#not just with terez but

[fantasy-hoe-25]

Inside me there are two wolves. Savian/Lamb and Majud/Curnsbick. And they both demand fanfics to be written about them.

[devotedsims]

leo: “how did the date with douglas go?”

lavender: “i had a really great time!”

leo: “moira have you met him yet?”

moira: “not yet! i hope to soon.”

[zincbotted]

homestuck is getting crazy

[thelesbianpoirot]

Lee Winters, Kris Bryant and Melissa Tereze are just a few lesbian writers that write rich/dominant older woman stuff (I personally don’t enjoy their stuff as it’s very basic, bland writing and with the last author straight up smut with little plot which I need to get invested) but if you want adult normie lesbian writing that isn’t the usual soft queer lesbian shit this is it. For slightly better lesbian romance in color, there’s Meka James’ Being Hospitable series as well as Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera who writes a whole bunch of sweet but not watered down lesbian stuff. When I first came out i was reading anything lesbian and these aren’t winning any major book awards lol but they’re all strictly about female characters and exactly what they say on the tin plot wise.

I'll check out the rest! BEING HOSPITABLE IS THE SHIT! It is so fucking sexy, I've read it a million times, many times I just skipped to the sex scenes because I know the plot. Mangos and Mistletoe is very cute because I relate to it a lot. The rest I will have to google. I don't need it to be dom/bsdm stuff, because more than pissed off at the abuse of women, I just cringe at Bdsm practices and terminology. Good sex isn't totally rehearsed joyless and painful. But I love an older woman, I love a bit of toxic intensity, fictional cheating (real cheating makes me want to kill), love is my drug type of MESS and DRAMA.

[litcityblues]

'Last Argument of Kings' --A Review

I didn't understand why this trilogy got tagged with the 'grimdark' label until I got to the end of the final book in the trilogy, Last Argument of Kings. I took them more to be a hyper-violent, highly realistic, pulpy, blood-spattered fantasy until we got to the end of this book, and hot damn is it kind of bleak.

I also- freely admit- that I looked ahead at the summaries for the next trilogy in the series (The Age of Madness) and thus spoiled some of it for myself-- but figuring out how it all came together, in the end, was interesting to watch (or to listen to, rather.)

At the end of the last book, our heroes had reached their destination only to find that The Seed they were looking for is no longer there, so faced with no other choice they return home and go their separate ways. Logen returns to the north, Ferro sticks with Bayaz to see if his promise of revenge comes through and Jezal goes back to Ardee West.

In short order, things change rapidly: Jezal is on the verge of resigning his commission to marry Ardee when he's given new orders to go out and put down a peasant uprising. He does this- just in time for the old King of the Union to finally die. With both Crown Princes gone, a succession struggle immediately begins and Glokta is thrown into the middle of it by Archlector Sult, who charges him with making sure the candidate they prefer wins. Bayaz, however, has other ideas and reveals Jezal to be a bastard son of the old King, places him on the Throne, and marries him off to Terez, the daughter of Duke Orso of Styria.

Logen returns to the north and reunited with his crew, offers the Union an alliance to finish off Bethod once and for all. The Northmen bait a trap for him and his armies come and while they're fighting off and waiting for the Union, Marshall Burr, West's mentor and friend finally dies and neither Marshall Polder nor Kroy are going to a damn thing until they find out who is in charge, which leaves the Northmen hanging. Agonizingly, it takes awhile for news to reach Adua and then return but Jezal, now King, gets irritated at his advisors and puts West in charge. West gets the army moving and comes to the aid of Logen and company just in time. Bethod is left besieged in the city of Karlium.

The long hinted-at Gurkish invasion of Middleland begins and before the Union army is pulled from the North, West gives Logen a day to sort the problem of Bethod once and for all-- he defeats the Feared in single combat and kills Bethod and is proclaimed King. He gathers the Northmen willing to go and heads back to fight the Gurkish.

