there was a space of uncertainties going over through his mind.

Be it with hope, I know the bank holds equity as I've seen commoners pursue to have their money profited with investments. Which is a great move from her father... Why do I feel something? There's still a missing piece to their motive. Even though I've heard they're quite a private family.

Do they hold the same key to idealization as us? Or are they an enemy of some kind? Battling of crimes? So much to discover paints many truths... Their quote—

"But, brother William?"

"What is it, Louis?"

"About their quote, I took notice of that utterance you blurted out of the blue that morning. "Enabling both statuses to open their accounts" was the duke's call. I picked my interpretation of equality. Could there lie they're alike to what we idealized? Or was there something else?"

"By now that you've mentioned. Who knows for a certain they might be? Well, I was going to head off to a tailor to fetch the suit I'd requested all of us for the upcoming ball 3 days ahead." William chimed, bowing down before he could leave the two.

"Thank you for the time to consult this report. I best be off."

"What do you think, brother Albert?"

"I don't want to amend the judgement, Louis. If there's a sign we will take a grudge. For now, our focused goal is the night killer. As William spoke last night, their next venue to hit their target is the queen's actual ball."

"I'm not certain, I hope their motive is not them..."

A cold sweep of Louis's sweat acted upon his shoulders. The tension between his morals and thoughts crumbled

"And you think to summarize the killer's target is the Hemsworth family? Possibilities... But we must stay vigilant. Nobles—really are their prey."

Beyond the dim night of Durham— a carriage parked in veneer at the bank's entrance. The stallion heaped, opening the cab's door appears tall, eloped and a postured gentleman. But it seems he has a company with him. Presented to proceed on their way in.

"I see this is where the new bank resided. Amazing, the design emblems such as attraction— see over the carved top of the pillars. Architects studied their coat of arms so well, don't you think? John?"

"I'm beyond astounding as we came here, Sherlock. Now, why are we here again?"

Questioned the fellow beside him, he released a scoffing manner. His brow shifted with cockiness; marching his way to meet up with somebody that caters for his interest. Perhaps, a bigger reason for help if he may guess.

"The odds, John. A lady fetched us to help her with a nosy client. But, I don't suppose liking at this time to consult their complaints. This is a nuisance." He diminished his words finally meeting the lady through the halls.

"Ah, I see you're the lady who gave me a telegraph. Pleasure, I'm Detective Sherlock Holmes and this is my trusty fellow, Dr John H. Watson."

With a slide of his hand tipping his hat— thus bowing at the lady. Before he could give him a handshake, politely greeted the lady. At the strike of the other's face when he took a glimpse towards the lady for the first time, his mouth agape. An awed, breathtaking beauty he probably had never seen.

"Likewise, this is my first time meeting you, detective Holmes. I'm excited that I've reached out— and Dr Watson. You look bewildered at some point—"

Sherlock turned over to his friend who was momentarily gazing out at the woman. He couldn't help but snap his friend out of the way. Immediately John awoke—

"Oh, pardon— umm I hope I'm not being rude looking at you. Miss—"

"Stephanie, Stephanie Cris Hemsworth. Dr Watson."

"You scoundrel shouldn't be eyeing over a lad like her! We are here to investigate—" the detective kid aside from them both interrupting the important mission much to his exclamation.

"Ah right, my bad, Sherlock."

"It won't be a while— just the soon as you're both good to go. Steadfast and stealth with the conclusions."

"It seems working with you won't be a hassle through my interrogations with your messy client, innit?"

"Yes, I'm truly positive."

Welcome, Mr Sherlock Holmes...

𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖘...

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charliepopmusicblog · 2 years

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Rihanna at the 2023 Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is a very famous event each year, organised by the National Football League. The Super Bowl is amoung the most-watched sporting event in America. It has the largest audience hence, during the time of the Super Bowl the commercial viewership and advertisement become part of the event. As this event is so viewed in the US, it became a mystical event and many famous people are being invited to the Super Bowl. It is known for many famous singers to make an appearence during the Halftime Show like The Weeknd in 2020, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Bad Bunny in 2019 or even Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem last year. The most viewed Halftime Show is the one performed by Katy Perry in 2015 with an audience (network broadcast, TV audience) of 118.5 million!

So we understand that the Super Bowl is an important event both economically speaking and also on a representative scale. It is the event chosen by Rihanna to make a public reappearance 7 years after her latest concert. During those 7 years, she concentrated herself on other projects, like her makeup company Fenty Beauty and she recently became a mom of a little boy.

Since the announcement, Rihanna's fans exult and are ready for the show. Many of them believe this appearance sets a new begining in Rihanna's singing career, hoping on a new album.

