TLDR is at the bottom :)
Today is a big day for me, and I had to share it with all of you lovely people! A short setup to this is that I am born in, baptized at 13, all of my family have always been very PIMI witnesses, dads been an elder my whole life. Well I've been PIMO since at least 20 years old (27 now), probably always have been subconsciously. I went to my last meeting in October 2022. Since then I have been POMO in the sense that I no longer participate in any JW activities. However, I never told my parents, sister and a few others. This has been a living hell for me mentally since then. The only reason I didn't do this sooner was because I work for my father. I figured he would no longer want me working for his business where he exclusively employs witnesses. I have finally been able to get a business of my own off the ground and today I spilled the beans to my father. Actually, I wasn't planning to have this conversation with any of my family for another month or two, just still trying to dial in some work stuff before hand. Anyways, my dad calls me up and we had a good conversation about work that basically resulted in me telling him I was ready to put in notice and pursue another career path. He took this surprising well and was very supportive of my desire to do this. Up to this point, nothing JW related had been brought up. It seemed as though we were about to say goodbye and hang up. Then he asks "Let me ask you son, and I know it's none of my business, but you're still my son and I would like to know... where are you at with the truth? I just realize that you never talk about it." I hesitated, because I really was needing a bit more time before loosing my job. But I said fuck it, I'm done lying and evading. I told him that I'll be honest but you're not going to like it. He said that's okay. I went on to tell him in a nutshell that I have not been an active witness in quite some time and that I have no intentions of returning. He responded saying that he wasn't surprised and he said that he and my family had suspected this to be the case, but didn't want to be presumptuous. Now I was expecting this to result in shunning, at least to some extent. To my utter shock, he was calm, warm and said that it was completely my decision to make, that he was of course saddened by it but that he loves me very much and will not be shunning me at all. In fact my relationship with my family has been almost non existent for years because of this elephant in the room. Ironically, we both agreed that we suspect this will allow us to become closer again. He shocked me again when he said he didn't mind if I wanted to stay on with the company. Now he did mention the "new light" about how basically you can now repent at the last second as Armageddon approaches, I feel that may have helped him justify responding in such a way. He also mentioned indirectly that if I were to be disfellowshipped that things would change. Luckily I don't see how that could happen at this point. He said that they would be mindful of not talking about the religion to me and respect my desire to stay out of it. A buddy of mine recently had a very similar conversation with his mom that turned out in his favor just as mine did. I was convinced that I would be shunned and thrown out by my family for being honest with them about this. Point is, you never know, sometimes just taking that leap can give you one of the happiest days of your life. It's already so much better on this side. I'm so excited to begin my life, I hope you all can soon too! Thanks for taking the time to read, love y'all 🤙
TLDR: Been PIMO for 7 years at least, been mostly POMO for a year or so, but still I was keeping up appearances for family and to some "friends", basically going along as if I'm going to meetings and a JW when really I'm not. Anyways I layed it all out for my PIMI elder dad today, he surprisingly took it well and will not be shunning me, seems that the rest of my family will have a similar stance on it. This means I am finally completely free from this cult!

If you ‘DAMN’ Pastor Quiboloy, you ‘DAMN’ Duterte, you ‘DAMN’ the country.
A few days ago, I came across this book, 'How to Destroy A Man Now (DAMN): A Handbook' by Angela Confidential. Just from its title, you can easily tell that this is a guide to ruining a man's reputation or life.Basically, this book gives practical tactics on how ‘Allegations,’ the ‘Media,’ and the ‘Authority’ work together to dethrone a man from influence and power.
I would like to use this perspective as we navigate the issues concerning Pastor Apollo.If you want to DAMN, start with making allegations. That is the first weapon. Merriam-Webster defines allegations as ‘an assertion unsupported and by implication regarded as unsupportable.’
This means anyone who makes an allegation against any man is free from the burden of facts. So, the devils made sure he crafted piles of serious allegations to ruin Pastor Apollo’s reputation on a global scale.
The following were made since 2018, roughly six years in the making:Allegations in the United States. The perpetrators here, according to the camp of Pastor Apollo, were in connivance with former workers who had supposedly committed grave crimes in the KOJC and fled to the U.S.
The allegations include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.Until now none of these allegations have been proven true in court, yet the U.S. government agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, put Pastor Apollo's name on the Most Wanted List. In the Philippines, it’s more complicated.
Cases of alleged sexual abuse of a minor and qualified human trafficking were filed against Pastor Apollo but were easily dismissed by Philippine courts. However, recently, the Justice Department overturned the decision and Pastor Apollo is once again facing scrutiny.
The legislature, tasked with making laws, targeted Pastor Apollo through hearings. In the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros launched a probe against Pastor Apollo for alleged human trafficking, labor violations, and sex-related offenses. In the lower house, headed by Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is the cousin of President Bongbong Marcos, they targeted the media arm of KOJC - the Sonshine Media Network International, alleging franchise violations and implicating Pastor Apollo as the owner, thus compelling his presence at the hearing.
Notably, the House Speaker generously gave the known CPP-NPA operatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel the floor to launch ad hominem attacks against Pastor Apollo. They have become one of the mouthpieces of the devils.
Moreover, the House also weaponized the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to impose an indefinite suspension on SMNI, as well as the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to suspend two programs, including former President Duterte’s 'Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa' and 'Laban Kasama ang Bayan,' due to alleged franchise violations. This is clearly to silence SMNI. They want to disarm the people of truth, especially about the Dutertes and about the terrorist organization CPP-NPA-NDF.
With all the missiles and bombs of allegations against Pastor Apollo, the devils now need a 'Media' platform to proliferate. If the allegation is the bullet, then the media is the gun. This is the second weapon of the Devil.Use the Power of Media.
You’ve probably heard the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in the woods, and no one hears it, did it make a sound?” The more people who know about an allegation, the more powerful it becomes.
Admit it, we're drawn to the drama, especially Filipinos, which is why you'll notice more scandalous stories in the news and media these days—everyone loves a bit of gossip!"Sex sells,” they say. When it comes to allegations against a holy or religious figure like Pastor Apollo, especially those related to flesh, it can shatter their reputation and can be particularly devastating, regardless of the truth.In a court of law, a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But in the court of public opinion manipulated by the media, a man “serially accused” of a scandal is guilty until proven innocent.In this scenario, an allegation doesn't need evidence to DAMN someone because media manipulation turns it into its own proof.
Thousands, even millions, of people can unite against one man.Look at the mainstream media, even the alternative that wants to gain popularity, makes Pastor Apollo their headlines because they profit from it. However, they bear little responsibility for doing it. Apparently, as long as the media labels the scandal as an "allegation," they are somewhat protected from legal consequences.
Moreover, the media can claim they are merely reporting the allegation, not making it. However, the way they report it often contributes to shaping the allegation itself.But we're not only referring to traditional media. With the rise of social media, the realm of trolls and paid vloggers/bloggers, the spread of allegations has become faster and more potent.The "evidence" and public perception of guilt crafted by allegations and the media's collaboration can grow so significant and influential that the third weapon of the Devil, 'Authority,' is compelled to intervene.Authority. In the case of Pastor Apollo, the authority being used by the devils is the US-PH government and its instrumentalities. And their mission is to fully destroy him now.According to the handbook, “Ultimately, it’s authority that plays the final role in condemning a man.
As ‘Daddy Knight’ he takes pride in his role as guardian and savior, especially of the weak, mistreated, violated, and so on. He strives to be the hero who saves the damsel in distress. In other words, authority caters to victims, and nothing gets [Authority]’s attention more than a call to action to save victims.”“Also, keep in mind that with the media’s help, allegations against authorities can be used to motivate authority to take action. Just about any widespread allegation about an authority being remiss, ineffectual, or negligent in its “guardian and savior” role will suffice.”And this is so evident with what Hontiveros is doing as well as Castro, Brosas and Manuel are doing. Listen to their words. It’s almost the same! They want to play the savior role.
They want to pretend heroes but never really give justice to the supposed victims.They are lawmakers but they act as judges. And they want justice for the supposed victims, why don’t they bring it to the proper forum which is the court? Because they’re not after justice; they’re after destroying the person of Pastor Apollo.
Hontiveros, alongside leftist lawmakers and their enablers, have shown disrespect for the sanctity of the institutions they represent.I recently came across a statement from Hontiveros, where she said in Filipino, “I also call on Quiboloy not to resort to drama.” But who's the real drama queen here? Isn’t it Hontiveros?Her bogus witnesses, as members of KOJC call them, joined the drama in the hearing.
Obviously, the script was made. What's more fascinating is that one of the 'witnesses' claimed to have seen Pastor giving a bag of guns to former President Duterte and his daughter, VP Inday Sara Duterte.Both of them denied it. The former president called it ‘silly’ and Sara Duterte has never been to Glory Mountain. It was an error in the script of the devils that they didn’t see coming.Well, if Hontiveros really wanted to stop the drama, then the alleged crimes should be brought to court.
The Senate, especially her, has no power to serve justice; its role is to make laws.The hearing was supposed to aid legislation. So, what law is she trying to make? The Philippines has one of the most laws in the world to combat human trafficking and sexual abuse cases. Did Hontiveros do her research? Or is it just in-aid of re-election?And it’s no secret that leftist lawmakers have been unmasked many times on SMNI through its program Laban Kasama ang Bayan, where former cadres unmasked who they truly are.
These individuals are often referred to as 'wolves in sheep's clothing' by these former members.It's crucial to understand the atrocities committed by the communist-terrorist groups CPP-NPA-NDF over the past five decades of insurgency, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent lives, including promising youth leaders, indigenous peoples, women, farmers, and individuals from all sectors affected by their deceptions.
Their objective within the government? To undermine and destroy it.
Only SMNI, of which Pastor Apollo is an honorary chair, has the courage to undertake this task: defending the government and the nation by giving enlightenment to the people.Recently, Castro said that the warrant of arrest issued against Pastor Apollo is "an important step" in obtaining justice for his victims.
Poor Castro, she lost her moral ascendancy a long time ago. I hope Castro will remember that she was charged, together with Satur Ocampo and 16 others for kidnapping and human trafficking over the transport of 14 children from Talaingod town in Davao del NorteIt's not surprising, then, that they are so eager and willing to destroy Pastor Apollo in this manner, especially when the current administration has allowed them to become the attack dogs against the good pastor.
They thirst for vengeance for the near-demise of the CPP-NPA-NDF that suffered a major blow during the Duterte presidency.
They seek to recover under the Marcos regime. This is one of the most alarming issues now that the nation must address: the 'unholy alliance' between the terrorist organization and their friends, and the government.
For now, we will pause here. We’ve given you a glimpse of the people in ‘authority’ that are part of the Devil’s playbook against Pastor Apollo.
In the upcoming parts, we will delve into the alliance dubbed as the "Unholy Trinity" involving the collusion of the US, Marcos, and the CPP, aimed at dismantling Pastor Apollo and the Dutertes.
We will explore why this has now become a matter of national significance. And why the fight of Pastor Apollo is a fight for every Filipino.
Read Part 1https://www.facebook.com/prestrackeposts/1035462161478486