Glokta in the meantime, has been put to work figuring out the true motives behind Bayaz's behavior and plans and doesn't seem to be coming up with anything much at all. He is, however, developing a certain amount of companionship/friendship with Ardee West as both are cynics and completely open with their own foibles and failings and willing to if not forgive each other for them, then certainly understand them. Ardee won't leave, even as the Gurkish begin the siege, and gets caught up with Glokta as things come to a culmination.

I'm going to stop there and give a strong SPOILER ADVISORY from this point on because I have to talk about the end and I don't want to spoil the end of these books for anyone who hasn't read them yet. So, consider this your SPOILER WARNING and SCROLL AWAY.

...3

...2

...1

Okay, the end: this is where I truly brought in to the grimdark of it all. Do the Gurkish win? No, of course not-- but everyone pays a price for it in one way or another in the end. Ardee, pregnant with Jezal's baby, gets married to Glokta and they honestly seem if not the happiest, then certainly the most content at the end. Her brother, West, however, is affected by the wasting sickness unleashed by Ferro and Bayaz's use of the seed against the One Hundred Eaters of the Gurkish- it doesn't seem as widespread as it was when they revealed it was used on the ruined city of Alcus in the far west, but it's still out there.

Jezal's wife, Terez is blackmailed into sleeping with her husband. Jezal, not knowing this, cannot understand her sadness and realizes that he, like the Union is under the thrall of the man behind the curtain himself, Bayaz.

I loved this, because, in fantasy, the powerful wizard tends to be virtuous, if occasionally bad-tempered (see: Gandalf) or powerful with a fondness for drink and not dressing the part (see: Belgarath) but I haven't actually come across a wizard in fantasy that so thoroughly embraces the role of all-powerful manipulative prick as Bayaz does. He's behind everything as it turns out. He is the Bank of Valent and Bolk that lent Glokta a million marks he can't repay. He arranged for Jezal's ascension. He makes it clear to both that they govern and do things the way he wants them done otherwise he's going to come back and he won't be happy about it.

Ferro, forever altered and driven slightly insane by the use of The Seed realizes that she has powers that make her more or less immune to the Eaters and very hard to kill. She sets off south to get her vengeance. (She too, might be the happiest of all the characters.)

Logen, who basically tells Bayaz to take a hike, despite Bayaz's warnings of what will happen if he does, returns home to find that a few people have other ideas about who should be King and winds up bringing the trilogy full circle by crashing through a window and dropping down below into a raging river.

Overall: The Bayaz Heel Turn I did not see coming and honestly, it almost undid the entire trilogy for me. Everything else is fine-- Logen has bad luck and wouldn't make that good of a King anyway. Jezal seems to be heading toward being a competent King- but not all marriages have to be happy, so that felt in keeping with the overall tone of the books. Glokta getting all the power only to find that he can't really use any of it is the perfect ending for that character- and honestly, remains amongst my favorite characters of this trilogy if not in the genre as a while- and his marrying Ardee works too. Even Ferro going off to get her revenge is fine.

But the Bayaz Heel Turn... almost cheapens the entire trilogy. Because what does it all mean if Bayaz has been manipulating everything the whole time? Why should we care? We get hints of Mamoon and Kalool and we don't actually see the big fight we should have seen. Don't get me wrong: it's an interesting subversion of what you usually see in fantasy, so I appreciate it for that- but it doesn't stick the landing. Therefore, I will have to say: My Grade: *** out of ****. (Those are stars, not censored curse words.)

[botchbehemoth]

okay for real it's wild just how much abercrombie has improved wrt female characters since the first trilogy. it's like the standalones were his anime training arc and age of madness is him taking the rock lee weights off. like… even outside of savine, rikke, and vick, you've got finree, ardee, and terez, crummock's daughter is a major player now, monza and vitari are back, wonderful is back, even CAURIB is somehow back and a real character this time!?

