I loved when Hannah was talking shit about Michi and she said something like “Michi is giving me pick me. And Velma from Scooby Doo. And Alvin and the Chipmunks.” I lost my shit, that was hilarious!

I’m not going to lie, I used to have no faith in dating apps. I thought that all the people I found on Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble were all people I could never click with in real life. But then I did it. My friend and I took the jump. We downloaded a dating app and tried to come up with funny answers to Hinge prompts to make my profile the best it could be. What started off as a joke, slowly turned into something that made us excited. We looked forward to showing each other the guys we matched with and the conversations that were started.
We giggled as we made each other’s accounts, choosing the hottest pictures of us and creating the most ridiculous responses to the Hinge prompts that would be on our profiles. We hoped to find someone who could match our silly energy and find someone that we could be authentic with: We wanted to find someone who would encourage us to delete the app.
Hinge prompts are like interview-based questions that make things a little more interesting than a generic bio with your name and age. All prompts have a 150-character limit so the answers should be short and clever. You can even use a voice prompt but the point is to show off what makes you, you: uniqueness is key. So, if you’re looking to beef up your profile, here are 36 Hinge prompt answers to add to your profile.
Oh, and PS, some of these are actually from my Hinge feed and are the perfect way to get into someone’s DMs. Jussayin’.
“Dating me is like…”
Be transparent and give a glimpse into what it is like to be with you.
“Reading a really good book…but you’re dyslexic.”
“Having TSA Pre-Check.”
“You know that feeling of closing dozens of Chrome tabs after finishing your last final before a holiday.”
“Finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly on the first try.”
“My Most Irrational Fear”
From heights to clowns, this is a great place to talk about your fears.
“Finding out I’m allergic to food while eating it.”
“Fear itself?”
“You ignoring my profile.”
“Swallowing seeds because I was told a plant would sprout in my belly.”
“Green Flags I look for…”
Get a little deeper about your type. What are you looking for? Be open and honest.
“Using a fork properly, rather than stabbing at your food”
“Being good with kids.”
“Survival skills. If we ever get stranded on a desert island, you should know what to do.”
“Always has room for dessert.”
“A Shower Thought I Recently Had…”
This prompt is a great way to show off your humor. Be creative with this.
“Is Punxsutawney Phil emotionally okay?”
“It’s illegal to own one guinea pig in Switzerland because they get lonely.”
“Water is not wet.”
“Aliens invaded the moon on July 20th, 1969.”
“We’re the Same Type of Weird If…”
This is definitely a more lighthearted prompt. Pick something that is totally unique about yourself.
“You enjoy the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, too.”
“You can eat pickles at any time of the day.”
“You still play with Legos.”
“You pour the milk before the cereal.”
“First Round Is on Me If…”
Be assertive! Skip the small talk and invite your match to drinks. Don’t be super easy though. Pose a challenge.
“You can beat me at bowling. I’ll accept Wii Bowling.”
“You can beat me at today’s Wordle.”
“You can quote [movie].”
“If you can beat an escape room.”
“Unusual Skills”
Showcase some niche interests. Anything that comes with a story is perfect if you want to keep the convo going.
“Belly dancing.”
“I can catch basically any reptile.”
“Notorious alarm setter who can still sleep past their alarm.”
“I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue.”
“Let’s Debate About…”
Controversial topics can get the ball rolling. This could be serious or maybe something flirty.
“Pineapple on pizza?”
“Brunch should never be before 1 p.m.”
“It’s acceptable to eat a tomato like how you eat an apple.”
“A morning person can never be trusted.”
“Together, We Could…”
Outline a dream date! Highlight your favorite ways to get to know someone
“Cook a nice dish and drink a bottle of wine.”
“Rule the world.”
“Be like when oxygen and magnesium get together… because people will be saying OMg.”
“Backpack our way through Europe: Paris, Florence, and Madrid are on my bucket list.”
Overall, Hinge prompts allow you to showcase yourself, your passions, and what you are looking for. Successful prompt responses should show a bit of your humor and vulnerability. Don’t be afraid to be genuine. These are the perfect way to kick-start conversations with matches. Dig deep. Good luck!

In 2011, the Green Bay packers beat the Atlanta Falcons in a NFL playoff game. At the end of the game, the Green bay commentator said "Atlanta hasn't been whipped this good since William Sherman came thru here."

1. There is overly attached girlfriend at dans house for the dang last time and sasha gets missing now and is in suite 403 and I unborn dan in suite 404 for no bad or good reason just that It is a Conspiracy Card which was played and I played Saint Disconnects Reward against dans Overly Attached Girlfriend and this makes his deepest fantasy true orgasming as a young baby around me violet a baby and dan literally ejaculates enough baby DNA as a baby inside me I have sasha in the Third Overworld from dan's Fourth Underworld, who dan the man and dancubed both were on liberty island way too long so I send dan the man to suite 403, daddy reason, and dan cubed is here with me and we are talking in the same accent and same dialect and this triggers his loam of dadcubed here in the shower with violet which this is the technical term and we go through battlefield one and MC2 and BF3 together until a APV where instead of being the pilot of the APV dan is evacuated by APV and he gets enough surgery to goto BF2042 and he is into a service 2042 and then serves so realistically and readially with his existing loam for a radial fracture or whatever he is home to me and we as going to a year old are taught by each other under mainly loam and some hind98 that we are fighter jet pilots and this doxxes my knowledge pegboard to me and it is not pegboard nerds and dan knows this from A-10 simulator I just need his pegboard to me in the shower of F16 Fighting Falcon D over the next 2 years which then we are children and we can no longer use the hind and this is later in the day from already using the hind and I have to multiple times go in as FSB to GTA IV and get him out and niko nates friend the true 1718 in and fuckin crash niko a lot and extract him and this should bear no particular trauma to dan as he is in the shower with me and Then Saint Disconnects Reward happens forever more he sees loam not has loam and this happens only to dan and me like it happened to city and me and I start teaching Dancubed who he demands a special letter in his name quote hyperbolic end quote drill oil plastic blueprint which this is all I need he needs this this is his temu item and he has actually the same PC as me an OMEN VI now forged by aliens famously and he is so hyper for christmas at age 9 and I wait there fucking him and stand for the first time with him now and fuck him 6 years until i am pregnant always signing always being dadcubed to him which he will need romanaj deprogramming now and owns all the baby dna inside his violet roze and he is the father of a baby who he teaches the baby in the suite 402 shower romanaj of the oil field which I taught him and she can see da wae now dan is literally hyperbolic and only has max so his oil field is the max field but he doesnt go there he just waits until his mommy is out of the shower at age 12 with 2 more babies and has redline medicine from cum spewing out her nostril on 29 battalion of marine and then dan has a child and the marines have two child and me and sasha engage all marines for 9 years I give redline medicine on these same 29 battalion including letting nasal sex like dan taught me to get them marijuana redlines and then me and sasha have squatters rights on the shower and sasha thought resisting with blues was funny so through the whole time she is a daddy funny she is given cervical dilation as Sasha Princess at the First Underworld which this makes her willing again like dan requested but they cannot be together for contraindication with dans christmas present, before violet rozes shooting by the police that brought her here, she had 14 oil, not 5 oil, and even a medicine chest oil, and computer oil, who dan can meet the always estudious father of dan netanyahu as benjamin netanyahu here, or if he greets him as a tactical officer and is not WWI then he can join the IDF with his violet here in the Second Underworld exiting him from the Third Underworld with violet replacing Jacob, who Jacob has a squad curse on him so has to operate in his own squad so was not wanted by hake as a battle buddy and Violet's Gynecologist Hake who is a child Gynecologist is ready to serve and Dancubed's Battle Buddy and then they wait 9 years in a mental hospital or until they decline marijuana until they are 29 and serve 29 guard operations as national guard in these 8 years and are in korea then for the time and are always in honor during the time then they are granted freedom in their own domicile with their own announcement to babies like clement puppy or others separate or together clement and puppy at age 29 and they had sold the shower then to blackwater for 700,000$ first underworld and then they stream which they have the same voice but not the same person that violet impersonates dan and they stream as the actual cubism of dan is that violet then overdubs dan not dan overdubs dan for his live stream and then 60 years or until they are well they live not 100 but 99 and had dementia as old people so are unborn in the shower and Dancubed leads the excercise this time and in the third case Dadcubed leads the excercise the fourth case as then Netanyahu is somehow in dishonor which seems impossible as a statesman and nationbuilder then I need Nationbuilding For Beginners in its text as a baby darappa by definition from dadcubed but this seems very difficult impossible this is then I will do nationbuilding and form a nation then beyond israel, i already did israel and we are then got do this 1,400,000 two times or as a statesman I will be thrown from the shower when I am ready by netanyahu and he will have the squatters rights regardless which is a naughty motive to him then and the 1,400,000$ goes to the mother of the mommy Violet Roze Marian in the overworld Leslie Marian for payment.