I'm 25 now, and for the last 2 years since I've been out of college, I worked non-stop. And I don't mean that in a healthy "get that bread" way. My first job started fine, honestly I was making triple what I did at my dead end jobs before/during college. But as time went on, I realized just what I'd signed up for. I was a one man department, working 13-14 hour days, 7 days a week. At some point during that time, probably about 4 months in, I just shut off. My mind, emotions, independent thoughts. This stayed for a long time. I feel it stunted my growth. Not to say it was all bad. I got married during my time there. Eventually, the only person I talked to in the office outside of work, passed away. Being the position I was (marketing and content creation) I was told to film my co-workers grieving for content, during a ceremony they had put together for him. Everyone was crying. Myself included. When I was told to do this, I refused. The following days i was chewed out by my boss, eventually being told I had 2 hours to save my job. I had to "make him smile" with something I had to make. I went into the half of our office that was under construction, nearly fell from some high as hell scaffolding while filming (only to find out a month after I left that the same scaffolding had collapsed a few weeks later and forced an older contractor into retirement due to his injuries) rushed back and made the most god awful video I've made in my life. All within 2 hours. My boss got in my face, told me it was awful, told me if I wanted to keep the job I had to step up... I quit the next day. Walked in, had all my personal equipment packed by noon, and left without saying a word to anyone. A few weeks later, I found a new job, same position. At first it was going well. I enjoyed it. But yet again, after just a few months, My capabilities were taken advantage of. I don't like to brag, but I do feel like im good at what I do, and I'm proud of that fact. But that second job tried to milk me dry, and I let it happen. I was there for about 10 months and every day was worse than the last. Quickly building back up to 13-14 hour days, 7 days a week. Leading up to the most impossible task I've ever faced. I was asked to make 13 weeks (1 quarter) of content, with 1-3 posts a day. I was asked to do this the Thursday before Christmas.... with a deadline of the End of the week, New Years week. It added up to about 6 working days total. I have never worked so hard in my life. I was awake for 4 days, my only breaks being my drive to and from the office, and working on my personal computer when I got home. I was so tired and stressed I was physically and visibly ill. Once that 6th day came, I presented it to them and they got mad that all the captions weren't written. They said if I didn't have them done by the next day, they "wouldn't be able to fund the department anymore" (I was yet again, a department of 1). I walked out of that office, sat at my desk, and applied for another job. Of which, I got. It took 1 month and 3 interviews, because it was a seriously higher end job than the small businesses I'd been working for. When I got the offer letter, I cried harder than I've cried in a long time. But I went in wary. It was a team of 3 (4 now with me) which was something I wasn't used to. At this job, I found the opposite of everything I'd previously experienced. I anxiously tried to stay late at work, offered to work after hours at home, offered to come in on weekends. If you think of anything over the top and unnecessary, I tried it. But I was constantly shut down. Told that my home time was mine and I didn't owe them that. This wasn't just some employee who told me this either, this was told to me by the department manager, and the project manager across many instances. I didn't know what to do with myself when I got home in the afternoons, or the weekends. I started unraveling from a tight wad of anxiety and emotional numbness. I genuinely started to feel again. One day, about 3 weeks in, I started a show with my wife. I won't say the show, because it'd be super nerdy in my opinion. But it's well renowned as an emotional show that can break you lol. I'd thought about watching it in college, years before, but my best friend had just told me about his practice of "rainy day shows". Shows to watch when you were at your wits end and the snap of a finger from just closing your eyes and not opening them.... if you catch my drift... I didn't feel this was the time for this show, but I decided to watch it anyways, because I have other shows on my list, and knocking one off when you're feeling good wouldn't hurt, right...? This show broke me. It forced me to unravel from what I'd become far faster than I should have. I cried for days. My mind racing a million miles an hour, not sleeping for a few days because I was just thinking and thinking and on and on... I was seeing the life I'd unconsciously built around me... and I hated it.... I live in a shit house that's falling apart, it's an absolute disaster in terms of just general cleanliness, my finances were shot, my wife was depressed, unable to sleep herself just from life in general, escaping to an app on her phone for 13+ hours a day (I know this because the app has an insane 13 hour window a day where you can use it for free, with no interruption, once you get passed that they put an insane amount of roadblocks in front of you to keep using it unless you pay. My wife was hitting this daily), we had become extremely distant and basically just being roommates.With all of this in view now, and my emotions running wild and my brain going twice as fast.... i wanted to change... I wanted to be better... It's been almost 3 months since all this started. I'm greatful to my new job for allowing me the opportunity to confront all of this. But Jesus, it's like the more and more I work towards bettering it, the more I feel I'm drowning, sad and depressed. I struggle every afternoon to just stay alive. My house is cleaner than it ever has been, I'm steadily making repairs and trying to make it a good place to live, I have regular deep conversations with my wife about progress and how we feel, I try to do everything humanly possible to make her feel loved, being a hopeless romantic. I feel guilty for saying all of that though, because I feel there's always more I could do. And while I grow and try, I don't feel it's reciprocated, and she'd be fine where we were 6 months ago. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. But I know I can't stop trying to be a little better every day. Even if I just get sadder and sadder, it will eventually clear up. But it won't if I stop.

TLDR; babble yap sesh
Life is sin. Sin is survival for humans. The notion of Jesus’ existence suggests that he was fully God fully human(*edit) It is also believed that he was free of sin and original sin. The big gimmick is that there is no “point of life” or “larger purpose”. We as humans are on earth, simply to be ourselves in the human form. That is the ultimate gift amongst all of the suffering we must endure. Instead of trying to be a good person for the sake of God’s grace, I believe an individual should actively try to do the right thing (as much as any given situation allows) and treat people how they ought to be treated, simply because they feel love and want to share it.
In my opinion, Jesus serves as the perfect example, of what we should strive to be, but also acknowledge that we are not perfect, and we are going to sin. The test, I believe, is that after you sin due to your human bounds, your “god-like” part of the conscious will undergo a process of guilt, shame, forgiveness, acceptance, and renewal. To me, that is the closest a person can get to living the way that Jesus is said to have lived.
Life is suffering. It is simply a separation of: those who are aware of their suffering and actively trying to learn from it (therapy or self reflection) and those who suffer, but choose not to learn from it (too comfortable in one’s own ego/perception of thyself). However, I understand that in order to “make it” in this world, you must develop some sort of deluded sense of self, so that you can survive in public environments (the mask).
I believe that all of the people who die and will die having not become truly aware of their own sin and suffering, will simply continue the rebirth cycle until they truly understand and are able to transcend above the inherently human way of thinking, which is sinful thinking. I believe that once a person is comprehensive of the entire truth of our identities and actively chooses to live accordingly, they are finally capable of transcendence into “heaven” or as I like to believe, a Xanadu of some sorts…a plane of existence that embodies absolute freedom: a land free of judgement, a land free of pain, a land free of authority, a land free of misunderstanding, a land free of temptation, of currency. A land where all are one and one is all. This is why it is essential for the individual self to learn the ultimate truth of the self in accordance with everything and everyone.
The prevalent Christian (and/or catholic) belief is that in order to get in to heaven and not go to hell (in my beliefs, “hell” is just the rebirth cycle back to earth until you learn your lessons), one must live in constant fear of God’s final judgment, to which you must “be a good person”. Worshipping God and Jesus is also a common practice among Christians (and catholics).
I believe that God sent Jesus to earth, specifically to tell us, not to worship him, anyone, or anything.
If Jesus was truly free of sin, then there is no doubt he would be outcasted and eventually killed for simply being who he is. If Jesus lived today, he wouldn’t care about clothes, or a social media account (unless it was to benefit the greater good in some way). He would simply be. I reckon that Jesus would really like Bladee’s newer albums, (especially the fool, cold visions, 333) and the message that they send.
We are nothing—but as humans, we have the capability to be everything. What I mean by that is that when we are born, we are born to inherently “sin”, for survival in this modern world. I believe that God is the part of our conscious that tells you whether you are doing something right or wrong. As humans, we have a choice of whether or not to listen to that voice. Most people tend to be selective about when they choose to listen to that voice. (in a way, because we have to sometimes.) But due to this choice (free will), we can also decide to be: there for our close friends and family, be: welcoming of strangers and/or initially misunderstood people. Simply put, whatever an individual feels they deserve or need from other people, is exactly what you need to be for other people. By becoming this person for other individuals, you essentially become that person for yourself. WHICH MEANS...you are the only person that can love yourself the way you want to be loved, and developing this love for the self, could be relative to a person having "God's grace."
But I also reckon that Jesus would probably have an effortlessly cool style, or to be fair, he would most likely be homeless. That wouldn’t make sense though, would it? Because in this modern-day dystopian society, a homeless person wouldn’t be the right person to be tasked with inspiring the world to save themselves from a never-ending rebirth cycle. If I was God, I would send myself(being god)/Jesus down for his “second coming”, in the form of a person who goes through life experiencing exactly what they need to experience in order to understand the truth of everything and essentially live as Jesus like as possible, with the random probability of whatever situation Jesus’ new form will be born into. What I mean is that the second coming of Jesus could literally be born into any situation but in order for “God’s ultimate mission” to be fulfilled, I feel that this “Jesus-like” savior must be a symbolic, but physical mirror to the insecurities of all people who bear witness. In order for the mission to be fulfilled, we as humans must learn to accept and love this person for whoever they might be, regardless of the many ways in which they shall be outcasted from this artificial and ignorantly upheld society that we live in today. This message essentially means that we should always try our best to listen to and see the people in society who are outcasted for being their true selves and only ever perceived on the surface level.
One could argue that all of this is baloney due to the sole fact that psychopathic serial killers exist, so therefore not everybody is under the grace of God. My response to that is that that’s just unlucky science that certain people are born without the ability to feel love and empathy.
BTW. I am very stoned while writing this and it is in my nature to contradict my own ideas, so hopefully that doesn’t confuse people. Idek if there is any contradictions, I don’t even know what I am saying to be honest, I just felt like I really needed to write all of this. If anybody does get what im saying and has thoughts to share I would love to hear other people’s thoughts on these subjects. I also will not apologize for writing too much because I am just being myself and “only God over me man, so you’ve got no right”. Also I’m just a fool ion no anythyng