[faggotgamzee]

♾ (if u dont see the emoji its the infini for the shuffle ask)

shahrayar - terez sliman

تمتمي بشفتيكِ على عنقي واجمعي بي الأضداد سمائي لا خلّ لها ولا خال فغنّي لي غنّي شهرزاد Murmur with your lips at my neck Unite all my contradictions My skies are left friendless So sing for me, please sing for me Shahrazad

ngl this entire song is poetry and it feels sacrilegious to pick and choose from it where she says also

لا تبحثي عنّي في الأساطير أنا في ثغرك عبير وأنا العبد الأمير حين تغنّي شهرزاد

she translated it to english as

Don’t search for me in legends I am the aroma to your words I am your slave prince Whenever you sing, oh Shahrazad

but the second line is a play on words in arabic and can be translated as Dont search for me in myths I am in your mouth just passing

عبير means both a perfume and also is a verbed way of saying passing through so it gives the impression of sweet smelling words at the tip of the tongue

[landrysg]

Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, Joshua Bell, violin

Via  Terez Rose in the Imaginative Conservative.

“The movement is so haunting, so intense,” my violinist character Montserrat recounts to Alice, the narrator, in my novel, Off Balance. Years back, she’d performed the concerto in an international competition, under a crushing weight of anxiety and despair.

“You hear the brass from the orchestra slowly building, and there you are with your violin, desperately trying to… I don’t know. Stay alive. Survive against the odds. The pain of it—I felt like a bird in the dead of winter, knowing I would die, because the cold was just too much to overcome. But you know what? I’ll bet that bird keeps singing sweetly until the instant before it dies. Because what else can you do if you were born to sing? That’s what the Adagio will always be for me. That feeling.”

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2024/09/finnish-perfection-jean-sibelius-violin-concerto-terez-rose.html

[meandkay]

Me & Kay

On our website you will find girls fashion pieces from my favorite brands - Tutu Du Monde, Flowers By Zoe, Terez, Hannah Banana, Harlow Jade, For Love And Lemons, Stella Cove & more... They are carefully curated into a collection just for girls....Awesome Girls!

flowers by zoe sale

[shopatwhitneyscloset]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Terez Pink Bandana Super-high Duo Knit Legging NWOT.

[theanamachine-blog]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: PELOTON Terez x Peloton Leggings Graffiti Handwriting EUC size Small.

[pesterloglog]

Terezi Pyrope, Roxy Lalonde

Meat, page 36

TEREZI: H3Y COOLK1D

TEREZI: HOWS J4DE DO1NG

ROXY: omg terezi i didnt know u were back!

ROXY: what UP???

TEREZI: OH ROXY

TEREZI: UH H1

TEREZI: 1

TEREZI: 1 THOUGHT YOU W3R3 D4V3

ROXY: o lmao that makes sense

ROXY: i thought for a minute u were appreciating my rad new look

ROXY: but i know i got a ways to go b4 i dethrone the original coolkid

TEREZI: NO NO YOUR3 V3RY COOL!

TEREZI: 1N F4CT 1 WOULD PROB4BLY V3NTUR3 TH4T 1F W3 W3R3 JUDG1NG COOLN3SS 1N 4 FORM4L COOLN3SS CONT3ST JUDG3D BY TH3 PROS, ON 4 COMPL3T3LY OBJ3CT1V3 B4S1S

TEREZI: YOU 4R3 4CTU4LLY 4BOUT 4 B1LL1ON T1M3S COOL3R TH4N D4V3

ROXY: wow thx!

TEREZI: WH1CH 1S 4 F4CT TH4T S33MS SO OBV1OUS TH4T 1V3 D3F1N1T3LY KNOCK3D S3V3R4L R4NKS OFF MY OWN P3RSON4L COOLN3SS 4TTR1BUT3 BY 3V3N S4Y1NG 1T OUT LOUD, R4TH3R TH4N 4LLOW1NG 1T TO B3 4SSUM3D

ROXY: lol no WAY

ROXY: terezi ur like the raddest chick i know

TEREZI: 1F YOU S4Y SO

ROXY: um yeah i fuckin DO say so

ROXY: dont make me repeat myself

ROXY: so....

ROXY: ur here to see jade huh??