Whatever the outcomes of the Super Bowl are, what we can aknowledge is the wise and assured event chosen by Rihanna to make a new public appearance as singer and not as business-woman. It is wisely chosen for its reputation and also for the incredible number of viewers following the event. By chosing this event, Rihanna won't target a specific audience, in over 110 million viewers there are several types of audiences, with their own music taste. But she will target the number of views and how this appearance will benefit her, because -big event equal, lots of people equal, huge impact made on those people equal, monetary gains and re-establish her place to the top rankings in pop music.

What are your opinions on the choice made by Rihanna? Do you think she will actually release a new album?

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macymacymac · 2 years

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The Franklin scandal fucks me up in a way that’s just different from a lot of clandestine government conspiracy stuff I delve into. Maybe it’s the horrifying imagery, or the vast scope of who was involved. The complete, existential bleakness surrounding the whole premise: That the highest reaches of government could not only be aware of but participate in systemized child rape for profit and political leverage. But what bothers me most about the Franklin conspiracy was that it really happened.

The Franklin Federal Credit Union Pedophile Ring

The scandal itself involves a national, possibly international, pedophile ring centered around Larry King, the Republican manager of the Franklin Federal Credit Union (FFCU), based in Omaha, Neb. In the ‘80s (but likely before), King cultivated and procured a stable of children to be used as child sex slaves, drug traffickers, tools of blackmail and sacrifices. King financially ingratiated himself in Boys Town, an orphan educational complex run by the archdiocese and granted the privileges of an incorporated town, in order to gain access to the youth. He ferried children from Boys Town to FFCU, and then trafficked them to pedophilic orgies around town. This abuse eventually gave way to reports — along with suspicions of financial embezzlement that directly fueled the sex parties — that reached the proper (and I want to stress, for the documentary’s sake, the Herculean lifting “proper” is doing here) authorities. On April 11, 1988, the FBI raided and closed FFCU.

What follows is a profoundly sad story of betrayal, murder and court narratives that deliver a litany of torture and sexual abuse, but more than that, Conspiracy of Silence (CoS) is an example of an American capitalist sub-system that reproduces itself through exploitation, blackmail and violent suppression: If everyone’s doing the same illegal thing, everyone can hold each other accountable for it, and from there you can extract, from participants, political, monetary and material gain while continuing to abuse people yourself. Who’s going to stop you, the people who’re supposed to stop you? They’re doing it too.

From Post-Franklin to Post-Epstein

Looking at it from afar, the Franklin Scandal seems tailor-made to be disbelieved: The most powerful men in the state and country, those in politics, law enforcement, industry and media, terrorizing the most vulnerable of our citizens for the sake of carnal satisfaction and Satanic ritual abuse (SRA). Shit, and Iran-Contra might’ve been involved? AND George Bush, Sr. (who the documentary doesn’t explicitly mention but is identified by one of the witnesses)??

Who would take that seriously? Who could? To accept the Franklin scandal on its own terms requires a complete restructuring of your entire worldview and values.

Approaching it more closely, however, it’s hard to just wave away how much weird shit is going on here: The mysterious deaths of those involved; the punishment of those who believed the story, including the excessively cruel sentencing of Alisha Owen, whose staunch testimony identified several key public figures in court; the fact that there were charges in court regarding prostitution; that the court acknowledged abuse occurred; that there were publicized records of politicos giving “escorts” after-hours White House tours.

But it’s impossible to ignore Conspiracy of Silence’s most prominent feature: That it was made in the mid-90s.

We’ve had a good quarter-century since then to digest not only the Franklin scandal (whose total viewer numbers I’d love to see but is probably impossible to quantify),

but the Dutroux scandal; the Clinton scandal; the Bryan Singer scandal; the Weinstein scandal; the Epstein scandal; the Prince Andrew scandal; literally dozens of scandals involving the Catholic Church all over the world since the big story broke back in 2002 (and it bears mentioning these stories were reported far earlier); the Celeste Guap sex trafficking scandal, which involved multiple police departments in the Bay Area sex trafficking a teenager; scandals involving our current and last sitting presidents; the sheer multitude of celebrity, political, military, international, athletic, you name it sex scandals that’ve come out, just so many fucking scandals that indicate well-furbished multi-generational networks of oligarchical abusers that is constantly regurgitating itself; hell there’s even the Cleveland Street scandal going all the way back to 1889; finally, over the last few years, there has been newfound interest in Operations Gladio and MK Ultra, both which incorporate sexual espionage, manipulation and abuse.