I’ve been following this case pretty closely for almost a year now, but I haven’t had time to really watch the trial live (how are some of you watching every minute?!). I was looking for a post that was basically a run-down of the highlights and important revelations so far, but I haven’t really seen any, so I wrote one myself based on what I have been able to discern from the press coverage. Will you all tell me if I’m missing anything? I’m also gonna add some of my own analysis for discussion.
The “I hit him” testimony
A lot of people heard Karen say some version of “I hit him,” or “did I hit him?”, but the defense is doing a good job poking holes in their testimonies. It seems like a number of the people who claim she said “l hit him,” only recorded this several months later. Officer Saraf, for instance, only added the fact that KR said “I hit him” to his testimony several months later. Katie McLaughlin also agreed that her story had “evolved” since the original event. That particular witness was also interesting because she initially claimed to have no relationship with Caitlin Albert, which was later proven to be untrue; Katie McLaughlin was, as photos showed, quite close with Caitlin Albert at one point, which prompted the defense to acccuse McLaughin of perjuring herself. Firefighter Anthony Flematti also claimed Karen Read said “I hit him” but apparently never told anyone this, which was readily highlighted by the defense.
Of the people who testified that Karen Read said she hit O’Keefe, the only person who didn’t get absolutely obliterated by the defense seems to be Timothy Nuttall, although the defense made it clear that his memory of the day was pretty faulty as well.Lots of people heard her say different things: Stephen Mulanney testified that he heard her saying “Is he dead,” “that’s my boyfriend;” Jason Becker testified that he heard Read say “did i hit him?” And Matthew Kelly even said he explicitly did not hear Read say “I hit him” repeatedly.
Honestly, I’m not sure it matters whether or not Karen Read said “I hit him,” or “did I hit him?” It’s clear that she was worried about her own responsibility in the matter, which seems…. Not great but possibly innocuous? She was obviously insanely drunk the night before, and hangxiety/hangover guilt is famously a terrible combination with tragedy. I know I tend to assume the worst when I wake up after a night of heavy drinking. Even when I haven’t been drinking, I tend to blame myself when things go wrong. And I think it’s kind of telling that It doesn’t seem like any of these witnesses really thought that she had a clear, certain memory of hitting him. Except, that is, the officer in the McLaughlin testimony, who I guess summoned a sergeant when he heard her say this.
Anyway, most of this is stuff we already knew. We already knew she expressed that she felt guilty at the scene, and we already knew
The Sloppy Crime Scene & Responding Police Officers
Responding officers were super, uhh, carless when it came to the crime scene. They used solo cups to store the frozen blood found at the scene, which eventually led the blood to dry up. And they used a leaf blower to scan the scene for evidence, which somehow didn’t turn up any broken tail light. Basically, this testimony showed us that it was a super haphazard crime scene that could easily have been tampered with, and that there just wasn’t much care put into the storage and collection of evidence. This is important, because it sets the stage for the defense to say that forensic evidence from the scene cannot be trusted. Paul Gallagher admitted that “nothign about the scene was standard” and that he had never processed a crime scene in the snow before, which led them to improvise in a number of ways.
The other thing we got from these officer- witnesses was that Michael Lank, the canton police lieutenant who responded to the scene, had once been in a physical altercation in order to defend Chris Albert. For the defense, this is relevant because it shows not just the deep ties, but also the extent to which this group of people will go to cover up for their own. And the fact that this tight-knit circle are brutish and violent.
The Bartender
The testimony from the Waterfall bartender appeared to be marginally important. She confirmed that the Alberts were important, powerful people in the town, and that everyone knew who they were. She also said that nobody in the party appeared to be intoxicated.
Brian Albert getting rid of his phone
Brian Albert’s testimony basically just stuck to the party line. The phone thing, though, did remind me of how nuts it is that he got rid of his phone, and I’m assuming it’s not the last we’ll hear of it. I guess we already knew that he got rid of his phone right as it was supposed to be subpoenae’d, but it was still kind of crazy to hear him try to explain away that he got rid of it a single day before he received the order. He basically claimed that he was due for an upgrade so he traded it in. But he and Higgins both happened to destroy their phones right before they were subpoenae’d, which isn’t not suspicious.
Julie Nagel and the Black Blob
Julie Nagel, friend of 23y/o Brian Albert Jr, was inside the house that night. She testified that “I did notice ... something out of the ordinary, like a black blob in the ground by the flagpole,” as she was leaving. The defense didn’t like this, because it refutes the idea that JO was only placed on the lawn later. And they cast doubt on this testimony during the cross examination by pointing out that if she actually saw a body, she would have responded really differently. They also pointed out that she never really mentioned this until now.
The Ryan Nagel & co testimony
Ryan Nagel is Julie Nagel’s brother, who came to pick up his sister right around the time that Karen Read arrived, and left right as she was leaving. He never actually picked up his sister, because she ultimately wanted to stay.
Basically, he and the other people in his car said they saw Karen Read arrive at 34 fairview road. His sister came out to talk, at which point he was focused on his sister. He said he did not observe anyone enter the house, but the cross-examination made clear that this could have happened while he was talking to his sister. When he looked up, he saw the SUV brake lights come on, as if to start driving away. As he pulled up and drove past this car, he saw someone that fit Karen Read’s description in the driver’s seat, alone. He did not observe any damage to the vehicle.
This testimony is important, because this witness saw KR arriving and being alone in her car, which means JO would have left the vehicle at that point. It seems like it could be good for the defense, because he’s saying that she was alone in her car, and that he didn’t see JO outside, which could mean that he was inside. He also said her car didn’t have any visible damage. And it seems like he was a decently observant witness. But it also could just mean that JO’s exit from the vehicle was as unremarkable as his death, which would explain why nobody saw him.
Allison McCabe
Jen McCabe’s daughter, who claims she picked up Colin Albert that night. She testified that she arrived to pick him up at 12:10 or so, and she shows a screenshot of text messages to prove it. The Free Karen Read crowd thinks these are doctored, and I admit the screenshot looks really weird. There are some rumors floating around somewhere that there’s cell phone data that proves he was in the house much later than that, but I haven’t seen it. I also think the hyper focus on Colin Albert is weird, because it seems to me like a million different people could have ben responsible for JO’s death.
The Veterinarian Specialist
Testified that no dog DNA was found on swabs of John O’Keefe, but they did find pig DNA. Jackson’s cross exam reminded the jury that the collection of evidence was highly improper. The vet did concede that the pig DNA could have come from a dog treat.
Thoughts?
I’m hearing a lot of people characterizing this as a bloodbath, but honestly I don’t feel like anything so far has been, like, a crazy bombshell for either side. I would imagine there will be some during the defense’s turn to call up witnesses. Apparently that’s when trials tend to get juicy.
I also don’t really understand why the defense is so obsessed with the Colin Albert story. It seems like it could be easily disproven and then their whole theory falls apart. If I were in charge of Karen Read’s defense, I’d lean into the possibility that there are a million ways John O’Keefe could have died that don’t involve Karen Read. Maybe he slipped on the ice, hit his head, cut himself on his broken glass while he was trying to get up, and crawled quietly to the middle of the lawn where he was too incapacitated to call for help. Maybe he passed out in the gutter and someone else hit him— it seems like a ton of drunk people were coming and going, after all. And hit and runs are super common! Or, if we are to believe that John O’Keefe and Brian Higgins had a common romantic interest in Karen Read, couldn’t Brian Higgins have been equally likely— and have more motive— to bludgeon John O’Keefe? Honestly all those guys seem like the type to get angry and end up in a bar fight.

Basically this is just a part of the story, or rather, this is just a story arc of one of the characters. The full plot is a story for another time
Years ago the main character and his female childhood friend went on a mission to kill ghouls. Both of them have the ability to summon weapons but the MC has the unique ability to imbue his summoned weapons with flames, making it more effective against killing ghouls.
But it turns out the mission is way harder than it should be and the MC's friend got killed as she tried to shield him from the enemy's attack.
The MC was really depressed and grieving during those days but he got back from his feet months later with an even stronger determination than before.
In one of the first story arcs, the MC now has a new team and they have a mission to save the abducted villagers from the ghouls. These ghouls teamed up with other supernatural beings and one of them is the "Winter Fairy"
This Winter Fairy went into the human world after a prophet told her that her life will "change" should she go to the lands of man and extinguish a warrior's flame. She followed the prophecy, but as a countermeasure, she only sent a clone made out of a very durable ice crystal with an orb made out of her blood as the core and also a connection to her mind
As fate would have it, the main character and the Fairy (clone) fought each other. The MC almost got killed by the frostbites of the fairy, and he found it hard to melt the ice as his flames are not hot enough for it. One of his teammate arrived to help him fight this fairy, this teammate can summon a very hard shield that can break through her ice crystal body. The MC defeated her by punching his way through the cracks made by his teammate then held the fairy's core in her heart and proceed to melt it using his flames.
In another world, the Winter Fairy woke up very scared as her clone on the human world got killed, she basically experienced death as her mind is very connected to the clone. But something about that experience is very familiar to her, like she already experienced it before she was born as a fairy in her world.
Fairies in another world are born in different ways. Some of them are born through strong beliefs of many humans. Some are born through different concepts in nature like the mountains, trees, oceans, seasons, etc. And some are reincarnations of humans who died from the human world. A fairy being "born" is just them suddenly appearing as mindless spirits in another world. They will quickly develop an intelligent mind and a physical body as time goes by.
The Winter Fairy was born just a year ago and she already has followers and servants who asked to serve her as they witnessed her miraculous feats.
She didn't notice it before but after her fight in the human world, she changed in some ways. She has a strict and serious personality before, but now she can smile and even cares for her servant's well being. She also grew her hair as it was a very short one before.
She noticed that her servants are acting weirdly due to her changes. She recalled the prophet's words to her that her life would change after going to the human world and fighting the flames of a warrior. She asked him again for a prophecy in order to unravel the mystery of her changes. The prophet said that she should go to the human world once again and touch the flame warrior's "burned heart" if she wants answers to her questions.
In some of the story arcs (which I will omit here because I will basically write a huge chunk of my plot, and this is also getting longer than it should) the MC and the Winter Fairy met a few times but she was always shy and flustered around him, she can't explain why she feel that way and she doesn't really get what "holding his burned heart" mean or how she was supposed to do it.
In the final story arc (again, I will omit the whole story here) the MC and the Fairy worked together to take down a very strong elemental being. The MC end up charred and burned up through his internal organs and he will die if he didn't get healed immediated. The fairy gambled and tried a new ability that she was still learning where she can heal someone by freezing up their body. If she wasn't even a bit careful, she can kill someone by frostbites, but she still used it on the MC's dying body because they were running out of time. As she was healing him, she was touching his chest to make sure she can feel his heartbeats. And as he was recovering, he whispered out his best friend's name that died years ago.
Memories flowed through her mind as she heard that name. She saw that same memories in her dreams but only now that she realized that it was her former memories as a human who reincarnated as a the winter fairy. She saw that she died trying to protect her best friend from getting killed by an enemy. And that best friend is in her front right now.
I will end this part of the story here, but if you guys have some questions about anything, feel free to ask.
So like my title said, is this a good way of making a foreshadowing plot?