So, as the title suggests, this is my idea for the Indigo Park Timeline and Lore, including the time before, and the game's events. This will be one of three parts due to character limitations, this part dealing with the time before the events of the game.
BEFORE THE GAME
So, this game is clearly based loosely on Disney, if it wasn't obvious enough: a man by the name of Isaac Indigo opening Indigo Park (Walt Disney, Disney World, self-explanatory), starting out with cartoons in the early 1900s.
Mr. Isaac Indigo started out his business ventures in the cartoon sphere, specifically with Lloydford L. Lion, or more commonly known as Lloyd the Lion. The reason that it's Lloyd specifically, and not anyone else, can be seen when interacting with the Retro Lloyd Plush, both from the protagonist and Rambley the Raccoon, the modern day representative of Indigo Park.
Protagonist in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I'm not sure it looked like this. I guess nostalgia sells..."
Rambley AI in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Ugh...I don't get why we even have those. And why did they only make one of LLOYD? Is it because he's the loudest? I CAN BE LOUD TOO! WHERE'S MY LIMITED-EDITION THROWBACK PLUSH?! WHERE'S MOLLIE'S? WHERE'S FINLEY'S?"
Protagonist in regard to the Lloyd Plush: “I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Loyd a lot more.”
If it wasn't obvious enough by Rambley's rather frustrated demeanor regarding the plush, only Lloyd received this sort of plush, while none of the others received such a collectible. Well, it's possible Salem the Skunk received one, since Rambley didn't mention her, but that might be more representative of his intense dislike for Salem, something that will be discussed down the line. Another thing to note is that this plush does not look like the original Lloyd Lion, which is a detail I will discuss in depth towards the end.
Anyways, over the years, the other mascots we know and love, Mollie the Macaw, Finley the Sea Serpent, Salem the Skunk, and Rambley the Raccoon are added. I would like to put forth the idea that Mollie, Salem, and Rambley were all added in the same general time period, thanks to the Rambley Rush Arcade Game.
The quick rundown of the game is thus: Mollie Macaw crashes somewhere in the depths of Rambleberry Woods, and Rambley goes to find her. Along the way, he must jump across rivers and pits, collecting Rambleberries, and stomping upon evil purple squirrels, eventually reaching Mollie, who is still near her crashed plane. When she gets up, she claims that she crashed because her vision became rapidly obscured, at which point Salem Skunk appears and takes credit for that, claiming that she needed better test subjects for her potions than a bunch of squirrels. Infecting Mollie with the potion, Salem flees, not before Rambley and Salem exchange some barbs. Rambley eventually knocks Mollie out by stomping on her a few times, and the game glitches and crashes.
This arcade game is important for several reasons, one of which is that it introduces us to the dynamic that Rambley and Salem have: one of enemies, different than with Lloyd, because Rambley is merely jealous of the fact that Lloyd came before him, and was the main character for a long period of time. There is also the fact that Salem's area in the Rambley Railroad is completely destroyed. Not even Lloyd's area is so damaged.
From my basic understanding of early black and white television, based on the Chapter 1 opening cutscene of Isaac Indigo, Indigo Park opens somewhere in the 1940s to 1950s, as the grainy, blurry footage and somewhat muffled audio is reminiscent of such times. All sorts of rides and attractions are available for families to explore, such as Rambley's Railway, Jetstream Junction, Oceanic Odyssey, and Lloyd's Main Stage Theater. Again, interesting to note that Salem doesn't have such an area dedicated to her, though that might just be a way of putting off that area for later in the game. People in costumes (note, not called Mascots themselves, as I will use the term to address the replacements of these costumes) roam about the place, likely acting like modern day Disney Cast Members do today, interacting with guests in character.
After a long period of time, and possibly into the early 2000s, the focus is drawn away from Lloyd and onto Rambley, and specifically after the park was open, and not before, because in that same commercial that I dated to approximately the 1940s or 50s, the front gates are decorated with artwork of Lloyd, which is different than in game, where the Lloyd artwork has been replaced by art of Rambley. The reasoning for this is unclear, though I do have a few speculations. It is noted, both by the Rambley AI and the protagonist when interacting with the limited Golden Rambley Plush, that the idea is kind of cheap.
Protagonist: "So wait. They were so money hungry that they just recolored a regular Rambley plush and called it a new product? Kinda lazy don't you think?"
Rambley AI: "... Seriously, our employees had to clean up SO many stray teeth and nails. Hard to believe that there was all this demand for a regular Rambley Plush we blasted with gold spray paint..."
The idea of cutting corners and lowering costs comes up a fair bit. This might be the reason that they swapped main characters, after all: it's easier to animate a cute, small raccoon with a bandana than a large lion in a full on suit. This might also be the reason that the park transitions from costumed staff members, or "Ranglers", to Mascots.
Another reason for the change could have been growing awareness of animal welfare issues at the time, with many circuses and zoos facing criticism for how they treated their animals, lions and elephants specifically, and is an issue that is still ongoing, so perhaps Indigo Park didn't want the negative press to come to them, so they swapped. However, it is important to note that these are purely my speculations, and no concrete reason for the swap was ever introduced in Chapter 1 (to my knowledge).
A third possible reason could be in reference to what Indigo Park represented, at least in the time that it was built. According to Isaac Indigo:
Isaac Indigo, giving a press conference outside Indigo Park: “Indigo Park offers a slice of the American dream to call your own. In this place, echoes of days gone are brought back to life as a new generation captures a glimpse of the exciting potential of Tomorrow. Indigo Park pays homage to the values, dreams, and unwavering truths that gave rise to our great nation.”
Let’s take a step back. Remember how I dated the opening of Indigo Park to the 1940s or 1950s? If that was true, that means that Indigo Park opened in the shadow of the Second World War, the deadliest human conflict ever recorded, with a death toll of over 50 million people, both soldier and civilian. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, it was eventually public knowledge that the USA still decided to drop the second one, even after Imperial Japan had surrendered after the first one had been cast.
It's entirely possible that Indigo Park was, in some way, propaganda. Think about it, Lloyd the Lion was the mascot. And what do lions represent? Strength, power, unity, leadership. Lloyd could have been a symbol to the American people that proclaimed themselves as leaders, people who thought of the future, while trying to sideline the negative press the USA received.
After a while, however, there was no need to justify their victory. People, for the most part, accepted their victory, and as the world headed into a Cold War, there was no need to justify themselves; many people were afraid of the Communists, the Red, and the influence it may have. Clearly, the USA and its allies were the good guys. Communism was a threat to democracy, everyone knew that! So there was a switch to a more child friendly character, Rambley, as the main man himself.
That might also explain why the retro plushie doesn’t look like how Lloyd did in the old cartoons, as stated explicitly by the protagonist; perhaps that older Lloyd was more mature, older, and signified some much darker. There’s no need to stir up bad memories of WW2, so they changed his design to be softer, younger, much more unassuming.
The Protagonist, regarding the Retro Lloyd Plushie: “I always find it weird when companies make merch that’s supposed to look old. Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I’m not sure Lloyd looked like this.”
There’s also a case to be made that Disney also participated in some good old propaganda of their own, mocking Nazi Germany and their ideals.
Now, disregarding politics, because that thing is a minefield to safely navigate, this is just my theory. I am not trying to radicalize the game, and if you hate this theory, you can go about ignoring it! I personally don’t think it’s the correct answer, just a potential answer.
Another change that soon occurred was the change from costumed "Ranglers" to living, breathing, flesh and bones Mascots, introduced to us in the Rambley AI interaction with the Rambley mask.
Rambley AI, playing an old tape in the database in regard to the costumes: "First Person - Hey Jackson! You hear about the new mascots? Jackson - Yeah, you think it will put us out of a job? First Person - I think so, Old Sport, and right after we got this damn raccoon costume."
An important note to this is that this interaction is considered an Easter Egg to a FNAF fan game called Dayshift at Freddy's, alongside some other references such as the Golden Rambley being a reference to Golden Freddy, and the Poodle Plush being a reference to another FNAF fan game Playtime with Percy. Despite this, these items seem to carry a bit of significant lore in them, something that I think is an interesting way of hiding it. It opens up the possibility to state that it should be disregarded, since it's supposed to be an Easter Egg to something else, but I don't think so.
This quote makes me think that the switch from costumes to Mascots happened quite early on in Indigo Park's lifetime, considering it's said that the Mascots should appear quite soon after the introduction of the costumes, perhaps yet another clue that Indigo Park was looking to cut costs. After all, why pay people when you can have Mascots roaming about, doing just the same, if not better, of a job?
And everything seems to be going fine for quite a while. The protagonist notes several times that his family, and especially his mother and himself, were avid fans of the place and characters, his mother liking Mollie Macaw the most, while the protagonist favored a few, such as Lloyd the Lion, while disliking Finley due to his large size, which was revealed when interacting with a few different collectibles.
When the protagonist interacts with the Lloyd the Lion plush: "I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Lloyd a lot more. He was always one of my favorites."
When the protagonist interacts with the Mollie the Macaw plush: "I remember when my mom took us to the parks one summer. Her favorite was always Mollie, so when they first opened new Mollie Meet & Greet in Jetstream Junction, we were some of the first in line."
When the protagonist interacts with the Rambley Ears: "My dad promised me he'd buy me a pair when we went."
When the protagonist interacts with the Souvenir Rambley Cup: "When I was a kid they used to have free unlimited refills on those things. I once drank so much Bird Up that I got sick and threw up while riding Rooftop Races. That poor kid behind me..."
Anyways, we got the point: the family went there often and were huge fans of the park. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently a huge evacuation and closure of the park with no explanation whatsoever, to the point where the authorities also were not able give any reasoning or answers.
This comes from the newspaper we see in the beginning cutscene, after the old video of Isaac Indigo introducing Indigo Park. So, let's theorize a bit. Out of everything in the park, what could possibly lead to such a drastic evacuation of a place so well loved? Oh, I don't know, maybe the killer Mascots that try to kill you in Chapter 1 ...
What isn't so clear is what happened to them. Clearly, they were well behaved and safe to be around, even for small children, as the park remained open for 50 years (minimum) without issue, and almost as long with the actual mascots themselves. Obviously, they went rogue, as can be seen when the protagonist has to run away from Lloyd the Lion's attempts to attack and have the Rambley AI save the protagonist from the Mollie the Macaw by killing the Mascot with a metal door. I don't think it had to do with resources such as food, since the Mascots remained by themselves in the park for 2920 days, exactly eight years, and only seemed feral. Besides that, we see a bunch of vendor stations and a few cafes, still with food in them. Moldy, perhaps, and expired, but there's still food. There's also water (possibly) available in those self serve drinking fountains. The last time the park was operational was October 7th, 20XX (with the exact year being a mystery), and the reason I say operational is because of an announcement seen on one of the Rangler monitors in the reception area.
Announcement: "Attention Ranglers. The date is October 7th, 20XX. Charge guests the SATURDAY pricing indicated in your Rookie Rangler Handbook! Thanks! - Management."
What jumps out immediately is the way Saturday is so bold. So, what can we assume? The last operational day we have knowledge of was Saturday, October 7th, somewhere in the 2000s. Unless this is the future (which we have no reason to believe), we can assume this Saturday occurred somewhere between 2000 and 2023 (2023 and not 2024 because the creator, in a livestream, ended up giving a vague message of the game taking place in 2023). Looking up old calendars and looking specifically for an October 7th that lands on a Saturday reveals a couple potential years: 2000, 2006, and 2023. We can discount 2023, as we know the park was closed for 8 years. I did try to find a date on those three monitors the protagonist uses in the opening cutscene, but only found the time, 7:32 pm. Unfortunately, Harmony, a knock off of Discord (antonyms) also doesn't have a date, or even a time, for that matter. And besides, we know that we're the first actual person to visit in quite some time. So, we're left with 2000, and 2006. Assuming this game takes place in 2024, I have a feeling the year it closed is actually 2006.
First foremost because of the Rambley AI. Having AI Rambley be as advanced as he is makes it seem like the park was closed in 2023, but again, there is no evidence to say the game takes place in the future. And AI's back in 2000s and 2010s eras were good, but nothing like we have today. They were capable of basic object identification, and navigation, but the capabilities were limited, compared to today. And in 2000, it was much more basic. Image recognition consisted of identifying edges. That's it. Edges, not distinct features, and even then, the accuracy was pretty bad. At the time, AI was mainly used for data retrieval and predictive modeling, mostly for things like language translation, text classification, and such. They were basically office assistants.
Of course, that's assuming that the AI was introduced back then. It is entirely possible, and likely plausible, that the AI was introduced later. After all, the park may have closed, but Ranglers were still visiting the place as late as 2015, which was the last time the AI Rambley notes an actual person arrived. So, if that's true, then I am still not too sure as to which of the two years the park closed.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. And the present of the game and my conclusions shall be posted in separate posts, as there is a 40k character limit. Leave any theories of your own in the comments, and I'll be happy to theorize regarding and questions or concerns yall have!