Most recently we’ve seen the grotesque reconciliation that Afghanistan, with all its own instances of West-perpetuated war crimes and rape, was a massive pre-ordained scam (or, if you’re a true believer, a military failure, though both conclusions should take into account the human misery involved and meanwhile, those who profited will never know any of it) designed to destabilize entire countries while enriching the U.S. I risk adding to the memeification of what is a key historical event but: Look up Operation Cyclone.

We live in a world where Law & Order: SVU will enter its 23rd season later this year and it’s not hard to trace that show’s source material to real life (the show has also been renewed for a 24th). The show even featured an Epstein episode all the way back in 2011.

What I’m getting at is: I’m not sure how you could dismiss the Franklin Scandal wholesale without at least even considering the possibility that it could be real.

In the Enemy de Camp

John de Camp was a Republican senator, lawyer, and Vietnam vet who sought to expose the Franklin cover-up, which, by the documentary’s end, he believes has been primarily orchestrated by the FBI. CoS prominently features de Camp as its main subject and de facto hero. He is, after all, the one who wrote “The Franklin Cover-Up.”

After watching this, I’m leaning toward de Camp being part of the whole thing, a paperweight op or something to keep the door ajar without blowing it wide open. There’s just too much weird shit going on with him:

- He himself spent time at Boys Town in his youth (CoS thankfully gets that little morsel right out of the way instead of saving it for a cheap thrill at the end of the documentary)

- De Camp’s name has been associated with Operation Phoenix (per his own biography at the end of The Franklin Cover-Up), a Vietnam military strategy that basically gave soldiers the green light to brutalize innocents through rape and torture (does this sound like a pattern yet?)

- De Camp acted as lawyer to Sen. Loran Schmit, a corn farmer and head of the Franklin Committee, who investigated the abuses. He convinced Schmit to turn over evidence to the FBI, some of which was subsequently lost in federal possession (whoops!)

- De Camp also claims in his bio that he initiated Operation Babylift, wherein a ton of orphans were forcibly evacuated from Vietnam. However, the one citation on his Wikipedia page linking him to that on his, an early aughts doc called Daughter of Danang, doesn’t mention de Camp by name. To the best of my knowledge there’s nothing linking de Camp to Babylift other than his own insistence.

- Per his obituary, de Camp was an assistant to an Iranian geologist in his youth, which would have been in the 50s, which, well there was a lot of shit going on between the CIA and Iran in the 50s.

- One segment that stands out is when Schmit says his faith in government institutions has been shaken, and a few minutes later there's a contrived 1-on-1 scene with de Camp and Troy Boner (a victim and witness who met his own death under mysterious circumstances in 2003-4) where de Camp implores him to "use institutions of government that’ve been set up to protect you and make them work.” Maybe it’s just dramatic juxtaposition on the editor’s part but it gave me pause, an instance where I felt the documentary was trying to communicate de Camp was insincere

- This annoys me the most, but the crew couldn’t interview a local authority figure involved in the case worth a damn, but William fucking Colby, director of the CIA (who’d meet his own suspect end in 1996), and a personal “friend” to de Camp (he was Colby’s aide while the latter acted as a diplomat to Vietnam), gets his own interview? Incidentally, also one of the few doc subjects who gets his own title cards lol

So what would the point of having de Camp as the star of this sordid nightmare if he also had an actionable role in it? Maybe to give it an air of legitimacy — there was a whole trial, after all, and Larry King did go to prison, and the court decided that the witnesses had been abused, just not by King and whoever — while also neutralizing its effect on the public imagination as a whole (not that he needed the help; the Omaha Herald, whose staff included perpetrator Peter Citron, did a bang-up job of steamrolling the witnesses and portraying them as opportunistic grifters and addicts). Maybe because de Camp’s goofy improv school delivery and subsequent stunts — he acted as God’s lawyer in a stupid mock trail regarding free speech in 2009 — ensured that the casual viewer wouldn’t take him seriously. Either way, not a huge fan.

De Camp was, in all likelihood, a limited hangout. According to former special assistant to the Deputy Director of the CIA Victor Marchetti, a limited hangout is "spy jargon for a favorite and frequently used gimmick of the clandestine professionals. When their veil of secrecy is shredded and they can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting—sometimes even volunteering—some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case. The public, however, is usually so intrigued by the new information that it never thinks to pursue the matter further." (Paragraphs 1-6, but also check out the case while you’re there)

The real heroes for me are Alisha Owens, who received a heavier sentence than her perpetrators, and investigator Gary Caradori, who died in a mysterious plane crash along with his 8-year-old son after obtaining a damning piece of evidence against King and his cohorts (his partner, investigator Karen Ormiston appears in the documentary but offers no real useful insight into that event or her own experiences in the case, which surprised me given her partner was straight up mur—I mean died).