So yeah... this is a post where I review all 5 Cage The Elephant albums. Pretty simple. These are all reviews that I originally wrote on an app/website called "Musicboard" over the past couple weeks, but I've copy-pasted them here for your reading convenience. Hope you enjoy & I hope to to talk about these albums with you!
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Self Titled

Probably their weakest album to date, but still a pretty solid debut overall.
I hate to be so predictable, but the best song here is still “Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked”, and it ain’t even close. It’s extremely fun & catchy, it’s the album’s most sonically distinct piece BY FAR, and it’s storytelling/pacing are both absolutely flawless. A track that absolutely deserves it’s iconic status.
Even though the record’s best isn’t up for debate, there are some other pretty good highlights as well. “In One Ear” is a very solid opener for the project, “Judas” gives us consistently excellent lyricism, and “Tiny Little Robots” has an uncharacteristically super atmospheric bridge which makes it stand out quite a bit. It also transitions super smoothly into the following “Lotus” who’s engaging pacing, beautiful chorus, & satisfying climax make it another easy favourite for me.
But then beyond the lovably visceral energy of it’s closer, “Free Love”, Cage The Elephant’s self-titled debut really doesn’t give me a whole lot more to talk about. It’s got consistently great musicianship, a decent number of highlights, and some bizarrely excellent song transitions, but the album has a really bad case of being FAR too samey. Everything outside of the tracks I’ve already mentioned blend together in my mind almost completely. None of them are bad, but none of them are particularly memorable either.
This album is still pretty good at the end of the day, some solid garage rock fun, but Cage’s later projects would all feel a whole lot more distinct & purposeful.
Best Songs: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, Lotus, & Free Love.
Weakest Songs: Drones in the Valley, Soil to the Sun, & Back Stabbin' Betty.
This album gets a strong 7/10 from me.
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Thank You, Happy Birthday

It may be a little all over the place, but it’s still a pretty big improvement over their debut.
For one, the sound of this album is FAR more lush & vibrant than that of their debut. The guitars here are especially brimming with so much more life & colour than they were on their self-titled record. Another big improvement is that record is how much more variety this album has. It’s an incredibly stylistically varied project, and while that does lead to it feeling a little messy every so often, it’s all still held together very well by excellent & super aesthetically consistent production.
The album starts out quite strong with “Always Something”. The ominous guitars, raw vocals, & slight electronic elements all combine to make for a rather gripping opener. Other highlights include “Shake Me Down” which I love for it’s percussive acoustic guitars & personal childhood nostalgia, “Aberdeen” which I love for it’s super catchy melodies & powerfully mixed guitars, as well as “Right Before My Eyes” which has a similarly excellent sound & a surprisingly moving chorus.
This record also contains a lot of the most loudly abrasive material that Cage have ever released... to very mixed results. You have tracks like “Sell Yourself” & “Doctor Help Me” which are just sorta forgettable, a song like “Indy Kidz” which has a fantastic instrumental alongside an unfortunately & obnoxiously tryhard vocal performance, but then you have “Sabertooth Tiger” which is actually one of my TOP favourites here. The chaotic viscerality of this one feels so much more natural than those other tracks, as well as SO MUCH more invigorating. I really wasn't expecting to love it so much upon revisiting it today, but it very much surprised me.
On the other side of the coin, we also have a couple distinctly lowkey moments that I’d like to talk about. “Rubber Ball” is a very pleasant track with a slightly jaunty charm to it, but even more pleasant than that is “Flow”. My favourite song on the whole album. It’s not a particularly sad song, nor is it like STUNNINGLY beautiful, and yet… I often find myself close to tears when listening to it. If I had to put the feeling into words, I’d say that the atmosphere of this song is so perfectly tender & existentially content that it’s… genuinely overwhelming. I yearn to forever exist within the powerful sense of peace that this song provides, but I can only do so for 3 minutes at a time & that makes me wanna cry.
Overall, “Thank You Happy Birthday” is just a WAY more consistently enjoyable project than their debut. It has cleaner production, a far more memorable aesthetic, a greater sense of sonic exploration, better vocals for the most part, MUCH higher highs, and far fewer lows as well. Other than those “forgettably abrasive” songs which I talked about 2 paragraphs ago, the only significant lowlight for me would be the underwhelming closer that is “Carry Me In”. The record honestly should’ve just ended with “Flow” cuz these final 2 tracks which come right after just aren’t very interesting.
But yeah, other than having a significantly weaker closer, this album is an improvement over their first in every single way.
Best Songs: Flow, Sabertooth Tiger, & Aberdeen
Weakest Songs: Doctor Help Me, Carry Me In, & Sell Yourself.
This album gets a light to decent 8/10 from me.
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Melophobia

Don’t you love it when an overall “pretty good” discography randomly contains one genuine masterpiece?
I absolutely ADORE this record, and I don’t even consider Cage The Elephant to be one of my all time favourite bands. They probably wouldn’t make my Top 25, but “Melophobia” specifically is easily one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, and (now that I no longer listen to Arcade Fire) my personal favourite release of 2013. At the very least, it’s a stiff competition between this & Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”. I’ve gotta go track by track with this one in order to effectively convey my love for it so buckle in!
“Spiderhead” is a genuinely perfect opener for the record. It conveys to us ALL of the project’s best qualities while never feeling like it’s spoiled the album for you. The best is still very much yet to come. We’ve got scuzzy guitars that feel both authentically raw & immaculately produced, super catchy melodies delivered through a very precise yet slightly wild vocal performance, and also this really cool “glitched tempo change” at the end which gives this specific song a very unique flare.
“Come A Little Closer” is probably the most popular song here, and while it’s not my personal #1, it is still absolutely deserving of that status. The verses ease us in with a super slick bassline, some incredibly atmospheric guitars/synths, as well as a grippingly moody vocal performance. All of which come to a head on the track's spectacularly explosive choruses which still manage to fit the song’s moody tone flawlessly. The bridge here is also excellent with an extremely effective build to the song’s final & most explosive chorus. LOVE this track. Iconic shit.
“Telescope” is even more iconic though. It’s the best thing that Matt Schultz has ever written & it’s not even a contest honestly. We open with some tenderly playful synths which eventually give way to an equally playful yet distinctly melancholic vocal performance & lyrical story. This leads to the song’s incredible chorus which only becomes more emotionally powerful each & every time it’s repeated, but it’s the bridge here that really elevates the track into something truly spectacular. It’s so instrumentally frantic & vocally raw while still miraculously fitting into the song’s overall tenderly melancholic atmosphere. Such an evocative masterpiece. Unquestionably one of my favourite songs of all time.
“It’s Just Forever” is frequently maligned as the album’s one & only dud, but other than some admittedly awkward tonal whiplash between it & the last song, I still think it’s a fantastic addition to the record. We’ve got some wonderfully visceral guitars, a delightfully wild guest vocal performance courtesy of Alison Mosshart, and an outro that predicted the “Untitled Goose Game” OST six years in advance. What’s not to love?
“Take It Or Leave It” has a super chillaxed atmosphere all throughout, but never in a way that becomes boring. The chorus is super catchy, I enjoy the slight country-isms of the track, and the guitars sound amazing… but that’s definitely starting to become a moot point in this review. SUCH a vibe of a song.
“Halo” is probably the least uniquely remarkable song here. I don’t really have anything specific to say about it, but don’t think for a second that I mean to imply it’s even remotely weak. It’s still a banger.
“Black Widow” is an absolute BLAST of a song. The gritty rock’n’roll instrumentation along with those seductive vocals are obviously fantastic, but the star of the show here is undoubtedly the brass elements. The blaring horns on this track, whichever ones they are exactly, are sheer musical euphoria. That brief moment during the bridge where they completely overpower the rest of the mix is especially stunning. This is another one of those songs that I often hear people proclaiming as one of the album’s worst, but I think those people are weak. This song is nothing short of SPECTACULAR. Such a wonderful rush of visceral energy.
“Hypocrite” serves as a very nice change of pace for the record. The incredibly unique drum rhythms & overall slow pacing really make it stand out here. We’ve got a decently moving chorus, some nice brass elements yet again, and while said brass elements aren’t nearly as impressive as last time, these horns still fill out the mix very nicely & aid the song in having an even more unique energy than the aforementioned odd drumming was already giving it.
“Teeth” is the most perfectly unhinged thing that Cage The Elephant has ever released. In my review for their previous album, I talked about how certain tracks there often struggled to nail the balance of “controlled chaos”. Songs from that record which attempted this mostly just felt messy instead of compellingly scatterbrained. “Teeth”, on the other hand, achieves that balance effortlessly. Everything about this track is marvelous madness. The frantically abrasive guitars, evocatively strange lyrics, rivetingly unrefined vocals, and OH MY WORD that outro. After being a badass rock song for about 3 minutes, this shit randomly decides to basically become spoken word jazz at the end, and it works miraculously well. The lethargic bassline, the dour brass elements, the lyrics rich with meaning that’s hard to fully grasp. The whole thing is genuinely quite unnerving, but in a way that’s always still very enjoyable to listen to.
“Cigarette Daydreams” is a very interesting closer for this album. The acoustics & pianos are both incredibly pretty, the vocals & melodies are both really moving, and the whole experience is extremely immersive with it’s atmosphere. It’s a truly beautiful song on it’s own as well as an extremely anticlimactic ending for the record. But to explain why I actually mean that as a positive, I need to talk about “Teeth” again. Keep in mind that everything I’m about to say here has absolutely NOTHING to do with the lyrics of these songs. It’s simply my mind creating a story by interpreting the emotional atmospheres of both tracks.
“Teeth” is like witnessing or being involved in some sort of traumatic event. It’s a chaotic mess that leaves you deeply unsettled. Horrified even. Like being the bystander to a uniquely bad car crash. The kind where gorey death is very clearly visible. “Cigarette Daydreams” contrasts “Teeth” by being easily the most tender & simplistic song on the album. It’s very comforting with it’s musicality, but what I love here is that it’s not quite “cathartic”. It’s not a release of tension or an eradication of negative emotion. It’s like being frozen with shock after witnessing this crash before someone else eventually arrives to comfort you. This comfort feels nice & brings you back to your senses, but you’re still not ok. You still witnessed something horrible & a quick bit of comfort isn’t going to immediately fix that.
That’s the story I read from the tonal dichotomy between these 2 songs. A story of horror followed by incomplete comfort. It’s not a satisfying ending for me, but it’s such a specific & evocative kind of dissatisfaction that I can’t help but be fascinated by it. A super cathartic track full of positive emotion & grandiose beauty wouldn’t have worked here at all. Something quietly comforting that’s lacking in huge catharsis is the only way this could have gone. It’s the only ending that makes sense directly after a track as wild a “Teeth”. Again, NONE of this has anything to do with the lyrics. Just sheer emotion.
In conclusion though, I really fucking love “Melophobia”. It’s got perfect pacing, perfect production, tons of variety, so many excellent highlights, and one of the most memorable album endings I’ve ever experienced. The band’s whole discography is undoubtedly quite good, but this record is still LEAGUES above anything else that came before it, and so far, anything that has come after. Y’all better listen to it if you haven’t already.
Best Songs: Telescope, Black Widow, & Come A Little Closer.
Weakest Songs: haha no.
10/10. Masterpiece.
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Tell Me I'm Pretty

It’s a HUGE downgrade from the last album, but still a decent enough listen.
It’s a stiff competition between this & their self-titled when we’re deciding which Cage The Elephant album is the weakest. They both exist on pretty much equal levels of “unremarkably decent”, but I think I’d probably give “Tell Me I’m Pretty” an ever so slight edge over their debut. Even though I’m ultimately gonna give them the same rating, I think this record has a few more significantly notable qualities.
“Cry Baby” is a very solid opener & “Mess Around” is a delightfully nostalgic single in spite of literally just being a Black Keys song, but it’s only on tracks 4-7 where this album really hits it’s stride. “Too Late To Say Goodbye” is very methodically emotive, “Cold Cold Cold” has some super fun percussion & an engagingly dazed sense of atmosphere, and “How Are You True” is one of the prettiest songs in the band’s whole catalog. The choppy vocal effects are extremely immersive, and the lowkey energy of it all is wonderfully hypnotic.
It also transitions very naturally out of the song right before it. That song being “Trouble”. The strongest piece of this album by a pretty wide margin. The backing vocals are beautiful, the chorus is really impactful, the acoustic elements are particularly well utilized, and the whole thing truly feels “Melophobia quality” while still being sonically distinct from that project. After this 4-7 stretch however, the album’s final 3 tracks don’t give me a whole lot to talk about.
I enjoy the spaghetti western vibes of “That’s Right” decently enough, but “Punchin’s Bag” is one of the most forgettable songs that CTE have ever made, and even though it’s a decently fun track on it’s own, “Portuguese Knife Fight” has almost no real impact as a CLOSER. Which is particularly disappointing coming right off the heels of a record with one of the most impactful endings I’ve ever heard.
So yeah… “Tell Me I’m Pretty” definitely isn’t bad, but it definitely ain’t special either. It’s unenergetic in a way that mostly feels ill fitting of the band, Dan Auerbach’s production is solid but also extremely homogeneous, and lots of Matt’s vocals here feel way more “performative” than they do natural and/or “from the heart”. I do still enjoy this record for it’s excellent musicianship, generally solid song writing, and handful of wonderful highlights, but something definitely feels a little off about it all.
They just weren’t in peak form here. Which, again, is not a very pretty look right up against one of the most PEAK albums of the 2010’s.
Best Songs: Trouble, Cold Cold Cold, & How Are You True.
Weakest Songs: Punchin’ Bag, Sweetie Little Jean, & Portuguese Knife Fight.
This album gets a strong 7/10 to me.
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Social Cues