TEREZI: Y34H

TEREZI: 1 H34RD WH4T H4PP3N3D TO H3R 4ND THOUGHT 1 SHOULD COM3

TEREZI: W3LL YOU KNOW

ROXY: yeaaa

ROXY: its lookin grim

ROXY: on one hand shes just layin there so theres not rly a chance of her doin anything either evil or heroic to off herself permanently

ROXY: but its also been so long its like

ROXY: is she just gonna sleep forever???

TEREZI: SL33P1NG FOR3V3R D3F1N1T3LY SOUNDS L1K3 4 J4D3 MOV3 TO M3

ROXY: yeah lol i feel bad crackin jokes about it but

ROXY: i think its what shed want

ROXY: us havin hope n all

TEREZI: Y3S

TEREZI: ...3R

TEREZI: WH3R3S C4LL1OP3?

TEREZI: YOU TWO 4R3 ST1LL

TEREZI: TOG3TH3R?

TEREZI: R1GHT

ROXY: oh

ROXY: um GAWD

ROXY: back when jade first got all effed up callie saw somethin and it made them freak out

ROXY: it took me weeks to convince them that it was safe to come home

ROXY: but now we got the opposite problem and they arent leavin the house at all

ROXY: they stay home all day with the blinds drawn paintin some weird ass shit on the walls

TEREZI: WH4T?

ROXY: its not as bad as it sounds i promise

ROXY: some of it is like

ROXY: weird and violent??

ROXY: like lotsa nasty purple blood and um

ROXY: nudity????

TEREZI: >:?

ROXY: yeah yikes

ROXY: but MOST of it is cute stuff like... various combos of all of us being happy and gettin married and shit

ROXY: anyway thats kept callie kinda busy

ROXY: so it was hard as hell to convince them to let me come see jade at all

ROXY: its like theyre traumatized

ROXY: and they think ill drag whatever possessed jade back into our home with me

TEREZI: DO3S C4LL13 KNOW WH4T H4PP3N3D TO J4D3 TH3N?

ROXY: maybe idk

ROXY: im not gonna push them

ROXY: callies got all kinda hang ups about their existence and purpose and potential lack thereof

ROXY: when theyre ready to talk about it i want them to be able to talk about it u know?

TEREZI: Y3S

TEREZI: 1T DO3S SOUND L1K3 PUSH1NG TH3M WH3N TH3YR3 VULN3R4BL3 W1LL JUST B4CKF1R3

ROXY: oh that reminds me!

ROXY: have u seen john lately?

TEREZI: WHY DO YOU 4SK

ROXY: he went back to the medium a while ago right??

ROXY: i thought

ROXY: maybe u and he crossed paths

TEREZI: NO

TEREZI: I H4V3NT S33N H1M

ROXY: oh....

ROXY: damn thats too bad

ROXY: callie n i have been worried

ROXY: kinda hoped he woulda come back

ROXY: or at least let us know what hes up to

ROXY: ugh between this and whats goin on with jade the lack of closures gonna keep me up at night

TEREZI: 1M SORRY

TEREZI: 1 W1SH 1 KN3W WH4T TO T3LL YOU

ROXY: hey its fine

ROXY: u cant fix everyones problems

TEREZI: 1 KNOW

TEREZI: (OMFG)

TEREZI: (1TS “H1M” YOU FUCK1NG O4F!!!)

ROXY: wat

ROXY: who u loudly whispering to

TEREZI: OH

TEREZI: NOBODY

TEREZI: (1M NOT FUCK1NG T3LL1NG H1M TH4T)

ROXY: ummm

ROXY: kay well i should get goin

ROXY: was nice catchin up!

ROXY: dont be a stranger alright?

TEREZI: STR4NG3R TH4N WH4T

ROXY: lmao ur a riot

ROXY: but u know what i mean

TEREZI: Y34H

TEREZI: S33 YOU

ROXY: 8)

TEREZI: UUUUUUUGH

TEREZI: OF COURS3 1 C4N H3AR YOU!!!

TEREZI: YOUV3 B33N BRO4DC4ST1NG YOUR NONS3NS3 4T M3 NONSTOP S1NC3 JOHN Z4PP3D US B4CK!