John de Camp also looks like Bobby Moynihan from Saturday Night Live which is kinda funny (by the way, how have SNL alumni Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon

been doing recently?)

A Vision of Henry Vinson

Adding this section strictly because Henry Vinson is one of the stranger figures in this whole saga, mostly because he’s still alive.

A former D.C. pimp (his preferred term is madam), Vinson only gets one mention toward the end of CoS as having been arrested as part of a prostitution sting. In Vinson’s own memoir, “Memoirs of a D.C. Madam,” he claims he was approached by King and Craig Spence, a prominent Republican lobbyist, to provide boys for potential clients but he declined. He faced RICO charges but accepted a plea deal on the advice of his attorney, former Fox News anchor Greta Van Sustern (he also gratefully mentions in tweets that she introduced him to Scientology, which, lol), whereupon he served 63 months in a federal prison.

He was involved either tangentially or deeply, but is still (fairly) active on social media. His whole timeline is amazing, by the way: Years of normalcy from about 2012 to 2015, followed by a long self-promotional period leading up to his memoir, and from there a bunch of significant claims: That Bill Casey, former CIA director, was both a client of his and friends with Craig Spence, who, before I forget, was later found dead in a hotel room under suspect circumstances. Vinson also claims Dennis Hastert was the “victim” of blackmail (lol), and teases that other powerful figures feature in his memoir.

These days it looks like Vinson just acts like a milquetoast anti-Trump liberal. But there’s definitely an element of deception in his whole online presence. The RT/L (retweet/likes) ratios get hilariously skewed as his timeline progresses, and according to an account audit site, 75% of his follows are fake anyway, making me think his whole thing was just a branding exercise during his 2015 push to get recognition for his memoir.

He mentions Larry King (as Lawrence King, which is uncommon as far as how other sources refer to him throughout this whole case) only in one tweet.

Whether he’s a key player or feckless grifter is up for you to decide but he’s certainly worth mentioning. It's also like, if he's saying all this wild shit while living a life of relative ease why haven't they offed him yet but I digress.

An excerpt of his book can be read here, in a 2015 piece by The Advocate. Vinson co-authored his memoir with none other than Nick Bryant, who’s own book on the Franklin scandal, simply titled “The Franklin Scandal,” is to date the most recent comprehensive piece of literature on the event.

Vinson currently runs a funeral parlor and is an avid aviator, both occupations I find morbidly interesting given how often death and flights come up in witness testimonies.

21st Century Franklins

Even today suppression efforts still seem visible: The documentary still has not aired; it was mysteriously pulled from broadcast in 1994 by the discovery channel and supposedly later mailed to de Camp. The Franklin scandal Wikipedia page bears precious little text despite a wealth of narratives and transcriptions existing on the net, and also seems designed to dissuade interest in the event, calling everything involved "allegations" right of the bat. User Acroterion ripped a ton of resources off the site and seems to have made up their mind the whole thing is a hoax. And I know I’m making several leaps in logic by bringing up the Panama Papers, but the journalist who spearheaded that story did die, as did the son of one of the judges overseeing the case. Silence under the penalty of extrajudicial murder is a common motif that’s brought up by the witnesses throughout CoS. There exist threads online that consolidate the deaths surrounding the case that I have not linked to because I could not corroborate them. Far as I’m concerned you really need to know about Caradori’s death anyway.

Alisha Owens is out of prison and still alive, best I can tell. Boner’s dead, and he’s certainly not the only one. Paul Bonacci was sent jail for molesting his cousin, unsure what he’s doing now. Many of the major players in the documentary never faced significant repercussions for their crimes. In fact, many of them received promotions.

Larry King, for his part, appears to be enjoying retirement. And yes, that thread is worth checking out.

”Fuck, man . . .”

CoS is a crisp 60 minutes, and effectively tells its story in that amount of time. It’s not just a hard documentary to watch thematically, however, but also visually. The quality is poor, the interview tapes are grainy, and it’s terrible at identifying its interview subjects. The narration is solid but at times feels superflouous, and I’ve already mentioned my issues with the documentary centering de Camp (I wonder if they tried interviewing Owens?). I do NOT care for the Twin Peaks soundtrack, and frankly having no soundtrack would've been aesthetically and thematically more appropriate. Plus, its shady broadcast history — or lack thereof — confuses analysis, though I’m in the “Fuck, man. . .” camp when it comes to just considering it, much less what to do about it.