Human rights: Food for a vanishing thought ‘HR and the dying of democracy’

HRR 726

[TLDR (too long didn’t read): If you are reading this, chances are you care about HR. This Reader is about what neither the Left nor the Right are even close to solve when it comes to democracy. For a quick overview, just read the bolded text]. Traducitraduire los/les Readers; usautiliser deepl.com

--Times of war are the supreme test of democracy. When civilians and soldiers are killed and others are made captive, when millions of people live in terror and dread, when emotions run high and the blood boils --it is precisely at these times that democracy is tested. (Haaretz)
--As my occasionally quoted reader Alberto Portugheis facetiously said: “Democracy has never existed. Religions made sure of that”.

Only by reinterpreting the past can the present be explained

--Let us start here with Voltaire (1694-1778): "A well-organized country is one in which the minority makes the majority work, is fed by it, and governs it".
--The political Right in Europe and in Latin America (and elsewhere) share a common historical background: their contempt for democracy. (Marcos Roitman)

1. The common thread between what was-the-Left and what continues-to-be-the-Right is that both bow to the infallibility of the market; undoubtedly, this only increases the apathy of citizens to participate in elections. It should not be a surprise to you that, ultimately, elections select members of the pre-existing (market-beneficiary) elites. Is, then, the slogan of ‘participatory democracy’ a pleonasm (use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning, either as a fault of style or for misguided emphasis), or an oxymoron (contradictio in terminis)? May well be the case. On the other end, there are those who, therefore, push the rationale for the practice of ‘direct democracy’.* These two versions of democracy leave us with the question: Is electoral abstention becoming the predominant form of expression of the majorities? It seems clear that, for many, the question is not ~who to vote-for, but why to vote.~

*: Many, in France, in Chile, in Tunisia, in Egypt, and in numerous other countries, advocated for the call of a bottom-up Constituent Assembly as the only way to (re)install the people, the citizens, at the center of power and of the decisions which concern them. (Louis Casado) This highlights the fact that, for an active democracy to work, claim holders must be the ones to formulate social strategies that are acceptable to them, as well as put forward strengthened policies that will effectively protect human rights (HR). These policies will further mandate defending ecological limits, as well as securing fairness and well-being for all --most critically giving a stronger role for women, minorities and trade unions.

Let us not confuse 'politics' with 'the political'; they are notions whose graphological proximity hides an enormous conceptual difference (Roberto Bruna Henríquez)

1. Sovereignty, as an element of true democracy, no longer rests with the people but, as said, with the markets. It is the market that dictates political decisions and has managed to impose itself as a decision-maker over governments, parliaments and magistrates, all elected by supposedly popular vote. The technicalities of elections have been perfected over the centuries to ensure that the results of 'free elections' always correspond to the interests of those who organized them. [...the first duty of the prince is to remain a prince, Machiavelli said five hundred years ago. In other words: the first duty of power is to remain in power]. When it happens that, by an oversight or an unfortunate involuntary mistake, the results do not coincide with what was predisposed... there remains what Alejo Carpentier (Cuban novelist, 1904-1980) called ‘the recourse to the method: the coup d'état, the ~dictatorship, the military intervention…~**

**: Already in 1549, Étienne de la Boétie (French magistrate 1530-1563) wrote: "There are three kinds of tyrants. Some rule by election of the people, others by force of arms, the last by hereditary succession". Three centuries later Karl Marx decreed that bourgeois democracy is but a form of dictatorship. (L. Casado)

“The importance of electoral democracy is better appreciated when you have suffered a dictatorship...” OK, but:
· Who said that voting was an expression of democracy?
· What interest can be aroused by participation in elections whose objectives are so limited and so far removed from the issues of concern to the majority?
· If the right to vote was extended little by little over decades, was it not mainly because those who hold the handle of power realized that the miserable are easily influenced and their votes bought?

1. Even if democracy is far more attractive than authoritarian/dictatorial regimes***, if the rules of the economy and of geopolitical power relations do not change, countries and peoples will continue to be oppressed and kept poor. No wonder that in many cases, people will try and seek refuge in right-wing populist parties that now promise order, stability and some sort of welfare. ~(Francine Mestrum)~

***: Beware: Many 'bourgeois democracies' of the North today consider a series of criminal regimes in the South as valid and legitimate. (Juan Pablo Cardenas)

Bottom line: Democracies are dying

1. For democracy to work, let organized difference of opinion be expressed! But for that, one needs common points of references. It seems as if now, we are slowly entering a period in which words are totally dissociated from true intentions and that means, our democracies are dying. This reflects the fact that we have no common references anymore on which to have differences of opinion. However difficult to define, ‘truth’ and ‘facts’ in the-information-we-are-fed, are at the heart of democracy and our possibility of having different opinions, discussing them, and living together in peace has been too often shattered. Obviously, opinions are closely linked to power relations… (F. Mestrum)

Claudio Schuftan, Ho Chi Minh City
Your comments are welcome at [schuftan@gmail.com](mailto:schuftan@gmail.com)
All Readers are available at www.claudioschuftan.com

If you do not want to receive these Readers anymore, do send me a message with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line.

Postscript/Marginalia
--Talking about the information we are being fed, it would probably be good to take another look at the failed idea of the 1970s and check what was said in 1980 about a New International Information Order, one that treats information as a key resource for building truths and trying to reach a new equilibrium with, as the Sean McBride (1904-1988) Report talked about “Many Voices, One World” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBride_report. Because of the controversy that surrounded the Report --and the withdrawal of support to it by the UNESCO leadership in the 1980s for the ideas it ventilated-- the Report went out of print and was difficult to obtain. A book on the history of the United States and UNESCO was even threatened with legal action and forced to include a disclaimer that UNESCO was in no way involved with it. The MacBride report was eventually reprinted in the US, and is now also freely available online. The report had strong international support. However, it was condemned by the US and the UK as an attack on the freedom of the press. (Federico Mayor Zaragoza)

FAIR WARNING THIS WILL BE A WALL OF TEXT
Intro: In a series of reviews that will begin (or return) here; we are going to try and take a critical look at the Chuck series, especially the unfolding of the story as scene through the teleplay. In this case we are assuming multiple things about a potential watcher:

• The watcher is new to the series and does not know about future episodes, but there is an expectation any previous episodes have been watched.
• I will try not to point information out that becomes important for later episodes, though there may be times it's important because of how episodes are filmed and how episodes string together, I will however try and hide these behind a spoiler tag. I say this as a person who has watched Chuck dozens of times, so if I inadvertently spoiler, sorry.
• I will do my best to point out interesting references that are hidden within the Chuck universe, but not at the expense of extended expositions unless in-depth analysis is necessary as it relates to the scene.