TEREZI: 1 KNOW TH4T 3V3RY M3MB3R OF YOUR F4M1ILY 3XC3PT TH3 ON3 1 JUST H4D 4 PL34S4NTLY BR13F CONV3RS4T1ON W1TH 1S G3N3T1C4LLY 1NC4P4BL3 OF SHUTT1NG UP

TEREZI: BUT C4NT YOU JUST L3T M3 B3 D3PR3SS3D 1N P34C3?!

TEREZI: WH4T DO YOU W4NT?!

TEREZI: 4ND WH4T TH3 H3LL DO YOU KNOW 4BOUT WH3R3 1 B3LONG?

TEREZI: WH4T DO YOU KNOW 4BOUT WH4T 1 “KNOW”??

TEREZI: H4V3 W3 3V3N H4D 4 S1NGL3 SUST41N3D CONV3RS4T1ON TH4T L4ST3D MOR3 TH4N T3N M1NUT3S???

TEREZI: D1RK, 1 H4V3 NO 1D34 WH4T YOUR3 T4LK1NG 4BOUT

TEREZI: H1M?

[wot-tidbits]

10 Years Anniversary

PART 6

The good.

This part is for the good shit. No more bad shit. If you have gone through the shit of the previous parts, there are only good vibes here.

Number 1.

This bloody blog itself.

I did not have that intention but it happened. When I think what kind of blog I would love to scroll for hours in my early days as WoT fan, I could not dream that I had to do the task myself. I still remember the awe and the glee as little kid in toy store when I found out the 13th Depositary or the Theoryland Database. I can only envy my visitors who received new art, new meme, new fan content every single day for the span of years. I can only imagine it as I cannot experience it myself. Yeah, there is fun part as well but mostly I remember the work, the dedication and the motivation, the insanity of running this project. Some days I didn't want to do it but I had to because the stubborn donkey in me wouldn't let me live in peace.

I salute you anonymous WoT fans who had the time of your life around.

Number 2

Cards Against Randland

At my lowest point around 2015 I found activity that gave me the happiest memories and unexpected connection with other WoT fans. This online game helped me so much as I found people I could call friends. Well, some of them betrayed me later but still the pain cannot overwrite the joy of so many evenings having great fun. For some reason I was ridiculously good at this game. I was not being nicknamed Meta King for nothing. Some of these great memories I keep in this sideblog. The best time for me being WoT fan in the community.

Number 3

WoT-Notes

My dedication as stubborn donkey paid off in another format. It is still ridiculous (and borderline shameful) to say this blog is the only place in the fandom where a fan can read some of Robert Jordan's notes without going through expensive trip to Charleston. And also the ridiculous sight of a link for this blog to stay in one line with the greatest names and sites created by legendary fans in this awesome list of WoT content.

Number 4

Robert Jordan's casting

The most visited post and the most notable connection with the title of WoT-Tidbits is the page where I shared one reveal of Terez from her visit through Robert Jordan's notes about his own picks for actors to play WoT characters. The original post of Terez got lost as Google+ was deleted and by pure accident my shared post became the source and the only evidence on the Internet that such list exists. No one with access to the notes hasn't republished the list. I bet many "fans" would love if this list disappeared and certain one fan did not care to preserve it.

Number 5

The German Shepherd

For those who are frequently on Reddit this won't be a surprise. RJ's casting wasn't the only famous link from my blog. My attempt to gather the whole information of the infamous legend of the German Shepherd got copied very often around. I just got lucky to have that brief conversation with Kathy and she was kind enough to answer.

Number 6

The art, the memes, the content

If it wasn't for this blog I would not have this masterpiece of commission of Mat and Tuon in AMOL. It is still surreal to see an idea of mine living and breathing in this gorgeous comic. Meeppodraws delivered spectacularly and I couldn't express my gratitude.

The constant flow of memes was like healing medicine for me to go through all the controversies with smile. So I decided to keep the medicine in one place here.

I love when the fandom cooks content - I cannot choose what to highlight so it is just huge general thank you for the awesome work that you have gifted the fans.