Honestly it feels weird rating this movie at all, given its relative importance and sinister implications (and between you and me it’s really more of a 2.5-3/5 on a technical level). But, whatever, it’s important to see so showing it some love via the website’s metrics is important too. I can understand people’s apprehension to approach this artifact, much less believe it. At the same time if you give this a low rating, you suck.

It took me a while to realize I’d heard of the Franklin scandal years before but had rejected it less critically than I’ve accepted it today. I’ve really nothing to lose by believing in this and given trends of the last few years, and it’s probably the right call that the world is, functionally, run by a bunch of rich pedophiles. Like if you’re into conspiracies this is the documentary to see. I don't believe every lurid detail involved in the Franklin scandal, but you absolutely don't need to twist my arm to convince me there are networks of these people who cover their actions through il/legal means. I considered the possibility that CoS is in itself a limited hangout but then my head started hurting.

I doubt anyone reading this review is part of the class of abusers exposed in the film, the rich and powerful who can inculcate themselves and their family from any repercussions of this behavior. And if you’re some random person reading this, why would you ever think the elite care about us, about you? Why would you tacitly endorse the class who’s stolen lives, land, money, time, and have even taken steps to manipulate reality to further their own goals of exploitation?

What do you even have to gain by disbelieving this “conspiracy?”

Better question: What, who, gets lost if you don’t believe it?

Resources on The Franklin Scandal

Stuff I consulted and consumed before and during writing this review:

Conspiracy of Silence

The documentary itself. There are different versions of CoS floating around online, with different colorizations, narrations and even footage, but this is the one I found easiest to watch. I believe it was a latter version of the original doc.

web.archive.org/web/20060714030056/http://www.franklincase.org:80/index.htm

Tag is fucked for some reason but this archived webpage provides a timeline of events, including monetary figures relating to the banking aspect I didn’t include. Spookily enough, the ‘Key Persons’ and ‘Key Places’ links are no longer accessible.

Subliminal Jihad

Subliminal Jihad has a superb two-episode (#26-27) deep dive into the scandal that’s rich in detail and analysis. They offer a far more nuanced and historical take than mine and also consult a number of resources I’ve linked to. Heavily recommended.

Interview with Nick Bryant from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation

Bryant’s book is the latest piece of major content regarding the Franklin scandal. Note the name of the institution that’s interviewing him.

John de Camp’s Obituary

Overview of the late politico. One thing that stuck out to me is that it explicitly refers to him and Schmit as friends but that also doesn’t seem like an out-there thing to write about political colleagues.

The Franklin Cover-Up

One final reiteration on my misgivings about de Camp but until Bryant’s book came out, this was the definitive recap on the Franklin scandal and hey, it’s free.

1988 New York Times article

Provides a good overview of the case as well as Larry King’s background. I believe this is one of the earlier pieces to’ve covered the scandal as it unfolded, and by my measure the most in-depth exploration in a major newspaper.

1989 Washington Post story on Henry Vinson

Fascinating background on an underexamined figure in this whole thing. Focuses on his escort service but Craig Spence features prominently.

Govcrime.Wordpress

This site has supposed transcriptions of some of the victims (as well as scans of official documents uploaded by Bryant though I’m not sure who the author of the site is), Paul Bonacci, and more testimonies.

CW: The PB debriefing is VERY graphic and filled with CSA/SRA and, like I mentioned at the beginning, the breadth itself is just staggering. I’d skip it entirely if you’re only curious about the big picture of this whole shitshow.

TheFranklinFiles

A now-barren message board that primarily served to be the stomping ground of a figure named Darron, who claims he was a victim of SRA. The site includes episodic recollections and even photographs of the locations Darron claims he was taken too (also a decent amount of right-wing anti-climate rhetoric, among other stuff, be warned). Even if the whole thing is a sham, the depth is impressive, like discovering an empty message board and making it your own. The last post was in 2011 but guests still lurk on the site. Apparently you can still register a new account. Not really useful, but interesting.

I apologize this list isn’t exhaustive but it is, I think, a good springboard to launch from if you’re interested in the Franklin scandal.

Anyway, fuck Larry King, fuck Alan Baer, fuck Peter Citron, fuck Craig Spence, fuck OPD, fuck the FBI, fuck the CIA, fuck Reagan, fuck the government and fuck America. I’m gonna go watch Bake Squad.

PS: Was that a Columbian or Russian or ??? flag flying at King’s property about 12 minutes into the documentary?

#r #this i copied from a guy on lettervoxd lmao

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