Not without it’s problems, but undoubtedly some of their strongest material to date.
This is pretty easily their 2nd best album if you ask me. It’s nowhere NEAR as good as 2013’s “Melophobia”, but it’s not like I ever expected them to reach those heights again. Cage The Elephant are an overall “pretty good” band with one exceptional masterpiece that came out of nowhere. But in terms of the rest of their “pretty good” discography, this is a very enjoyable album… even if it is VERY front loaded. Tracks 1-7 are all fantastic with only one exception, but then tracks 8-13 are all super forgettable outside of a couple key exceptions.
Let’s talk about that excellent first half though. “Broken Boy” is an immediately gripping BANGER of an opener with viscerally crisp production, The Title Track has a wonderfully psychedelic soundscape to it & one of the band’s catchiest choruses ever, and “Night Running” is a song that’s always gotten way too much hate in my opinion. I can KINDA understand the aversion to how sheerly radio friendly it is, but the vibes are again delightfully psychedelic, the Beck feature suits the track flawlessly, and there’s this extremely appealing sense of… idk “fuzziness” to the production on the chorus. Super sonically satisfying stuff.
Other great moments from this first half include “Ready to Let Go’ which was a perfect lead single for the record, as well as “Skin And Bones” which has a really moving chorus & some beautifully implemented strings, but easily the HARDEST banger of the whole project comes to us in the direct middle. “House of Glass”. This is one of the spectacularly wild things they’ve ever put out & it’s an absolute BLAST to listen to. The sly vocals, viciously vigorous guitars, and perfectly chaotic production all come together to create one of their best songs to date. LOVE IT.
Now for that relatively lackluster 2nd half. “The War Is Over” actually grew on me quite a bit this time around which I wasn’t expecting, but we still have songs like “Dance Dance” which feel distinctly lacking in creativity, “Tokyo Smoke” which frankly just feels kinda aimless to me, as well as “What I’m Becoming” which, in an attempt to sound soft & lowkey, just comes across as rather drab. These songs are all still “decent” at the end of the day, but they absolutely do not live up to the consistently high quality of that first half. Where this 2nd half DOES shine however are in it’s softer moment’s that aren’t “What I’m Becoming”.
“Love’s the Only Way” is SUCH a lovely track. The light guitars, the ethereal string sections, the tender vocal performance, the vividly “late night” atmosphere of it all! It’s easily one of the most beautiful glimpses into their softer side that the band have ever given us, but even more beautiful than that is the album’s closer & best song BY FAR, “Goodbye”. The lyrics are absolutely heartbreaking, the pianos are extremely moving in spite of being so very simple, and the bridge here is beyond fascinating to me.
There’s this part of it’s instrumental that’s either a muted piano or the pitched down plucks of an orchestral stringed instrument. Whatever the hell it is, it gives me chills damn near every time I hear it. There aren’t even lyrics during this part, but it still manages to be one of the most evocative depictions of sadness that I’ve ever borne witness to. Undeniable proof that sound alone can often speak SO MUCH louder than words. This has been my go to “depression song” for YEARS now & I don’t see that changing any time soon.
So that’s “Social Cues”! It’s definitely got some issues, but I still like it quite a bit. It’s got a really fun new sound for the band, a decent amount of variety, consistently excellent lyrics that are largely about Matt’s, at the time, recent divorce, and some of the highest highs in their entire discography. It’s undoubtedly frontloaded, but still a very satisfying album experience overall. I mean it’s kind of impossible NOT to be satisfied with a closer this stellar.
Best Songs: Goodbye, House of Glass, & Social Cues.
Weakest Songs: What I’m Becoming, Black Madonna, & Tokyo Smoke.
This album gets a decent 8/10 from me.
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Well that's the post! Hope you enjoyed reading it & I'd love to discuss any & all of my takes in the comments!

My version of episode 8
The episode starts with a flashback of yue.. she is a child who's playing with other children and finds an injured baby sea lion. She tries to heal it but it doesn't seem to get better. She takes the baby sea lion to the oasis and puts it in the scared water and tries to pray to ocean and moon spirit to heal her.. she hears the whispers "heal" and follows the instruction and uses healing ability to heal the sea lion and it helps.. her friends witness this and they tell their elders about this. Everyone realizes that yue is blessed with special healing abilities, and only she can heal something serious in the scared oasis hence she is hailed as the priestess of the northern water tribe.
We cut to the present and we see her walking with sokka in the hallways of the town hall talking about stuff like how she feels connection to every waterbender and how the full moon makes her feel more alive than ever.. she talks about mystical stuff such as spirits and spirit world and how some spirits are dangerous while some are essential for life. Sokka compliments her and tells her her blue eyes feels so bright and entrapping. As both come closer to each other surt falls on them.. sokka recognises the danger and says ' they will be here soon'.
We cut to katara secretly training in a cave with some young waterbenders.. they taught her some drills which strengthened her basics and she developed new techniques while she teaches them the moves she created on her own. Aang is there but he's busy amusing some of the children student and he's not a great waterbender himself. Katara shows concern to aang telling him he needs to learn and show some progress. Aang shows a worried look and agrees with her as they position themselves to began the training the snow falling outside the cave turns dark. Confused everyone steps out and sees the surt. while most of them are unaware, just like sokka katara recognises the incoming danger and takes aang back to agne quela. The chief gather everyone in the hall and tells them about the imminent war and asks for volunteers to enlist. Sokka stands up fast and moves forward to receive the mark of soldier while aang, katara and yue look with concern. Sokka tells them he needs to prove himself to be a real warrior and that will happen only when he tests himself in the battlefield. Aang and katara assures sokka he doesn't need to prove anything but he insists.
Scene cuts to fire nation navy ship scouting for any incoming danger in the fog and spots appa incoming, alerting the ship but it's no use as the trio of aang, sokka and katara easily defeat everyone and disable the ship and it's weapon, as they ride Appa out of it and reach the clear sky, they get the view or the entire fleet that's heading to the city.. they quickly retreat to the city and inform them, aang hopelessly falling on his knees and starts to profuesly apologise that he's sorry he's not prepared for this. The chief assures him his spirit along with ocean and moon spirit will ensure the victory of the tribe, no matter the cost.
Scene cuts to the ships of fire nation where Zhao discusses the attack plan with iroh. He tells him that the geographical challenges in invading the north pole are immense but they can be bypassed by using different ways of travel. Iroh looks with confusing so Zhao shows him the air balloon being prepared to which Iroh questions his motive. Zhao tells him in order to win this war he needs to disarm the water tribe, completely and it's entirely possible because there's only one entity in the world that carries the power of bending for all waterbender and it's the moon spirit. Iroh questions feasibility of this plan and how Zhao plans to find the spirit and kill and how killing it is possible. To which Zhao replies that he came across some scrolls that he found in the library that he found during his serving in desert and the guardian spirit went to spirit world so he scoured entire library looking for ways to weaken other nations but only found fire nation and water tribe weakness. He dismisses the fire nation weakness saying that it's important that information dies with him for the safety of fire nation but every full moon, the spirits dance in the reflections of sacred places. He reveals a dagger, which he retrieved from roku's temple that Roku has collected over his life. The dagger belonged to avatar kuruk and has special abilities to bypass any spiritual barrier and kill any spirit because it is made from the bone of a lion turtle. Kuruk crafted this weapon in order to fight the dark spirits and he needed a weapon that could kill any spirit without resistance. This worries Iroh and questions zhao's motives and the implications that would arise with the death of moon spirit. Zhao dismisses it but Iroh doesn't push his luck so he can join him and act when he needs to. The scene cuts to iron explaining zhao's plan to a masked soldier who unmasks himself to reveal an injured zuko who survived zhao's assassination attempt. Zuko feels alarmed by zhao's progress and informs Iroh that he'll leave the ships immediately and go to north pole as the ships get near. Iroh asks him his plan to which zuko gives vague answers, worrying Iroh.
Scene cuts to the wall of northern water tribe where there's dead silence and gust of winds blowing... The silence is unnerving but suddenly a fire ball appears through the fog and strikes the wall. The soldiers scatter with the attack but gather and try to contain the rain if fireball that is being sent by the catapults of the uncountable fire nation ships. Katara helps anyone she can and approaches pakku. She tells him that there's need for every pair of hands in order for them to defend their home, he can carry on with his traditions later but now it is not the time to be stubborn. Yagoda agrees with and tells her while a fireball heads their way, katara, yagoda and bunch of female waterbenders stop it from impacting and freezing it in towering ice. Pakku realises their potential and positions them at exposed point in order for them to stop further damage from the fireballs. Aang also tries to stop the damage but it's too much yet he helps other soldiers retreive. The chief tells yue that there are soldiers that need immediate attention in the sacred pond and tasks sokka to guard her while she heals the gravely injured. They head to the pond and heal many of the soldiers who walk out of the oasis, as they leave and sokka and yue are about to head out they notice an air balloon descending towards the oasis. They hide in the bushes nearby and observe who is there and what they are trying to achieve. As aang is helping outside at the front, kuruk appears to him and informs him about the dagger presence, it's properties and how it can end the life of most powerful spirits and pleads him to go the sacred oasis where the most powerful spirits reside during events like full moon. Zhao looks around in the oasis reciting the words he read in the scroll about spirits. He sees two koi fishes circling each other, slightly glowing. He recognises the eternal dance and decides to kill the spirit. Iroh warns him that the spirits are something that should not be trifled with and threatens him force if he proceeds with his actions. While Aang heads for the oasis through kuruk's temple, zuko confronts him and asks him to surrender and come with him. Katara asks Aang to go ahead and stop Zhao while she takes on zuko. They both fight with their best but with katara sharpening her skills and catching zuko by surprises, she easily overpowers him after several bouts. Aang also arrives and tells Zhao how spirits are important for everyone, even fire nation. The spiritual balance needs to be maintained in order for life on earth to survive, without it everything will fall apart. Zhao steps back from the pond but at everyone's surprise jumps in with the dagger and stabs the moon spirit, turning everything grey and moonlight vanishing from sky. Yue faints and aang feels striking pain in his head as he senses the loss of balance. Iroh strikes Zhao several times but Zhao manages to escape. Iroh runs behind him while looking at yue and telling her you have unique life in you. Aang gets flashbacks of air temple, kyoshi's harsh words and kuruk's word about how he should walk alone on this path and there needs to be certain sacrifice in order to achieve the results. During all this, aang hears some somber chants. Those chants were something knew but very familiar to him. He senses the chants coming from the pond. The chant is "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo Shin Di" which translates to "I bow to infinite light". It's a chant that is used by spirits when they are in danger or need of help towards the avatar spirit. As aang moves closer to the pond the chant intensifies. Yue expresses her despair and how everything is destroyed and it's over, simultaneously aang enters avatar state and with thousands voices says "no, it's not over". Aang walks into the pond and stands near the ocean spirit which circles aang, starting a ritual of combining their power. Aang dips into the ocean and emerges as koizilla. This prompts the water tribe citizens to bow to their diety immediately and koi zilla recognises the fire nation forces and starts to wipe them out of the city.
As Zhao runs through the streets of ange quela, he is confronted by zuko who duels him in order to avenge assassination attempt. Zuko eventually overpowers Zhao and questions why he did it to which Zhao reveals he knows about his blue spirit identity thanks to his sister. He goes further and tells him that his father and sister think of you as a failure and your father used you to push your sister to new heights and now she's more powerful than ever. Zuko walks away in shame and sadness after hearing this. Seeing the opportunity Zhao tries to take a cheap shot at him but is immediately torched by Iroh and drops into the water channel that has glow of ocean spirit. Aang in koizilla wrecks havoc on fire nation fleet amid their constant attacks through the catalputs but he overpowers them and sends a wave huge enough to ruin the fleet. Katara tries to speak to aang and talk him out of this destruction but aang's sense of worldly concern is gone and he intends to help the spirit until they are at peace and balance.
We cut to oasis and sokka talks about the possibility of bringing back the moon spirit to which yue has flashbacks to how she was so extraordinary, and she finally accepts the fact that she needs to repay the debt. She gives sokka a kiss and while sokka is not looking she freezes his feet in order to immobilize him. She walks into the oasis pond and picks up the dead koi fish, while sokka pleads her not to and using her healing power with her spirit's concentration and disappears into the strong light, which after few seconds goes away and the moon spirit has returned in form of the koi fish. Sokka watches yue disappear like that and cries in loss. The moon appears back into the sky and grabs aang and the koizilla's attention. Katara tells aang how important he is to her and how aang is still needed by everyone. She tells him that he might have lost a family but also gained one in form of her and sokka. This convinces aang to stop his rampage as the balance has been restored and he is retreated back to the shore by the ocean spirit into katara's arms. The sun rises and everyone begins to face the aftermath of war by removing the debris, helping the injured and securing the corpses of the fallen. Aang looks at the mayhem and destruction and blames himself from not stopping it. Katara tries to comfort him by telling him the bad actions of other people is not your fault, but he tells her it's his job to stop them and flies away on his glider. later, a funeral ceremony is held. The chief thanks the Martrys and the injured for their courage and sacrifice and how their valiant effort stopped the fire nation. He pays respect to yue for restoring balance and speaks how proud he is of her sacrifice. Pakku also announces that some traditions are outdated, and they need to change like water. He announced that women will no longer be prohibited from learning waterbending combat and everyone is free to learn what they want to. Chief ends the speech with saying there have been losses but we always move forward from these because it's our nature to adapt and overcome difficulties and losses. Aang realizes that loss of life is part of the cycle of life and he cannot prevent everything but he can always try. He remembers gyatso's words about letting go. Sokka and the chief share the conversation of how yue was so courageous and how they feel after her leaving them in this world . Pakku tells katara how she reminded him of their core values and she's a commendable warrior and a bender. After the ceremony ends aang tells katara and sokka how he feels he needs to move forward and be the avatar the world needs. Katara expresses happiness while sokka shows sarcasm and tells him he's hungry and offers them to join in for the food and katara taunts his need to eat everytime.
We cut to omashu being heavily damaged and fire nation soldiers walking in. We see a shot of bumi being captured and trapped into metal casings to prevent him from bending. A warrior with face masks walks up to him and removes it.. revealing it was azula who has invaded omashu.
Episode ends with the fire nation sages revealing to Ozai model have developed to predict sozin's comet and informs him that it's arriving soon.