Number 7

Art expert

And while we are on the topic of art. My devoted methodical stubborn work to search for any piece of WoT art caused a weird consequence in turning me into kinda expert on WoT artwork. I collected so many unnoticed and obscure WoT pieces that genuinely if someone asked for art of second or third tier characters, I could pull it out for almost any one as long as it exists. This blog contains the biggest collection of WoT art ever – at one point I had presented around 90%+ of the latest art pieces. Nothing could escape me. These days the percentages dropped but still this was enough to be one of the most competent people around for help. And help I did after Paul Dose - unknown guy for me who created a card game with WoT concept - who recognized that I might help him and sent me a list of characters to provide him with images for the cards. I couldn’t do everything but still I could help him with most of it. That hunting down the list in my archives was cool memory.

Another anecdote was when someone decided to call me out for not presenting a source for one WoT piece. And their evidence for source was… wait for it… Pinterest. Bloody Pinterest! I had a good laugh. As a matter of fact I have done that search by myself long before that incident and this piece is still one of the few with untraceable history. They tried the wrong guy thinking that I will chicken out not knowing the history of the piece or what is Pinterest.

Number 8

Living up to my URL

When I created my URL WoT-Tidbits 10 years ago it was inspired by the several lucky bast... fans who had the rare chance to get little tidbits here and there from the author at different events and meetings. I read all these reports from fans in the database with “little” jealousy as I could never dream to be in their place. But miracles happen when Brandon Sanderson visited Bulgaria in 2017. This is definitely the highlight of my last 10 years being WoT nerd. Not only I had the chance to see him, to listen to him, to ask him a question but also by the will of the Wheel I witnessed new unknown tidbit about my most beloved book series. And I had the blessing to report it on blog coincidentally named WoT-Tidbits. It was small and uninteresting detail but for me it meant everything. One tidbit was enough to validate the existence of my whole blog.

Number 9

Tad Kendel

I found the proof that Andorans can be dark skinned and I consider it as good shit pointing that Robert Jordan knew exactly what he was doing.

Number 10

Robert Jordan

It is not like I did not appreciate his work before. Just after reading so much slander on his masterpiece by people who call themselves fans, I truly understood his genius - on the surface of so many superficial demands for the books to be “fixed” - I acknowledged how important was his attention to "outdated" details, and how well every of his "wrong" decisions fit in the storytelling. He thought for everything, didn't he? He outsmarted people who complain in their blindness and who demand his masterpiece to bend on their artificial terms. So many so called fans try to speak on his behalf instead of listening to his voice and wisdom, to fix instead of supporting his vision. Many claim The Wheel of Time to be stuck in the regressive 20th century and that modern audience won't get it when in reality Robert Jordan is still so far ahead of the progressive 2024. We do not have to pull WoT behind us, we still has a lot of work to do if we want to catch it ahead of us.

Let the Light keep you safe.

LightOne

[sehnis]

top songs october 2023

River Days // South Summit

Liquid Smooth // Mitski

Mmmh // KAI

Pamundesi // Elina Duni, Armend Xhaferi, Enes Bajramliqi

อย่าดีกว่า // Micro

Julia // Leehom Wang

อยากจะบอกใครซักคน // Micro

Nedelja ujutru // Buč Kesidi

夢中人 // Faye Wong

Бэнгер // FEDUK

Gol Vajhe // Hayedeh

กรุงเทพมหานคร // Asanee & Wasan

Bingol // Rewşan

Rendezvous // Jenevieve

怨み節(東映映画「さそり」シリーズより) // Meiko Kaji

Nunarput Kusanaq // Nanook, Christian K. Elsner, Frederik K. Elsner

Cómo Te Va Mi Amor // Pandora

Never Tear Us Apart // INXS

Не помню не слышу // Деревянные киты

По шанхайским подвалам // Твин Пикс

KUPALA // alyona alyona, Jerry Heil, ela.