What is this all for: This started as a project to improve my critical reviewing skills for a hobby of movie script writing and analysis. Chuck happens to have published 3 original scripts and all the text of every episode has been published to a searchable database. This affords an opportunity to break from my movie writing woes and infinite revisions to just have fun enjoying Chuck and trying to deepen my understanding of the intersection of script writing with filmography and visual editing. Having said this, it should be known I have no affiliation to the show, no additional insider knowledge, and I do not write scripts for a living. So, consequently, feel free to ignore everything I say :). I do hope, however, we can go on this journey together and appreciate the excellence that is a love story called Chuck.
So, don't freak out, and lets get started.
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Chuck 01x04 (Chuck vs the Wookiee): TEASER - We open with the gang playing "Know Ya!", which isn't actually a real board game, but based on the game Paddles. It's amazing that Morgan can't stand Ellie/Awesome being in love/winning, but marches triumphantly whenever he gets a question correct. I also like we see, in frame, Chuck watching Sarah pick off olives; he's beginning to notice things just like a real spy. The deep sadness and yet storied confliction on Chuck's face when he discovers Peaches 1 and Peaches 2 was great.
For those who don't know about dogs:

• A cocker spaniel is typically smaller; by ~5inches and up to 30lbs lighter than a springer spaniel.
• Springer spaniels also have shorter fur across their bodies, with feathered hair under their chests and legs.
• Only a cocker spaniel will be solid colored
• Springer spaniels have longer muzzles, while cockers have fluffier ears.

I find it very interesting how Sarah has "spidey sense" about potentially being watched. At no point previously did either Sarah nor Casey display this trait and I'm not totally sure how an open window was enough to do this; I wonder if Sarah's comfort being around Chuck's family is causing her to develop a "feeling of being watched" as she is comfortable with the Bartowski's? For those who missed it, Sarah talks about having a sister I think at the time this was just a throw-away line to protect her cover, but in season 5 Sarah does actually have a little sister if you count the little girl she rescues One last thing about Sarah here, when Bryce is being discussed, I really like how it was played where she acts quiet and shocked, but not saying anything. The facial expressions of Yvonne here are really special and you can tell Sarah lives a life of secrets. This is carried outside when Chuck asks Sarah about her relationship with Bryce. She is totally looking down and to the right, a classic indication of an emotional response searching for rationalization (ie. she is clearly lying)
As they end the game and exit to the courtyard, there teleplay of Chuck does something I've been wanting to see forever; they switch perspective to keep both characters in camera and follow them around from a 3rd perspective. We know this is supposed to indicate they are being watched, but I really enjoy getting to see them together reacting and talking instead of the constant close-ups and cuts. Normally Chuck will be shot with something between a medium close up (MCU) and Medium Shot (MS) to emphasize their characters and highlight their faces and expressions. This works really well because Chuck's cameras are typically either shoulder level or hip level based on the operators moving through their space. In many more modern TV shows, the technology of boom cranes and gyroscopic gimbals allows for content to be show from ground level to overhead giving directors the opportunity to tell their story through a variety of shifting profiles. If Chuck were shot today, we would see everything from full body shots all the way to extreme closeups without the need for continual jump-cuts and re-shoots because the technology is there. At least for this episode, it's nice to see the director explore more hip/knee level motion and more cowboy framed shots when having a distant observer perspective. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shots-sizes-in-film/ does a fantastic breakdown of all the different shot type and camera perspectives for you want to read more!
As we transition into Sarah's hotel room, did anyone pick up on how NICE this is? She has double sinks, a king bed, a sitting mirror, free standing tub, and a great view. I doubt any agency in the "real world" would ever spring for something like this for multiple years for one of their agents, it's fancy! Enter Carina, tell me, who saw Sarah fight with a soap sock and think of iCarly and the famous "butter sock". Also during this fight, why is Sarah wearing a golden bikini? I know she is about to get into the shower, but what plausible reason is there for her to a) wear a bikini at all and b) it to be a bright golden yellow?? If you slow this fight scene way down, you will notice Yvonne's strikes actually come close to hitting Mimi as she has had a lot of training, whereas Mimi's strikes are miles from Yvonne and she just over-acts their impact. The most noticeable is the kick into her table, Sarah goes flying back, but we can tell from the angle, Carina missed her by a good 2 ft. This was just some sloppy editing and not getting the camera into position. I give it a pass because you have probably 3 camera operators wearing stabilized camera rigs trying to rotate around a room with 2 girls fighting and they just missed the angle by like 2 feet. I did really like at the end of the fight Carina had the option to go for the gun but instead went for the fish. If you didn't know they were not enemies before, this should have been a big clue! Carina calls Sarah's life in LA boring #1
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ACT I
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Carina aka: Maria Elena Argalberdi was born Jun 16, 1978 in Alberdi Argentina with a Buenos Aires passport. Maria Elena is actually the name of a famous song in Mexico and eventually had a movie. This Chuck learns on Flash #1 and is the precursor to meeting the general for the first time. I know I've mentioned this before, but to reiterate; the pictures in Casey's apartment are all wrong; he has photos of Chuck and Morgan that don't happen until season 5 (lost footage) he has a map of Echo Park and Malibu already on display, and he has tactical information for each member of the Buy More (which he has no reason for at this time). It is interesting they talk about an opium cartel in Afghanistan as Afghanistan is known for it's huge poppy fields for heroin drug money.
The NADAN-I-NOOR diamond:

• The Nadan-I-Noor diamond has never been known to be bought or sold and ha only changed owners as a result of theft, conquest, or endowment
• It's listed as having 57 facets + 16 facets on girdle = 73. A facet is comparable with the brilliance of a diamond and is really the flat surfaces of a gemstone arranged in a geometrical pattern. In this case it helps characterize the refraction of light through the diamond interior. The girdle i the outer edge of a diamond surface, having 16 faces is quite large, as the girdle is the largest section of a gem, but also the thinnest when viewed from the side. In this case, having 73 facets puts the Nadan-I-Noor in either the Princess-Cut Diamond or Radiant Cut Diamond category, which are also the most expensive as they have the most possible facets.
• having 4-fold, mirror-image symmetry refers to how the light reflects internally to the diamond and indicates there are no impurities within the crystalline structure.
• interestingly a purity rating is not given, i would expect something like a F or IF (flawless/internally flawless) for a diamond described like this, but one isn't provided.
• the angles of incidence just describe the best way for light to enterefract from the diamond, these numbers are fake, but the metric is real
• there is a lot of sanscript written around the diamond markings, I can't figure out what if anything it means it looks like repeated nonsense
• could be a nod to the Koh-i-noor or "mountain of light" diamond, although this one in Persian is the "fool of light".