Throw away since I know this former employee is on Reddit.
This is in regards to a small, privately owned retail business in an at-will state.
Usually oral agreement issues are employees being shafted by owners/managers/etc. that the latter may have orally agreed to about X, Y, or Z to an employee. It has actually been difficult to find online search results that are reversed, which is the case I am experiencing with a former employee (let's call them Alex, in a gender-neutral manner to reduce revealing private info about them) - Alex is claiming that they were promised a large portion of ownership of the business as well as equity related to recent, large product investments.
We had to fire Alex because of prolonged, catalogued/tracked service quality and professionalism issues, as well as strong suspicion (and eventual solid evidence discovered post termination) of theft. The service quality and professionalism issues were discussed with Alex numerous times, and naturally known to other employees working alongside them. Eventually, after numerous continued issues and verbal warnings, Alex was formally written up and we had them sign the notes covered in the meeting. After a couple more months of still declining service quality, and odd, suspicious behavior that strongly indicated theft as mentioned, we were forced to terminate employment. We provided Alex with a fairly standard release form which essentially said "we won't sue you and you won't sue us, and if you sign you get 4 weeks of severance pay." Alex did not sign the form. Alex found new employment about 4 weeks after termination and to my knowledge has not filed for unemployment for the few weeks between jobs.
As mentioned, we later confirmed not only theft, but Alex was selling the stolen goods online while undercutting our prices and then even using the store's financial accounts to purchase shipping labels for their online customers to ship the stolen goods to them. We have screenshots of their Ebay account, along with pictures they took showing of the goods where their hand is visible with recognizable jewelry seen by all the staff before Alex was terminated (so we can confirm it's Alex in the pictures they posted). There is strong evidence of other theft but it is more difficult to prove.
Re: the oral agreement - it should be noted that I did in fact make an oral agreement with Alex, but of which is very different than the one they are claiming was made. Because Alex was our first employee and worked with us for over 5 years, I agreed that if the business was to ever grow to say another storefront, I would allow Alex to buy in for an undetermined percent of the business (probably around 10% at most). That is it. I've maintained that this was the agreement to Alex, my wife, and employees for a number of years, never changing the details of the arrangement. Unfortunately Alex made these poor service quality and theft decisions and was terminated before the business was able to grow into an additional store (still not a possibility at the moment and probably for another couple of years), thus the agreement is now null and void. This agreement was NOT written down or signed by either party (and thus no witnesses either).
Alex is claiming that they were promised to be given (yes, given, not just allowed to buy in) ownership up to 50% of the current business and 20%-30% or so of the value of recent product investments, of which would likely be in excess of $100,000 together. Alex's claim is absolutely not true. There is no paperwork, signatures, witnesses, etc. that would be able to confirm this unless they are going to forge something or have people lie for them. However, I am concerned about this because I otherwise do not have proof that this was not the agreement...
Our two current employees, aware of this situation, and aware of (and witness to) the poor and odd behavior of the former employee that led to their termination (including the theft), are more than willing to testify that Alex's claim is not the case. Alex even spoke to them about thinking about drafting a letter to me about a 7% ownership stake, which they never did. If they were orally promised such a great deal of ownership why would they need to draft a letter for only 7%? Unfortunately Alex has recruited the wrath of their parents (who they lived with for 6 years straight and just moved into an apartment, Alex is in their 30s.) who are going to bankroll them a lawyer. I would imagine that Alex has been telling their parents for some time now (like years) that there was some sort of oral agreement about ownership more in the line of their false claims (to the specifics I am not sure) and they have been able to convince them that their child is telling the truth. So Alex's parents could very well feel like they're telling the truth when they say their child told them about this crazy 50% stake and equity when in fact it was a lie. But how do I prove that? Do I need to prove that?
Here's where it gets a little more complicated - Alex's father (who I miss, he was a good guy) is handy and built a majority of the counters, drawers, storage, display tables, etc. in the storefront for free (he refused payment for the labor, but I paid for all the materials of which I have receipts for). Alex is claiming that because their father built all this furniture, it is "proof" that they were promised part ownership and equity (because why else would their father be so generous?...). But that is not the case, their father just wanted to help and participate in any way he could as he is nearing retirement and wanting to take on new activities. The employee may have been cultivating this false assumption that such construction is proof of promised partnership with their fathefamily from the start, although their father never mentioned anything like that to me.
The personal and professional betrayal aside, I'm concerned about Alex levying such accusations of ridiculous grand promises via oral agreement since it is so hard to confirm either way, and given this person's proclivity of lying (and stealing) I have little trust they will act in good faith if any legal proceedings unfold. I would love any advice on how to possibly handle this issue. Wouldn't the onus be on Alex to prove these grand promises? Given the little I have listed above, what "evidence" might be in their favor? How concerning is it that their parents are fully convinced their child has been wronged (I also know that Alex is telling friends and new coworkers the reason they were fired was because of me not wanting to "give" them part of the business)? It seems ridiculous a parent's perspective would hold much weight in actual legal environments since they would be so biased. Should I be concerned there is no written agreement about any of these promises (including the legitimate one about eventual opportunity to buy in)? Anything about their father volunteering their labor? Is it a good thing that our current employees are willing to testify (on their own volition, I didn't even ask them) about their own first hand experiences and conversations with Alex that contradicts many of Alex's statements? Anything else potentially troublesome I should be aware of?
Yes, lots of lessons learned here - get things in writing for my own protection against such claims. Unfortunately that is not the case here, so advice geared around the fact that no party has much to support their claims (well, I'm only claiming their claim is false) would be most helpful. Please let me know if you have any clarifying questions or need more information for better input. I really appreciate your time and consideration!

May 15, 2024 Phoenix Arizona A.S. Newswire
The owner of a home at x420 Mary Jane Lane in Peoria Arizona has a small but ongoing problem. Strangers keep leaving marijuana in his mailbox. "Sometimes it's a small Ziplock bag, sometime a couple of joints. Over time it adds up!"
The owner, who prefers to remain anonymous doesn't use marijuana, finds himself in a bind. He can't leave it there or underage kids might find it. But he doesn't want to consume it either, or to risk driving with it in his car. "And I'm pretty sure a couple of the neighbor kids are checking my box whenever I leave the house. I don't want to get arrested!"
He states "I called the Peoria police non-emergency line repeatedly. They kinda laughed it off every single time. One detective asked if I was getting free pizza on the roof, also, whatever that means."
Asked for comment, Detective Lisa Scott, speaking for the Peoria Police department stated "We can't comment on ongoing investigations. And since simple MJ possession is no longer a crime in Arizona, we're not gonna stake out a mailbox or invest a lot of resources in this. As far as we're concerned Mr. Weirman, err, the homeowner should just throw it in the trash."
"I tried that" said the homeowner, only to come home and find my garbage can empty'd on the front lawn from people looking for free weed. Marybeth Shrute, Steve's neighbor reportedly spends her days watching his mailbox through binoculars, hoping to provide the PPD with a tip. "Kids today just don't know the value of a dime bag and if they're leaving free samples around, without offering us glaucoma sufferers any they're pushers in my book, and should be locked up."
Another neighbor asked for comment, Robert Zimmerman (no relation) repeated the oft-repeated phrase, "Well, I guess everybody's just got to get stoned." Zimmerman asked about the potency of the "gifts" to which this reporter had no answer. "I'm just askin', would Willy get a buzz from this or not?"
The homeowner petitioned the city to change his address to x419 or x421 but the Peoria street department and US Postal Service both said "No way! You bought the house at 420 on Mary Jane Lane, you can live with the implications. Besides, said one Postal Inspector, speaking COMPLETELY off the record, a lot of people WISH they had the problem you have!
Copyright 2024 Arizona Satire Newswire, used with permission and flair, grace and debonair.