Amapiano // Asake, Olamide

Нарспи // KOLEDOVA

Hormak Apurtzea // SUA

Arahja // Kult

เบื่อคนขี้เบื่อ (I'm Not Boring, You're Just Bored) // Tilly Birds

I si demà no tornara // Obrint Pas

Жималла // Тамара Адамова

Naasunnguusunga // Naja P

Я вдома // Tember Blanche

Ah, Anne // Августа

That's What I Like // Bruno Mars

Go Quiet // Torii Wolf

Your Love // The Outfield

Vagalumes Cegos // Cícero

Katabi // Ian Pangilinan

Misigisartakkat // Tarrak

tereze // dudeontheguitar

BIBA // Farasat Anees, Slick Trick, Toshi

Sign Your Name // Sananda Maitreya

Arrabi al Arabe // Mariem Hassan

玉珍 // 福禄寿

Pink in the Night // Mitski

Infernuko // Esne Zopak

Dragoste de inchiriat // Akcent

Then Came the Last Days of May // Blue Öyster Cult

Jindo Arirang (Prequel) // A.C.E

Chah Makan // Fataneh

Invéntame // Mon Laferte

Картина // Grechka

[justice4initiative]

Wrongfully Convicted Statement

When I went to trial in September 2006 at the age of 22, I argued that I was not guilty of being a party to a crime of home invasion because I never entered the home. I argued that the initial plan was to burglarize the garage and when the plan changed to entering the home, I backed out. For the past 18 years I have been studying the law on this issue. When I was younger in my 20s I was misled into believing that just because I was on the scene of the crime that I was automatically party to the crime. It was this mistaken belief that caused me to develop a consciousness of guilt for the crimes I am in prison for. However upon further study of the law on this issue coupled with my level of education and maturity at the age of 39 I am certain that just because I was on the scene of the crime doesn't automatically make me guilty of being party to that crime. I feel like if I was granted a new trial this issue can be addressed and resolved in a more comprehensive and adequate manner than what was done at my first trial with all the constitutional violations and unlawful acts of corruption that process was subjected to. At the end of the day if I am found to be guilty of anything concerning the crimes I am in prison for, 50 years is an excessive sentence considering that no one was murdered. I have been in prison 18 years I have paid my debt to society for any wrongs I may be deemed to have committed.

The theory of the prosecution is that me and my codefendant Terez Cook committed the home invasion because we were the only two Black males in the vicinity when the crime was committed. Marinette County is 97% White and there are scarcely any Black people. The victims said their home was invaded by two Black males which makes it more likely than not that if me and Terez (two Black males) were in the vicinity when the crime was committed that we were the Black males who committed the crime. The prosecution based this theory on the testimony of Ashley Sadowski and Jessica Babic.

The theory of the defense is that Ashley and Jessica are presenting false testimony that me and Terez were the only two Black males in the vicinity when the crime was committed. There were other Black males present which is proven by DNA evidence. I argued during my trial that I never participated in the home invasion. The plan was to burglarize the garage and when others changed the plan to a home invasion I backed out and refused to be a part of it.

It is my position that I was wrongfully convicted because had my case been fairly and lawfully processed through the court there is no way I would have been convicted of a home invasion I did not participate in. I was there but I backed out. The court allowed illegally obtained evidence to be presented against me, exculpatory DNA evidence was concealed from me, there is evidence of jury tampering and jury misconduct among other things. I refused to rat or snitch on the actual perpetrators of the crime and as a result I was targeted by a malicious prosecution. Wisconsin State law clearly states:

A person is a member of a conspiracy if, with intent that a crime be committed, the person agrees with or joins with another for the purpose of committing that crime. A conspiracy is a mutual understanding to accomplish some common criminal objective or to work together for a common criminal purpose. It is not necessary that the conspirators had any express or formal agreement, or that they had a meeting, or even that they all knew each other.

Even if you find that the defendant conspired with one or more other persons to commit crimes, you have to consider whether the defendant withdrew from the conspiracy before the crimes were committed. A person withdraws if he voluntarily changes his mind, no longer desires that the crimes be committed, and notifies the other parties concerned of the withdrawal within a reasonable period of time before the commission of the crimes so as to allow the others to also withdraw. A person who withdraws from such a conspiracy is not held accountable for the acts of the others and cannot be convicted of any crimes committed by the others after the timely notice of withdrawal. The State has the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not timely withdraw from the commission of these offenses.