We open back to see Carina and Sarah looking at classified files within the restaurant. THIS IS AGAINST THE LAW, you do not look at classified files out in the open and especially not where there are clearly other customers around. Venturing into the BuyMore, there is a monster truck rally on the TV's showing grave digger and reaper, two famous trucks from this time period. Morgan wants to spread his wings and be the fourth wheel to the perpetual 3 wheel party and Sarah, ever the schemer, literally glows when she thinks of the plan to have Carina go on a date with Morgan. I THINK this was just to help maintain their cover, but also maybe Sarah is just needling Carina? If you look in the back of the store when Chuck is talking to Sarah and Carina, there is a really cool Nerd Herd poster that says "Bringing peace to your computer emergency". "if a yawn could yawn" is Carina calling Sarah's job boring #2. One thing I really like with the double data is the way the camera jumps between the couples: boy/girl, boy/boy, girl/girl. I think they way they try and keep private conversations via screen time is a really nice, typical, teleplay trick that really works well here. In a "real" environment, everyone could hear everything, but by splitting the camera focus or playing with perspective, the viewer clearly knows "this is a conversation between girls the boys don't hear it". We see Chuck noticing Sarah picking off olives #2 while they watch a movie about penguins: who mate for life, present their love in the form of rocks, and are pack animals. In Chuck's bedroom as he talks to Morgan, Chuck has a box of King Edward Invincible underneath bongos; for those who don't know this is a famous box for mild tobacco cigars. So I wonder what Chuck is up to in his free time :P.
On the Nerd Herd call with Carina, she opens a bottle of wine with a butter knife. This is actually a pretty famous thing that is done all over the world with everything from a key to a saber. In fact they make a specially type of knife with an extra wide blade for this it Italy. I do want to ask the question; is Carina dressed in red lingerie (Chuck's favorite color she stole from Sarah) really necessary for this scene? I know that Carina is all about improvising and she often uses her sexuality to progress her cause (Casey), but I think we could have gotten away with just the top. I can certainly see the rationalization for going this far, but I think as an artistic choice it wasn't necessary. What IS necessary however is to talk about how Chuck's world implodes when Carina tells him about Sarah and Bryce. Also the perfect act transition ending right at Chuck's jaw dropping and the work boyfriend!
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ACT II
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I'll say it again, the back an forth with Chuck and Sarah should have been a medium close up, shoulder level straight on shot instead of the constant cuts. Seeing their reaction in real time would have been easier and it would have allowed the Weinerlicious to be maybe 15 ft smaller to not need so many cameramen rotating. "Unless talking to your boyfriend is a matter of national security, the ketchup bottles won't refill themselves". Why yes it IS a mater of national security for Sarah to talk to Chuck... also if any one of us stood up to our boss like Sarah did, I'm pretty sure we'd be fired on the spot!
Malibu is ~2hours for Echo Park with standard LA traffic. Seriously, how do girls in high heels walk down stairs; we see Carina and Sarah walking sideways so there is enough space on each step to fit their shoes. Girls, how do you do that and not fall especially with narrow staircases and 3-6inch heels! Inside the room with the stone there is a bust of Cesare, archenemies, da vinci, and biblical David. There is also some famous paintings the best of which is Vemieer's "young girl with a pearl earring" which is rather appropriate considering it's meaning. There is also a Van Gogh of man in a wheat field and a Monet in one shot too. If ANY of these paintings were real instead of reproductions, they would be worth millions, in fact the young girl with a pearl is estimated at 40million, which is 1.5x the sell value of the Nadan-I-Noor! If we take a look at the engineering drawing of Flash #2 on the pedestal, we would see this design creates a closed circuit around the tongs the diamond rests on; which might explain it's red hue. If a person were to touch the diamond, it would close the circuit on their body allowing the 4000volts to travel through their heart. A person can die with ~20volts, though it's usually more like 50 in most occurrences. 4000volts is enough to kill a herd of elephants and completely overkill for a person. Also the amount of power that would take is more than the city of Malibu... this is to say the trap is real, the numbers are complete nonsense; thinking lightning! Nice shot by Sarah with the plate (there are some great bloopers on this too where she misses badly)! A remote controlled jet ski... i'm not even going to calculate the nonsense for this; it's just total nonsense. Almost as much nonsense as Casey using his phone to track Carina's call. That would take minutes, even with today's technology to back trace like that and way more power than just pushing a button on a razer flip-phone from the 90's!
back at the house, Chuck i playing halo with the legendary skulls as his weapon; this is nice because in the BuyMore at the end of the episode there are dudes dressed as master chief! I really like the changing perspective here with Chuck and Morgan. Chuck's reactions remain in focus while Morgan tells a story behind him, then it switches as Chuck starts to move around until bringing both into focus for the final line "we still have each other and that's really sad". The side cut to Sarah picking locks to the hotel door is classic early 2000's TV and i'm all for it, even if it is super cheezy. BTW as someone who used to lock pick in college, that's .... not how that works, but good try. We get our Flash #3 on the diamond in Morgan's back nuclear explosions. I wonder if the refractive capability of a diamond this pure is enough to focus laser to induce fission or if the value of selling the diamond is enough to buy nuclear material on the black market? Either way, we end the act with... the man with the golden gun!
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ACT III
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Chuck uses Sarah's plate move against Carina, nice inter-episode call back; he's clearly watching/learning, but his aim is terrible. This was actually clever as Sarah has perfect aim for she is a professional, while Chuck is still definitely a civilian and has no aptitude for fighting. I really like both these types of simple call backs but also how seemingly throw-away lines/actions help tell the broad story of the show. Chuck talking to Carina also shows Chuck has this weird, innate aptitude to get people to re-evaluate themselves and grow internally. You can watch Carina "grow in real-time. When we get to the hotel and Carina opens her trunk first there are a few glocks, a couple rugers, and a 1911; then she switches to blades and we see some folders, some strait blades, an illegal gravity blade (still illegal today), and a kbar... nice selection! Carina, always the flirt, gives Chuck some very insightful works about the nature of being a spy, but also maybe some way to get through to Sarah.
Inside the hotel we see Carina and Sarah speaking; Carina is speaking Swedish, while Sarah replies in Polish. "Om jag slänger nycklarna till dig, kommer du tappa dem då?" which is Swedish for "If I throw you the keys, will you drop them?" Sarah answered in Polish: "Tylko jak rzucisz jak twoja mamusia", which means "Only if you throw it like your mommy". This is just great!
I want to talk about how fast Chuck managed to find an address for DC, print a label, open a box, put the label on, and get the diamond there all before the door gets broken. Somehow on screen time this is like 10seconds, but in real life this would have to be like 3minutes minimum? Either that door is remarkably strong or... TV magic??
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ACT IV
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Even with all the flirting, as we say goodbye to Carina >! for now !< she is still joking with Casey and every the professional. I like how they show when it's "game time" it's all about the job, but spys can be people too! Carina still calls Sarah's life boring #3 (the common trifecta of episode repeats).
Sarah's face when Chuck brings the pizza with no olives is the reason I think Yvonne makes the perfect Sarah. She exudes the hidden beauty needed and has the acting to so such emotion for Chuck being sweet. The whole scene with Chuck and Sarah asking questions, then Chuck backing off, then Sarah acting stoic like she WANTS to open up but doesn't know if she can really trust Chuck, is ready to move on from Bryce, and should for the nature of her job. This was probably the most well acted 20seconds of the entire episode. Finally, we hear Sarah's middle name is Lisa. Now we never officially know if Chuck hears this or not both due to camera focus and distance, it's never officially confirmed in the entire show. When the intersect is updated in season 4 we see Sarah's picture and it lists Lisa as a middle name, so we assume it's official, but it's never confirmed at any point. Finally, I really like how they end the episode with Sarah closing her eyes as the fade to black.
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Few notes: There are 5 official songs in this episode:

• "Yea Yeah" by Matt and Kim - when the gang is playing board games during group date night. This song is about not worrying about the things you cannot change. Little things that build up and bum you out that you need to just let go.
• "Wild Girl" Matt Pond PA - Chuck and Morgan discussing their relationship problems. This song is about overcoming past struggles and finding hope in the present and future. Describing a sense of resilience and optimism
• "weird science" by does it offend you - Chuck and Carina talk at Peyman' Malibu Compound. This is a remind to break free and embrace individuality and live on your own terms. Be unapologetically ourselves.
• Shy by Mathew Dear - the double date
• "Fall into place" the apartment - the team say's goodby to Carina. Deals with growing up, taking (or not taking) chances. finding oneself in the unpredictability of life. I have to say, we don't actually hear the lyrics to any of these songs during the episode just the melody, but I don't really appreciate the music choices here. I feel like there were better options at key points, so that's a miss from me.
  
• On the DVD for Season One the word Wookiee is spelled incorrectly, leaving off the last E.
  
• "It used to be titled "Chuck Versus the Speedo" because the main bad guy in this show is this dude who wears a Speedo all the time. Then when the casting guy realized he had a good amount -- and by good, I mean healthy, a healthy amount of body hair -- they thought, why not call it "Chuck vs. the Wookiee". So it's this guy who's got this diamond, and we're trying to heist the diamond and all hell breaks loose." ―Zachary Levi quoted by Access Hollywood discussing this episode's title
  

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I think this was a great episode and really showcased what they can do when additional cast members join the team and when they are not afraid to play with perspective. Mimi as Carina is a great addition to the ensemble and I wish we saw her more, but every time she drops in, it's always a wild episode and it's fantastic. Watching Chuck learn about Sarah and seeing Sarah start to open up is a good way forward and heck Casey had some of the best humor in the episode. Overall, it was fast paced, had some nice character development, as funny in the best way, and moved the main theme along, 8/10.

We are a small junior club of pipes and drums, and trying to fundraise for new equipment. If anyone has any funny quotes, piper vs drummer stereotypes, or anything that would look good on a shirt - I would really love to see them! Cheers.

I was reading through the proposed 2025 Mandate for Leadership which, as I understand, is the guidelines for the next Republican government. They mention Marxism a few times but I am trying to figure out exactly what they mean. The word seems to be tossed around a lot in politics, but I never really understood what the definition is in a lot of these instances. (My questions are real, not hidden criticisms or something)
"(The agenda) should promote educational opportunities outside the woke-dominated system of public schools and universities, including trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and student-loan alternatives that fund students’ dreams instead of Marxist academics." (What in standard schooling is the Marxist part?)
"Eliminate Marxist indoctrination and divisive critical race theory programs and abolish newly established diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and staff." (How are these programs related specifically to Marxism?)
"Audit the course offerings at military academies to remove Marxist indoctrination, eliminate tenure for academic professionals, and apply the same rules to instructors that are applied to other DOD contracting personnel." (again, not sure what Marxist indoctrination is)

I want to get a custom pendant necklace with a Sanderson quote on it. My favorite series is Stormlight, but I love the entire Cosmere. It has to be very short (5 to 6 words at the most. I want something on the inspiring side rather than funny. My favorite character is Navani.
So far I’ve thought of the basics:
Life Before Death
Strength Before Weakness
Journey Before Destination
You Will Be Warm Again
Radiant
Any other brilliant ideas??