Hi Everyone! I’ve always loved good smelling stuff and for the last 15 years I’ve usually had one bottle of cologne, and would replace once it’s out. Only in the last few months have I really delved into this world and began filling out a modest collection. I’m definitely not an expert (so take my reviews with a big grain of salt) but I love smelling and writing so here ya go. (Fucking wall of text incoming lmao, I didn’t realize how lengthy this got)
I just got back from a three-hour mall trip to try and get my nose on as many niche fragrances as my senses would tolerate. I had already done a good bit of research so I had some picked out to try and others already crossed-off. Im a 30M for reference.
I also had the goal in mind to find a contender for a fall/winter scent that exudes class, sophistication and decadence. For that, I’ve already tried a few that I really enjoy, and kind of used these as a springboard to continue exploring:
Xerjoff Alexandria II- This is what I envision royalty wearing. Lavender and rosewood mix soooo nice in the open, and dries into a lovey rose/vanilla/essence of oud. The oud is really toned down here for those that dislike it. It’s kind of hard to pick out. Nuclear performance.
Initio Oud for Greatness- Another good starter oud, you could say (this was my introduction to oud). It lasts forever and the dry down is seriously heavenly. The wet, soily oud is at the forefront for 2-4 hours, but I’m absolutely in love with what’s left when it disappears. Lavender, saffron, nutmeg and musk mixes into the best dryer-sheet-like scent I’ve come across (what it reminds ME of at least).
Perfums de Marly Haltane- Quite similar in the opening to Oud for Greatness. Haltane is darker, though, where I get more leathesmoke. I think the oud in this is more subdued, or at least less moist smelling. It blends well and lasts a good while.
Initio Atomic Rose- Holy shit. Apparently rose gets my motor GOING. I tried a lot of rose-centric fragrances today, but this probably still takes the cake for its balance and strength, in addition to the scent itself being just gorgeous.
So with those in mind I was off to Neiman Marcus. I sampled a large amount more than what I’ve written, but stuck to the ones that were memorable; good or bad.
Frederic Malle - Portrait of a Lady- My favorite of the Frederic Malle. Sensual rose/clove/currant at the front, but it is kind of hard to pick out specific notes on this one. After looking, I can get the cinnamon in the background of the dry down, it blends perfectly with the sandalwood, rose and benzoin after drying down. - Carnal Flower- Some similarity to POAL, lots of tuberose and jasmine, which I personally like. A bright yet sensual floral, and you get some coconut and melon there, too. I typically dislike coconut but this is blended masterfully. - Lipstick Rose- Yeah, that’s what it smells like. Try this if you’ve seen people describe scents as lipstick-y or violet taking on that accord. Not my cup of tea, also leans more feminine to my nose than the other two. - Musc Ravageur- I really wanted to like this one. And for a split second I did! A clove-y vanilla sasparilla is what I first got, and it unfortunately turned into barnyard urine. I immediately remembered seeing some reviews stating this, and I couldn’t get my nose to move past it. I can tell there’s good stuff there, but not for me.
Amouage - Reflection- The only one I’d tried before, and remains one of my favs. Rosemary and pink pepper greet you with a deep, fresh spice. The vetiver and patchouli sit nicely at the bottom, and the combination of white florals mixes wonderfully. Another scent I could imagine on royalty, and seems pretty versatile, too. You could wear this year-round without feeling out of place. Insane staying power. - Lyric- Probably my favorite, but I need to smell again on another day. Compared to the other Amouage, I had to continually stick my nose in the coffe beans to pick up the scent from the test strip. When I did get it, it was a lovely light, fresh scent. Quite a departure from the other Amouage I’ve tried, but great. No surprise, the list of notes are some of my favorites: lime, bergamot, rose, orange blossom, saffron, nutmeg, musk, pine, vanilla, incense, sandalwood. Seriously, love each and all those individually and they come together beautifully. - Interlude- Another good one. Dark, mysterious. Definitely get the oregano/peppepatchouli/incense bomb off the top. Leather lurking behind. I typically don’t gravitate toward the leathery scents but this one’s good. - Enclave- This pretty much seals the deal for me that on me, mint just ain’t it. I liked Sedley at first, but the mint somehow gets too cloying to my nose after too long. I can tell I would get the same from the peppermint in the opening of Enclave. I almost liked this one, too. If you can even tolerate peppermint, you’ll enjoy this one.
Mind Games - Blockade- Wowww. First sniff love, here. Explosion of citrus, juicy fruit-y sex. I usually find myself staying away from citrus-forward scents but this shit is next level. This will be a contender for my next upscale summer buy. - Double Attack- Another love at first sniff. It’s familiar, though. Chocolate/orange/cinnamon/vanilla. You’ll want to eat it right up. I already have this box checked in my collection, but may come back to it in the future. - Checkmate- Another lovely scent. Champagne, red currant, rose, magnolia, little patchouli. It all comes together really nicely, and it was difficult for me to pick out specific notes before looking. Not a love, but I was really impressed with the quality and scent profile of the Mind Games I tried.
Clive Christian - Town & Country- Wow. No seriously, like fucking wow. Smells like an Italian fruit cart strolling through an English manor’s sprawling garden road. I look at the notes and I don’t understand how you get this smell supposedly out of Clary Sage, Ambergris, and Sandalwood. Like, what? This is high quality shit. I get some pear or grapes there, too. Try this. - Crab Apple Blossom- Yum yum yum this is goooood. Smells like it sounds. Bergamot, apple blossom and rhubarb dance around playfully together. Can’t help but have a big stupid smile on your face when you smell this. The more it dried down, the more it might be my favorite over Town & Country. - Matsukita- Another great scent. In the same vein as the other two since they are part of the same “Crown Collection.” You get some smokiness, here. Bergamot with nutmeg and mate give depth and a little mystery. White florals, woody ambers and musk at the base. Just quality stuff here. All three of these in the Crown Collection were available in 10ml travel size gift pack for $300. Good idea to put on my wish list. That shit is kiiiinda expensive.
Xerjoff - Erba Pura- I did not expect to like this as much as I did! Favorite that I sampled. Perfect combination of citrus and fruitiness off the top, layered over a bed of sweet musk. Something here is very familiar to my nose but I couldn’t place it. This will be another top contender for a future upscale summer purchase. - Accento- Soothing scent. Fruity white floral (usually dumb reach for me), and the iris gives it some powder but not overpowering. Not as feminine-leaning as I would have expected. - Iommi- Delicious! Sweet smoky rum off the top, and it’s a little surprising how forward the patchouli and leather is in this. It’s bordering on being a little overpowering, but it tames a bit on the dry down. I’d need to see how this goes on my skin, for sure. - Torino 21- Another one that I liked way more than expected. I’m going back and seeing mint listed as a top note here…I didn’t get that! And thank God since mint usually is a non-starter. Kind of an aquatic green to my nose. Again, just a lovely scent. - Naxos- Yeah ok this is good shit. I was expecting a sweet bomb, but this is definitely more restrained than what a lot of reviewers will have you believe. I’m a sucker for lavender and bergamot. Throw in honey and jasmine atop a bed of tobacco, vanilla and tonka bean? Yes please. - Erba Gold- Pretty good. To my nose more feminine than Erba Pura, likely due to the extra fruits in the middle. That combination of citruses, pear and melon is reminiscent of particular ladies’ scents.
Louis Vuitton - L’Immensité- Ohhhh yeahh. Relaxation in a bottle. My favorite besides maybe Fleur du Desert. This, Imagination and Météore all kind of dance to the same song, so to speak. More than one of these would be redundant, in my opinion. The quality speaks through each of these fragrances, though- really nice stuff. - Imagination- The name fits, as a lot of the notes here are almost fleeting like a word on the tip of your tongue. It’s a great, calming scent but it didn’t blow me away. Like I said, L’Immensité was the best of these and I don’t see the need to diversify within this collection. - Météore- Compared to L’Immensité, there’s a little more sweetness here. This leans closer to a shower gel-like scent in my opinion. Still great. - Fleur du Désert- This one started out reallly good. Honey and cinnamon into rose and orange blossom is an intriguing, sensual combination. Unfortunately, smelling it on my arm after a couple hours, the jasmine and honey turn into something my mind recognizes as an old lady scent. The POAL on my hand, by comparison, keeps mixing with my skin in a great pheromonic way. - Ombre Nomad- Disappointed with this one. I’m realizing I don’t gravitate toward darker scents like heavy oud, leather, incense. I can tell it’s put together really well and uses quality materials, but this isn’t one that was made for me.
All in all, my main take-aways include: Xerjoff scents living up to the name. I was definitely impressed with their offerings, and would have expected it to lean closer to overrated. Same with Mind Games. Really enjoyed everything I sampled from them, even if it wasn’t my cup of tea, I was impressed with the quality. Also, I need to get back and sample the rest of the Clive Christian house. I was absolutely blown away with what I tried.
A little bonus: I tried TF Noir de Noir, Extreme Noir, and Cafe Rose. Extreme Noir is excellent. A regal mix of saffron, nutmeg and cardamom on top of rose and white florals. Ahhhh, again, similar to what I imagine a king or king to smell like.
Cafe Rose is probably the second best rose-centric scent to my nose besides Atomic Rose. I’ll need to put those side by side.
Anyway, feel free to ask away if you’d like. I was bored and inspired so killed some time writing this out :)

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Todd Cochran Trio - An Homage To My Hometown, San Francisco 05-18-2024 @ 7:00 PM - Joe Henderson Lab at SFJAZZ, San Francisco
“A chameleon at the keyboards” (DownBeat), the legendary pianist and San Francisco native known for his six adventurous albums and collaboration with artists ranging from Bobby Hutcherson and Freddie Hubbard to Santana and Peter Gabriel makes a rare appearance in the Joe Henderson Lab, with a special locally-focused concert with his TC3 trio, titled 'Remembering… a homage to my hometown, San Francisco.' A child prodigy who studied at London’s Trinity College of Music as a teen, Cochran began his professional career with jazz legend John Handy and made his recording debut as performer, composer, and arranger on Bobby Hutcherson’s 1971 large ensemble Blue Note session Head On.Taking the name “Bayeté,” Cochran released his landmark Prestige debut Worlds Around the Sun in 1972. The album features “Free Angela,” Cochran’s tribute to activist and SFJAZZ Board member Angela Davis, re-recorded by Carlos Santana for his Lotus album, and is one of the most sampled and collectible jazz records of the early 1970s.From that iconic start, Cochran ventured far and wide musically, forming the art rock band Automatic Man with former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve and working with a global cast of collaborators including John Hiatt, Aretha Franklin, Stanley Clarke, and dozens more.Cochran returned to recording under his own name in the early 1990s, and his latest under the project name TC3, 2021’s Then and Again, Here and Now, features bassist John Leftwich and drumming icon Michael Carvin.
Tickets - https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/23-24/todd-cochran/