The defendant does not have to prove his innocence. The State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crimes charged, either directly or as a party to the crimes charged.

Please review the Justice for Atiba Kweli Kamali Campaign Purpose Statement for more information on how I was wrongfully convicted.

[thebarefootcajunpetiteshistoires]

The Merciers

One family, the Merciers, Petal and Pistol Mercier and their nine children were having a rough time during this holiday season financially. Pistol, named so because he was a pistol, a jokester, life of the party, and could literally shoot the top of a beer bottle clean off, separating it from the body without shattering it. Anyway, back to the Merciers: here are the children in order of their births: Matilda, Michele, Arnold, Pimenté, Colinda, Terez, Lucille, Michot, and Tee.

Crops had been poor this year and the Merciers struggled to put food on the table. Not extravagant eaters, or even big eaters, but survival eaters; the Merciers ate to stay alive. Rarely did the family eat meat. The animals on the prairie were struggling with the heat, too. They stayed mostly hidden away under shaded areas to stay cool and alive. It was a true hibernation season atop the Prairie.

The Mercier children were hopeful that a miracle might happen upon the Prairie during this most happy season of Christmas. Tee, the youngest, believed in miracles. He had always been an imaginative boy, seeing visions, and levitating with spirits. Frightened Petal and Pistol in the beginning, but then they learned to appreciate Tee’s special gift of the spiritual world. The South Louisiana Cajun Prairie is a special place where spirits abide and communicate with those gifted spirits who can communicate with the saints.

Tee woke from sleep a couple of days before Christmas around nine o’clock AM; that was unusual for Tee, he was an early riser usually having a coffee milk with Pistol and Petal while the other eight children slept. The rest of the brood had to be coaxed out of bed. The family knew when Tee slept in he was dreaming, communicating with a spirit. On those mornings,Tee was a bit groggy, moving slowly and grappling with a vision. He had the vision on his mind and needed his coffee milk and then a walk to Bayou Tornade Mais Chien (loosely translated means tornado, my dogs)! It was there on the banks of that bayou that Tee reckoned with and made sense of the vision. Then and only then, did Tee’s mind begin to clear and he could think on Earthly things like running through the tall feathery weeds on the prairie that he loved so.

The burden of the vision was lifted and Tee couldn’t wait for the family to experience the miracle. He wouldn’t tell them the surprise, but in his vision his grandpa who had snow white hair and beard came to him during the night in a vision. Tee had felt a cold shiver come across his body during his visit from papa Mercier. Tee was one of papa Mercier’s favorite grandchildren. He passed away from the flu when Tee was four years old. He lived about a mile away from Pistol and Petal and their children. Tee lived mostly at papa Mercier’s house. Mama Mercier passed away before Tee was born so he never got to know her.

Tee often visited with papa in visions while he slept. This vision happened about four o’clock in the morning. Tee felt the humid air change to cold dry air. Usually Tee slept naked due to the heat, but also because he didn’t like how pajamas felt like a tight jacket in his single bed. Tee slept on a feather mattress made from goose down. About four o’clock in the morning while uncovered and butt naked, Tee felt frigid air. Visions usually left him paralyzed as he communicated with the spirit(s). Papa told him that an unusual occurrence was on its way on réveillon de Noël. It would snow until Christmas Eve!

On Christmas Eve Pistol and Petal gathered all the children together. They had a dark, thick, green gumbo; uncommon in south Louisiana in that it had no meat. A green gumbo is full of mustard and turnip greens. Petal made a big pot of prairie rice cooked in a black pot. She set it over an open fire to cook. Just as they sat down to eat on the gallérie (open air porch), scoops of rice covered in thick, dark, soupy gumbo began to fill their tummies and then the Mercies noticed a wind shift. The air was colder! Delightful and energized they began to dance around the open fire where the rice had hung suspended while cooking. Pistol played his fiddle and Petal played the frottoir (washboard) and the children danced the fais do do!

Tee watched from the porch. They all turned to him as if to say, “Thanks for the miracle!”