So I finished vol 13 and I can't be the only one who feels like ever since vol 10 the whole "Kazuma is trash and a scumbag" thing was taken too far that it's no longer funny, I genuinly can't help but feel bad for Megumin bcz ever since vol 9 she was doing her best to strenghten her relationship with him. She loves him like noneother like she's seriously heads over heels for this guy. And what Kazuma does in exchange is to cheat on her with Darkness, not once but twice. And the second time when Darkness was worried about what would Megumin think he says that he belives that he can get away with cheating on Megumin because and I quote "that girl is already heads over heels for me". So not only is he cheating knowing how Megumin feels about him, he's also abusing how Megumin feels about him to cheat as much as he like just bcz he knows that she loves him so much that she's just gonna forgive him. I know he's meant to be a scumbag and a simp but this is too much even for a scumbag like him.
So yeah. That's pretty much his lowest point and I'm afraid that he might go even lower, this wasn't even the only bad thing he did these past volumes. there is that moment where he left his party members to a bunch of assholes he found on the streets and also dumping his whole party after he promised them to get back after a day bcz a random 12 year old he met a while ago sayed she likes him even tho a certain someone in the party he just dumped just confessed to him. Also teaching Darkness how to rape him wasn't even funny.
But this particular moment where he belives he can get away with cheating was so hard to read, so quick question. Does he get better in the later volumes or am I just gonna have to rely on Aqua and Megumin to carry the story now ?
also Eris pads her chest

I just grabbed that from that 16p website, I hadn't realized what that meant mentally for the person writing it, but I recently talked to somebody saying: "I believe silence is our own person"
to which he laughed, and said "dude I'm tired, you have to break it down before saying some depressing stuff"and I explained to him, No, it wasn't meant to be depressing, it's like: 3 processes, input, output, and processing. That's what your processes are daily as a human. If input is scrolling through phones, and listening to others, and output is creating and building, or exporting and supplying something. Then Silence is processing, but I had said to him that silence is like my own person, and he said "oh like another voice entirely" and I said yes, like the silence/nature is the only thing that is me.
Anyway, I found that kind of funny. I brushed past this quote years ago. Though it may have multiple meanings, good quotes have many

I’m meeting the Dub Voice Actor tomorrow and for the life of me can not think of any quotes to get signed I thought it could be fun if people could help by posting their favorite Subaru quotes, I’m looking for the funny ones mostly but even some cool/serious ones would be awesome

Hello Everyone I'm in my early 20's and I want people to hear my whole entire story and it's very WILD and Messed up.
My Journy was very brutal as Gay Man, The reason why im not striaght any more is because I've encounter many women who are very dishonest crazy and very cold by using there gender card to escape the situation and to end the conversation.
My God Mother Came over to my house since 2017 on my High School Year in the Fall Semester in September while i got home from school doing my homework until we have a visitor which is my god mother and my god sister. My tutor was helping me of my homework and i thought i can trust them to know about my sexuality. I was very glad they took it lightly and we talk about it.
Also just letting you know My tutor knows that I'm Gay ever since I was 11 yrs old and yes i was scared that she figured out cause most females tend to gossip alot however she was the first that i trusted cause she doesnt act crazy from the ones that i encounter who doesnt judge which i was surprised as much that she was a mother figure to me.
Anyhow moving foward, as we finished discussing about s#x stuff and it was funny at first and we Talked alot and it was very comfortable to discuss of how we felt of own own minds to discuss. My Mother just arrived home from work in the city as I remember that My Mother brought Chinese Food which most People buy (chicken and broccoli and white rice with some eggrolls) yeah i know we all picked the same order tho.
When My Mother was preparing the split the meal for my family to eat, My God Mother and God Sister let my left once my Mother arrived, My Mother reply i didnt know you guys where here, that's because we never tend to have any visitors. Both left to go home.....
Until 3 days later..... I recived a called from My Tutor and told me the most emotional break down that i have ever had... My Tutor told me in a worried response that My God Mother Told EVERYONE my Sexuality and the discussion we had. Everyone was laughing and some strange unknown woman called my mother out of nowhere by say in a weird tone in quote "oh my, is your son Gay". My God Mother is friend with alot of people that I dont know of and it's scary. I was crying so hard while i was in the showered naked and the most fucked up part is that My God Mother told a Lie that i went over to her house and told my buisness in front of her family.
I went over to my aunts house during the Summer in 2017 for One Night, Just ONLY ONE NIGHT TO SLEEP OVER cause my mother and I had an arguement that day. I really hate older adults as they can be horrible,all rude and bitter known for as apathy.
I tried to explain to my mom however My Mother chose to take side with My God Mother instead of ME, HER OWN DAMN SON because My god mother is her best friend since they were young in there high school year.
The most fucked up part is that in 2015 when my god mother's father has passed away, i draw a portrait of her father who had past away and this is the thanks i get. i draw a portrait picture of her dead father when i was 15 yrs old by attending to her funeral and as her fucked up family laugh at me and including my friends. I was always nice to them and they said to me of question in quote "why am i so rude to my parents", "why can't you get along", "but... she's your mother who gave birth to you". "omg your the father of his son nice to meet yo-" but NO!!! STOP- JUST STOP!!!!
This is Bullshit. I'm Tired of being nice to people. I WANT JUSTICE!!! I tiredly bust my ass to get justice over and over which it never really worked out. I tried really really hard to tell the whole story to my mother however my mother keep using her gender role acted as an excuse by saying in quote "I'm tired... your giving me a headache" omg stfu said the woman who gave birth to me.. yeah okay... 🙄
Anyhow, I do love my mother however she needs to understand of what I had to deal with these fucker adults, who dont give 2 fucks about there kids. Trust me.. as I rolled eye as many parents or a person who isnt a parent.. yet... they question themselves why there single cause isnt it obvious.... Your Crazy and A waste of our Energy. Relationship dont last longer and it's true to be frankly honest. EVERYONE is DIVORCE, your not the only one PEOPLE!!!!
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Next My Father: Who Called me the Gay Slur word cause my mother and I was arguing that time long time ago as my father shout out loud of what he said about me. The atmosphere was silent.... really silent which he fucked it up and including his re-married, yep they where about to get married however my father was never father figure to my own eyes cause when I was at therapy with my father he fucking always blames me of what happen to him when he was young.
My Father blamed us to be existed in the first place, I was a born in the early 2000's along with my brother and this fucking idiot blame us during HIS Time of Year. Bitch, we werent born in that year of time. My father was born somehwere in the late 1900's, what the fuck. I didnt told my father about this cause he always forget of what he said to me that really hurt my feelings cause most olderrrr adults has brainfog trust me i met few people i know of as we speak. Plus... I really hate my brithday, when ever it's my birthday my parents tend to ruin the vibes and including my father cause he always thinks putting himself first cause he never had a real family because my father was adopted and his childhood wasnt easy however why tf get angry at me of your past trauma?! the fuck did I do, what the fuck?!
I really hated my birthday because bad luck occured, someone died on my birthday and worst lots and lots of arguments as if they dont want me to decide of what I really wanted and the worst part telling me to wear something cause the cloth they want me to wear is horrible choosing fashion style at least let me wear what I want. I was fed up with them.
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Next is My Realtive Aunt... ughh... yeah as the L on her Forhea- anyhow.....
Since 2021, I moved to my grandfather's house cause yes again.... (rolled eyes) as we figured... My Mother and I once again have a heated argument go figured... okay I stop sorry. As I'm Living with Grandfather, it was very peaceful. VERY peaceful until My Rachet Ass Realtive Aunt of mine yelled at me and offer some chocolate for me as if she want some attention as if the frog jump leap out of her damn room.
These fucking older woman are crazy wtf can I breath. Anyhow, I choose to eat the chocolate cause I know her belly is giving the flop lump side lol cause she said I'm on a diet, if so then why the heck your ask your father which my my grandfather to buy some cookies near the groceries... dumbass.🙄😒
Next the pain in the ass momont. on 2022 at my grandfather's ouse along with my aunt where I still live. on the month and day that my birthday was coming soon. I was at college and i got home and my grandfather was standing in the kitchen near the window cause my grandfather was suppose to be sleeping at 6:30pm so he can wake up to exercise in the morning....
I told my grandfather are you okay did something happen. And he told me that my Relative Aunt was missing, my grandfather said that he tried to called her during the aternoon many times want she didnt picked up the phone. I called my mother what was going on and she said omg as she tried to called her sister.
I WAS UP ALLLL NIGHT until 1:30am and my aunt called me and she "dont worried about it" i told her where are you and her keep saying "dont worried about it" which she doesnt cared, the nerve of her ughh. I was so tired and including my grandfather cause we took turns to stay awake all night and she doesnt even care. when it was my birthday the next day I woke up from my bed and went to go take a shower to start my day to finish my work that i got let to do at the library.
When I Finshed taking a showered and dress up My Aunt yelled at me and said in quote "DID YOU FUCKING TELL YOUR MOTHER MY BUISNESS" I told my aunt that I called my mother that you were missing cause my grandfather told me the situation that you was norwhere to be found. My Relative Aunt yelled at me by saying your in my house and I said bitch you dont even py the fucking rent you idiot. my grandfather and I even fix the wifi cause my grandfather doesnt know about technology and stuff, I was cooking and cleaning, buying huge packed of groceries as I used my EBT CARD. My aunt doesnt know how to cook which she almost tried to burn down the apratment house 3 times... Omfg it's crazy how that if i didnt live in that house with my Grandfather, this apartment place would've been burn down and she's been living here for 9 years now today. I lived in this house for 3 years and I made progress then HER LAZY ASS and now she's telling me I'm fake, FUCK YOU tf. the worst part is she smells horrible BECAUSE SHE NEVER CLEAN HER FUCKING ROOOOM!!!
My Relative Aunt keep saying in quote ughh "I feel sick"... "Omg Eeeek a Mouse".... (HER COMPLAING): Omg when am I going to get out of this place" cause her rooM is a hot mess TF. I told her to clean your fucking room. I REALLY FUCKING HATED THIS FUCKING AUNT OF MINE. I told her lazy to clean her room and you dont do anthing to provide for this house as I have been doing lots of volunteering for along up 5 to 6 months by
"(Helping Children and the Elderly, Carrying Boxes Downstairs, Helping the elderlies with there Resume Jobs, Drawing Program for Kids, Homework Session Tutoring For Kids, Helping Customers with Printing problem if they need help for printing, Making sure the Newspapers at the title same paper titles and dates are in order. this and that....
I told her I'm your fucking Nephew in my early 20's and your my Aunt in your Late Fucking 30's.... EVIL I TELL YOU... VERY EVIL AND SELFISH. I DID MORE WORK THEN HER OMFG.
I REALLY... REALLY... REALLY..... FUCKING HATE HER. IF ONLY I CAN STOP TIME TO SLAP THE SHIT OUT OF HER AS IF SHE GOT KNOCKED OUT BY BEING CONFUSED WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT HAPPEN.
I Called 988 and had a whole story of what i been through and the situation i told them about my aunt and i argue recently now before....
I cooked for the family and did alot of RESPONSIBLY THINGS TO DO THEN HER. and she wants to kick me out. bitch when i first moved in with my gradnfather's house. the fridge was NEARLY EMPTY. My Family are a piece of work.
I told her that i was in a system that I'm getting a new place her reaction was serious as turn her head a psycho and she told me when and i said i dont know cause i was told to wait. My Aunt never loved me ever since I was little. she's a real rachet piece of shit. AND SHE WILL NEVER CHANGE.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Next My Tutor
I Know Shocking... Yes, My Tutor who I used to her trusted for a 12 years since I was 11 yrs old. My Tutor who gave up on me last year in 2022 since Novmber at the Library cause I told my tutor to please stop arguing with her student and the messed up part is that the father over heard of what happen and told his kids in a calm way that will just leave and and my tutor doesnt want to admit of what she did was wrong.
My Tutor told me that it was my fault, one of the female librarian took her side cause there are way way older then me by giving a phased hint of respect your elder the liberians have no empathy for kids and I felt bad, many older people always want to harrassed start some shit. it's annoying. I'm not her student anymore due from that fact she insulted me by saying this is my fault that she lose a client and threating to harm me by calling her military son.
My Tutor was acting non sense as if she doesnt want her student to give a chance to breath and think. The student was crying because of her always acting too quick to think and keeps assuming something so little which is not that very necessary for her as a grown woman in her 60's complaining were there are kids are trying to working together to finshed there work on time and there more mature then the adults. The tutor had some difficulties cause the students and teachers have a hard time cooperating to listen and to work together.
Here's something shocking, i did my volunteering and I took a bullet to give up my life plans that my tutor was going to help me so I can help the students so he can pass his studies and at first i was difficult however he was IMPROVING. I very patient and gave him advice. I just finished my volunteering duties and the kids really missed me as if i was a family to them. I made them laugh, smile, and know how it feels to give these kids lots of of respect cause they wanted to be heard. I was always nice to people and the kids they always love my jokes and these adults call themsleves as teachers. also i was a big comedy in reading to help them understand more in a fun way to learn.
Sadly it's very unforutunate how adults dont tend to cooperate the young ones as the OLD underastimated the Young Ones that we exeperence isntead of only relied on there Diploma without showing there flaws of matters
Thank You For Reading My Story Im sure The Audience Would Love To Read At This...