The players have been made aware of this, and have agreed. This is not meant to be a discussion of railroading.
Each player, some in groups, have had, or will have a private session leading up to the official start. They all start in the same place, against their will. Each character has something unique about them, or valuable, that would be appealing to slave traders. A very popular line of work in this part of the world. With undead being pretty much eradicated, cheap labor had to come from elsewhere. The party are more special than cheap labor.
A orc who wanted to escape the violence of his people and live peacefully. The reputation of his kin follows him everywhere.
An elvish princess, a rare thing in a world where there's around 500 elves left.
A bounty hunter, apart of a very well known clan, who possesses many trade secrets and tools. Many want their revenge.
A pair of twins who stumbled upon artifacts they shouldn't have. Otherworldly powers, and an unfair debt owed.
This corner of the world attracts many tourists for the same reason LA or Vegas does. There is endless opportunity for those willing to work for it, or a life of luxury for those who can afford it. Streets are filled with gambling, and exotics imports from all over the world. Gladiator style areas however is what brings in the most. Warriors from all over to come to show off their strength, willingly or not. For slave traders, this is where the money is. A fighter who can put on a show is a very valuable thing, and why 3/5 of the characters start off as prisoners.
The orc, elf, and bounty hunter are from across the region. Kidnapped for purposes that will be revealed later to them, backstory elements coming into play that made them desirable and worth the risk. The twins are apart of the gang who takes them, but they are not involved with this part. They simple are muscle, and smuggle drugs around for the gang. Session 1 is the first time the twins meet the other side of the business, and it's not for a promotion.
The session starts with the twins arriving to the hideout. Located at an old mining operation in the middle of the desert, it has been fortified and turned into something more. The old gates reinforced to create an area, and the entrance into the mines a jail. Deeper inside has been turned into a temple of Anubis, the prominate god of the area, but not all is what it seems. The twins are brought here to witness a fight. An elf druid, one traveling with the elf princess at the time of her capture is in the area trying to talk an owlbear out of eating with with little success. He wild shapes into a small bird in an attempt to escape, only to be shot out of the sky immediately by a guard with a long rifle. His death is quick, and gruesome as the owlbear does its thing to the prone man.
Afterwards, the twins are escorted inside. Past the jail, into the deeper chambers where they meet their boss. A Dwarvish women who immediately comes across as disliking them. She wants to test the twins loyalty, and this is when the characters are all brought together. The other 3 characters are brought into the room. One by one they are shot by the boss, and brought back by a cleric of Anubis, leaving only the twins left standing. This is just a showing of how she's willing to get her hands dirty, cause the twins want something that belongs to her.
The twins last big job was a heist. They needed to retrieve a silver jewelry box, and they had one rule. Under no circumstances is that box opened. Well, it was, but not willingly. The jewelry box contained a scale of a mercury dragon - dragons are rare, god-like beings here, and a scale like this is akin to an artifact rarity magic item. This Mercury dragon just happens to be the patron of the brother now, as the scale absorbed into him, through no choice or fault of his own. The boss wanted this power to herself, and upon retrieving the box, it didn't appear to be opened. Imagine her disappointment when she found it was empty. The brother was the only one alone with the box.
The sister is presented a deal. Kill her brother, right here, right now. Prove her loyalty without question or they both die. This is the first major decision the players are able to make now. If she pulls the trigger, or not. The boss isn't stupid. The gun handed to the sister isn't loaded. It's simply a test. If both siblings are to be shot, or just the one. The ending is largely the same.
Bleeding out on the ground, the sister, and newly revived party members witness the corpse of the brother forcibly raised from the dead to answer questions. The location of the item in the box. If his sister knew he stole it. Is he still loyal. - my ruling of Speak with Dead is they don't have to answer, but if they do, the answer must not be a lie. He will be brought back, but his answers will determine later interactions. Now, the sister. Every player in the game will have moments in the spotlight. I decided to start with her, as it made most sense, and given the twins background, they will be key members to the party next chapter. She still has the empty gun. If she knows its empty or not will change a few small details. She too is a warlock, and this is the signing of her pact with the Hexblade.
Her interpretation of this place is her own to make. She awakes in a void, and although she is still herself here, she is consumed by nothingness. No pain, no sound, no feeling at all. Not even a heartbeat. Here she meets an entity. A "shadow" that mimics her every movement. It even shifts slightly, becoming a silhouette of herself. When she touches it, it is an overwhelming sense of feeling. Fireworks going off at the tip of her fingertips. The warmth of her blood becoming as hot as the sun, but somehow feels comforting compared to the nothingness shes felt for all this time. Outside seconds have past. Here, it could have been years, or seconds. Impossible to tell. But with this touch she hears a voice reach out to her. "Squeeze". She's back in the room, vision blurry as her life fades. Gun raised, aimed at her boss, who doesn't fear an empty gun. Only, it's no longer empty. This is her new pact weapon. It functions as a gun, but she can choose to shoot normal bullets or eldritch blast from it.
Their escape comes soon after. The hideout is attacked by a Sand Stalker - a purple-worm like creature. Other captives save them, and the campaigns first chapter begins here. They are in the middle of the desert, very limited supplies, uncertain where exactly they are. Few npc trying to get to the capital city to find help. The twins, bounty hunter, and other npc know that everyone who bares the mark of the clan will have bounties out on them, to be returned to their owners. The world in now open to them, as they learn how to free themselves of this debt one way or another.
The slave contract is as good as a deal with a devil. Legally binding, and magical in nature. Each master / house has its own distinct mark to show ownership. Once the debt is paid off, the mark will fade on its own. Their starting debt is 10k gp each. It is meant to be ridiculous. The bounty on a slave is always 10% of their total debt. So, 1k gp to return them if they job is put out, and it will be. If captured the reward money is added to the debt they owe, making it 11k gp now. The system is designed to be nearly impossible to be free.
In the main city there are several patrons willing to help them for one reason or another. Old contacts of the twins and bounty hunter in the party are expected to be called upon. There's multiple escapes from the city I have ready, and I am looking forward to what they come up with. I don't expect them to ever pay off their debt. The main story will later being them back here, when they're ready to take on the challenges of the city in full, and save the world. Standard stuff.
This is a new attempt at an intro. Throwing them into the fire with a clear goal. A long "cinematic" before giving them full control. They all know the stakes, and are in a position of "our chances are better together" apposed from the classic meeting in the tavern and dealing with rats.
Every character has elements from their backstory that matter here, and will drastically effect the campaign going forward. They had all known the basics of the intro, and details where they started prior to making characters. Changes were made to my plans based on their characters, incorporating them into it one way or another. There were always slavers, and they were always going to die. The twins backstories are the only ones from this region and they provided me a lot to work with, and ability to tie them into the scenario.
The boss killing and betraying the twins is a detail I think is very important. The other characters may see them as enemies, so by doing it this way they have common enemies and no secrets about it. Only the sister is not in debt, giving her a few special privilege's while in the city. All the players know each other, have played in other games together, and know what's expected. I am trying to make the party's coming together seem natural by immediately giving them a common problem and no one else to turn to. [BG3 SPOILERS] as the mindflayer parasites provided the main cast common problems, and Out of the Abyss first chapter being major influences. There are many other politics involved also, some sub plots that will come up later that tie to this, and a lot of world lore involved giving insight to why this region functions like this.

Storytime (Why retake the GRE?)

I took the GRE in October 2020 at home, the old one for MS admissions, but did not end up using it for any applications. My old score for the old GRE was 323 (162V, 89th percentile; 161Q, 65th percentile) and writing was 6. I ended up getting into a decent program in applied mathematics, and needed to retake it for competitive PhD programs in biostatistics/statistics and bioinformatics for the Fall 2025 cycle. I was aiming for perfect quant and somewhat improved verbal. I am working full time doing research and writing papers and programming lots and lots, it was really challenging to prepare, but I had lots of preparation time on my side---roughly two months.

Mock Scores (Markov property)

I double majored in pure mathematics and statistics from a top public school in SoCal, but I get incredibly anxious when taking these sorts of time constrained tests, so my quant was generally not perfect at all and all over the place:

1. Two days ago I took my first mock in the morning timed and got 159V, 160Q (powerprep 2, free)
2. The same day, later in the evening, I took another mock and got 159V, 168Q (powerprep+ 2, $40)
3. The next day, I took another mock in the evening and got 161V, 164Q (powerprep+ 3, $40).

So my quant performance was all over the place. Most of the time I would literally SELECT THE WRONG ANSWER and not fully read the damn question out of anxiety.

Game day (and the day before)

I didn't get very good sleep (only slept 5hrs because I ate really late and was super worried). I made a nootropic shake concoction and had some other supplements 30-40 minutes before I started the actual exam, which helped with my sleep deficit (vegan protein, matcha powder, creatine, l-theanine shake; vitamin B complex, CoQ-10, vitamin D extra strength; and a banana). I think diet the night before is actually super important and I did heavy carb and creatine loading: finished four servings of gnocchi; 1.1lbs ribeye steak; one avocado and one salmon filet. And up until the test day, I made sure to be physically active and stuck to my workout schedule to make sure that I have the best possible VO2 max on test day. This included doing zone 2-4 cardio weekly for at least 90 minutes per week. I see lots of people give up their workout schedule, but I think that's actually detrimental.
Beyond hacking my physiology, I took my test at a test center. I think that was a big deal because the test center was super quiet and there were no distractions at all. Driving there took me 40 minutes, so I was also able to settle down emotionally and just meditate about doing well while getting there. I listened to music as well which got me in a good mood.
I had completely forgotten that we get an unofficial score as soon we finish, so I was incredibly SHOCKED at how I did. I think if I had known I get the score immediately (unofficial) I would've done worse.

Other notes (resources I liked)

GREGMAT GUY... Danke Schoen. I used mostly gregmat strategies for all my preparation.

1. I used prepswift and made a cheat sheet from prepswift concepts for verbal, quant and writing. Making the cheat sheet was really helpful.
2. In particular, I focused on a lot of the strategy guides for the verbal and quant prepswift sections.
3. I did Manhattan 5lbs first, ALL problems EXCEPT the word problem ones since those ones were too wordy for no reason compared to actual ETS problems.
4. I did no foundations for quant until after I sampled my baseline performance on the Manhattan 5lb problems. Then I revised with prepswift and the official ETS material.
5. The official ETS quant and general GRE books are really good for practice as well. These are the real indicator of test performance since the Manhattan book problems are actually a lot more challenging.
6. I had very little verbal practice. I read and write everyday, so I just wanted to hit high 80s percentile for verbal. I did practice the vocab though (gregmat vocab mountain AND Magoosh GRE vocab).
7. For people with high anxiety: for the quant, just remember to recognize patterns, read the problem, stick to your foundations, plug and chug, and breathe. Everytime I started the quant section, I used the remaining time from the verbal to write that preceding sequence out so that I was using metacognition and prevent myself from panicking.

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