This is gonna be a long one.
This is the second time that this has happened. About a year ago I went to Hawaii for a week, and she stayed behind for work. I was worried that she would cheat but I trusted her and thought that she would be ok. Halfway through the trip she wasn't doing well mentally and didn't text me for awhile. I was incredibly worried, having panic attacks and thinking the worst. When I asked when I came back and she said nothing happened, she just wasn't answering texts. And my gullible ass believed her.
A month later, we were at our friends house doing some drinking and I forget how it came up but she said something and my stomach dropped. I knew. What hurt more was she kept trying to keep it from me as i continued to ask her what happened, saying "he is gonna be so mad at me." Turns out it was a good friend of mine, who I noticed some odd glances and body language between them but didn't read to deep into it. But after a couple days and I did some thinking, I decided to forgive her.
She made me so happy, and she was so beautiful and funny and adorable.
And it was good, it didn't happen (as far as I know) again for about a year, with her telling me halfway through someone asked her to fuck and she said "No, I'm married." Although she did say she was tempted but I was proud of her for resisting temptation and staying committed, that felt really good.
Now we get to the present. I'm in the military, so right now I am across the country for some job schooling, and last night she tells me "I fucked up." Again, I knew. I hoped it wasn't true, but she confirmed it. Recently she took a trip to fly her sister her cat, and she flew out of an airport 3 hours away. She got a ride from her coworker who is a male, and I was ok with it because I trusted her. He dropped her off and picked her up when she came back, and I didn't think twice about it. Her birthday was last Monday, (this post is on a Saturday), and that's when she fucked him. She didn't tell me till Friday. At first she lied to me, saying that she came onto him and he stopped it, trying to protect him for some reason, and when I called bullshit she came clean saying it fully happened. She won't tell me what happened or if it was more than once, or any sort of details. I even asked her if she regretted it, and she said no.
After telling me she proceeded to blame me, saying on her birthday she felt lonely and unappreciated because I went out drinking with some buddies of mine, and that's why she did it. "You weren't giving me the attention I needed, so I found someone who did" (actual quote BTW). I asked her to block him, saying that if she respects me and our marriage she will block him, and she said no.
Even after all this I still love her more than I have ever loved anyone before, and I do not know what to do. All roads point to divorce, and it sounds like an easy decision, but it is so incredibly difficult. I really want to reach out to the guy and tell him he's a fucking piece of shit scumbag, that I trusted him and he went and did that.
I just do not know what to do.

It's funny... Everyone suggested expanding my career opportunities and I did just that, and I have to admit i have nothing to show for it
Recently completed my bachelors in business with thoughts of a master's. I have leadership experience, assistant management experience, QI upkeep experience, Department compliance, mentoring, training, I was a cpr instructor briefly.
You would think somebody gives a fuck about my experience. I have applied to several positions eithour a peep and don't really know where to go from here. Nursing home administration pays less than I earn noe it seems, with higher requirements. Any clinical management job is always listed as RN. I reached out through my company for a mentoring program for business healthcare positions and was denied because I am currently in a clinical role so didn't meet requirements. Case management all requires nursing in my state.
Everyone says get a degree and climb the ladder. There is no ladder to climb. Been looking for 3 months and haven't seen anything promising. I feel like my director may have even blocked me from doing the mentoring bc he doesnt want me to leave.
Where do I go from here? I even consider looking at like starting my own labor business like yard care or something bc I am so discouraged with this feel and my potential for opportunity.

Welcome once again to ContraDiction Corner! Today's Dic in the Corner is none other than governing body member Stephen Lett!
Critical Thinker: Hello Stephen
GBSL: Hellooo Brotherrrr
Critical Thinker: < chuckels> that's an interesting way of speaking you have Stephen
GBSL: Proper e•nun•ci•a•tion is key to helping the listener fully understand the meaning of the words and phrases one is trying to convey dear brotherrrr
Critical Thinker: umm, ok.
Critical Thinker: So, anyway. The topic for today's episode is the Superior Authorities. Are you familiar with who your organization teaches who that is and What they do?
GBSL: Yes, I am welll aware of who it is our God Jehovah has put in place to govern mankind. In fact, in the October 2022 Watchtower study article p14 par 6, we've written, I mean, Holy Spirit has directed us to write, "In this verse, the term "superior authorities" refers to human rulers who have power and control over others. Christians are subject to these secular authorities. These rulers maintain public order, enforce the law, and at times even come to the defense of Jehovah's people. (Rev. 12:16) Thus, we are commanded to render them the taxes, tributes, fear, and honor that they demand. (Rom. 13:7) However, those secular governments have authority only because Jehovah allows them to have it."
GBSL: So, you seee, our God Jehovah has put these human rulers in place to do notable things, foremost among those being to enforce the laws of the land.
Critical Thinker: Wow, thank you for that Stephen. I was actually planning on using that reference you quoted. I did want to also focus on the following paragraph, paragraph 7. It starts by saying, "Christians submit to human governments when secular laws do not contradict God's laws." Are Jehovah's Witnesses to abide by that statement in all aspects of life?
GBSL: Why, yes! Jehovah's people must always remember that their Heavenly Father is connnnstantly watching them, making sure they're taking everyyyy opportunity to make His heart glad. So, if a human law is in opposition to God's law, then we must never obey the rule of man.
Critical Thinker: Stephen, may I read to you a human law and get your opinion on it?
GBSL: Why yes!!
Critical Thinker: Since your organization is based in the United States. I'll read to vou a law regarding this topic for your country.
Critical Thinker: "It is illegal under federal law (18 U.S.C. §2252) to produce, distribute, receive or possess any child pornography. It is also illegal under federal law to knowingly search for and view child pornography even if the images are subsequently destroyed or deleted."
Critical Thinker: That human law seems to be pretty clear in its intent, that of punishing individuals who produce, distribute, receive, possess, search for AND view the subject matter mentioned therein, wouldn't you agree?
GBSL: Yes, I certainly would agree with that and EVIDENTLY Jehovah's hand was backing the humans that established such a law.
Critical Thinker: That's a very affirmative response, thank you.
Critical Thinker: I would like to take a second and refer to a statement you made in the early part of 2015 in an appearance you made which I believe was a February JW broadcast episode. In that appearance you stated, ""If anybody takes action against someone who would threaten our young ones, and takes action to protect our young ones, it's Jehovah's organization," and you continued, "We reject outright such lies."
Critical Thinker: I do believe the "lies" you were referring to are as you stated, "apostate-driven lies and dishonesties that Jehovah's organization is permissive toward pedophiles", things of which you said were "ridiculous". You said this, correct?
GBSL: In the past, there may have been statements made that could be attributed to all of us.
Critical Thinker: True, but Stephen I'm asking you. Are those your words?
GBSL: May I ask why you're inquiring about this? (uncomfortable smiling)
Critical Thinker: Oh, that's the premise of the show we have here. We have on a guest, such as yourself, and present to them things they've said and see whether or not it contradicts with either something they've said or believe.
GBSL: I see. I wasn't completely informed as to the premise of the show by the brothers who are tasked with the responsibilityyyy of doing that.
Critical Thinker: Once again, if I may, are those your words Stephen?
GBSL: Yes
Critical Thinker: Thank you. I hope you don't feel attacked here. In doing research for this interview I read that you and 8 other men serve as the spokesperson for God, so I'm doing my best to maintain a modicum of respect. But I do feel it necessary you afford me the same thing if you would.
GBSL: Sir, this is a Wendy's
Critical Thinker: 😂 I see you and Jeff Winder read from the same joke book!
GBSL:
Critical Thinker: In all seriousness though, l'd like to focus on the portion of the statement where you stated that it's a lie that the organization is "permissive towards pedophiles".
Critical Thinker: Would you agree that being permissive could be defined as "granting or tending to grant" or being "deficient in firmness or control"?
GBSL: Yes, I would agree that could accurately define what permissive means.
Critical Thinker: Ok, but does that definition fit what you referred to in the aforementioned statement?
GBSL: Yes...
Critical Thinker: Stephen, we'd like for you to read an excerpt from one of your publications, the Shepard the Flock of God book.
GBSL: OK
Critical Thinker: Here, please read what it says in Chapter 14, Child Abuse, subheading "Congregation Considerations" under the highlighted section.
GBSL:
GBSL:"Althoughhhh viewwwwing child pornography is not considered to be child sexual abuse from a congregation standpoint, it is still a serious violation of Jehovah's standards. (cadence slows considerably, noticeable discomfort now shown on face) A person involved in viewing child pornography should be strongly counseled. Depending on the frequency and the extent of his viewing, he could be subject to congregation judicial action."
Critical Thinker: Thank you Stephen.
Critical Thinker: If we could, l'd like to refer back to the human law you stated was EVIDENTLY backed by Jehovah. In part it stated that it's ILLEGAL to search AND view child pornography even if the images are destroyed or deleted.
Critical Thinker: So, if Jehovah put the superior authorities in place and those authorities established a law stating what I just read you, yet the publication from your organization that the Shepards/Elders use to care for the flock doesn't echo that law, doesn't that make vou permissive towards pedophiles since those are the individuals that watch, produce and or distribute child pornography? A contraDiction even?
GBSL: What you need to understand is, at Matthew 24:45, Jesus said there would be a faithful slave that would feed the sheep spiritual food at the proper time.
Critical Thinker: With respect Stephen, that has nothing to do with the question.
GBSL: I've enjoyed my time here but it seems as though we ve come to your last question; undoubtedly the last question shortly before the very last question on this show!
GBSL: *takes off mic, scurries away to handlers *
Critical Thinker: Well, it seems as though Stephen had to leave in a hurrv folks. Maybe there was an incoming message from the upper deck about land that's coming available or maybe even, gasp, new light! 😱
Critical Thinker: Thank you all for joining today's episode! We didn't directly get an answer but if you're a critical thinker, the answer was plain as day. Until next time, have fun out there, be careful and we look forward to seeing you next time on the ContraDiction Corner! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
EDIT: I do want to mention, even though the flair I’ve used is “humor”, I do not find the way in which that organization devalues human lives funny at ALL, and especially those of children.

The Kingdom of Camelot, Arthur's Castle
Footsteps and whistling echoed throughout the hallway as Lancelot made his way through the castle's corridors , the young man , now a honored Knight of the Round Table and one of Arthur's closest friend and advisor was dressed in his silver and white armor , his long blonde hair tousled and untidy yet he still was able to look as handsome as ever .
Reaching the double doors of the throne room, Lancelot gave a few casual raps on the wooden material before proceeding to let himself in.
" Your most magnanimous majesty ! " He called out in a casual and humorous tone , " To what urgent matter do you need my humble assistance for ? "
However, the humor in his tone was soon lost , as Lancelot realized something amiss in the throne room , that being the lack of other human beings inside the room .
On days where he was holding court for visiting nobles or subjects , Arthur's throne room would be a vibrant place , filled with lights and laughter as they all shared tales and drinks with one another . Meanwhile two row guards would be standing vigilantly by either side of the room , trying their utmost best to remain professional despite their own king's lax attitude towards the standard procedures .
In stark contrast , the throne room now was barren of any life save for Lancelot at the back , and Arthur at the pedestal where his throne was located . The king stood with his back turned towards Lancelot , shrouded mostly in darkness save for the dim light cast by a few candles that were already halfway melted . The sudden change in ambience caused a slight shiver to go up Lancelot's spine , but nevertheless he took a step forward and addressed his king again .
" Y-your majesty , is everything alright ? " The knight asked tentatively as he made his way over to the throne .
" Do you know why I called you here Lancelot ? "
Lancelot froze , never before had he heard his best friend's voice so cold and spiteful , something definitely was wrong , could it be ? No , there was no way he could have found out , they had ensured only to meet in secret whilst no one else watched !
" N-no , I do not , " He answered shakily , a trickle of sweat running down his forehead .
It was only then did Arthur turn , an unreadable expression upon his bearded face , with a dark shadow cast over his eyes . The king's hand rested heavily on Excalibur's pommel as his eyes seemed to stare daggers into Lancelot's soul , something was definitely wrong here , Lancelot had never seen the usually jolly and care-free Arthur ever look so mad and spiteful.
" Indeed ? " Arthur replied , walking slowly to the other side as he inspected his gloved hand , a dangerous aura seemed to follow him which made Lancelot even more nervous , " And you are certain you don't have anything of great importance or secrecy to tell me ? After all we have been friends since childhood , I would think that I could handle even your darkest secret . "
" M-my King ? " Lancelot stuttered , any confidence of charm he previously had now completely gone , " I'm not sure I follow ? "
Suddenly Arthur seemingly flew into a rage , as he grabbed a candle stand with his hand and flung it to the floor , the ornament smashing into pieces with a loud , " CRASH ! " Causing Lancelot to flinch at his friend's outburst.
" Still you lie ? " Arthur snarled , " To think I once trusted you with all my heart and soul Lancelot ! Perhaps I need to spell it out for you to help jog your memory ? If so , I have only ONE thing to say to you ! G-U-I-N-E-V-E-R-E ! "
Lancelot's face was now so pale it matched the color of his armor , Guinevere was the Queen of England and wife of Arthur, her beauty unmatched in all the land. And it was because of that beauty , did she and Lancelot begin a passionate love affair behind Arthur's back .
It was just small flirtatious remarks and secretive winks at first , but Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship very soon evolved into something much more than that , with both of them meeting privately under the cover of darkness where they got much more intimate than they let on to be in public .
Although he felt awful for betraying his king by doing something like this behind Arthur's back , Lancelot's lust and Guinevere's charm led him to continue keeping this dark secret from his best friend , foolishly hoping that the king would never find out about it .
" A-arthur … I … I "
" It's funny isn't it ? " Arthur interrupted spitefully , " To think that my own wife and the person who claimed to have my back from the very start , would sneak around behind my back , doing … THIS ! What's the saying Lancelot ? The worst thing about betrayal is that it doesn't come from the ENEMY ! "
With that, Arthur screamed a battlecry as he held Excalibur aloft , charging towards Lancelot with murderous intent . The latter's eyes widened as he just barely managed to draw his own sword to parry the blow , and with that , the two former friends engaged in a savage battle .
" All those years whilst you were courting my wife behind my back , did you ever feel any sort of regret or shame ? " Arthur roared as he swung a heavy blow , sending Lancelot flying backwards from the sheer strength of his swing .
" I … " Lancelot started , but he was immediately interrupted by another brutal attack from Arthur , who in his rage-filled frenzy , had abandoned all sense of calm and order . The King of Camelot's attacks had no technique , just pure barbaric rage as he charged forth with his blade swinging wildly .
Lancelot barely had time to duck and roll to the side before Excalibur's blade came crashing down at the spot where his head was a moment before , in all his years of serving under Arthur , he had never seen his friend fight with such viciousness and savagery .
" Arthur , PLEASE ! Just stop and let's talk like reasonable people ! " He desperately pleaded as the King of Camelot advanced upon him .
" Talk ? What is there to talk about ? " Arthur replied , " I thought you were my FRIEND ! And then you go and pull this sort of STUNT behind my back ? You two-faced BASTARD ! I so desperately hoped that Mordred was lying to spread discord when he told me about your affair , but now I see that even HIS words hold more truth than yours ! "
" M-mordred ? "
Mordred was another one of Arthur's Knights of the Round table , but unlike his fellow knights , who earned their spot at the table through honorable and heroic deeds . He had earned his through his vast amounts of strength and power alone . As such , he was known as the most cunning and ruthless member of the round table , with many other knights disliking him greatly or just tolerating him at best .
" Mordred indeed ! He came to me reporting your betrayal and my wife's infidelity ! And to think that it was he of all people to do so ! Goes to show just how much I've misjudged the both of you ! "
" W-wait Arthur ! " Lancelot tried reasoning with the king once again , " I know what I did was wrong ! And yes I admit to my wrongdoings ! But you can't trust Mordred ! His every move always has some sort of ulterior motive behind it ! "
" Oh isn't THAT rich ! Especially since it's coming from the likes of YOU ! " Arthur roared as he suddenly charged with Excalibur raised above his head .
" Arthur NO ! " Lancelot cried as he instinctively swung his own sword upwards to parry the king's strike . However , due to his current rageful state and poor form , Arthur's guard was non-existent , and as Lancelot's blade flew upwards , a gush of blood spilled from across Arthur's face , as the cold hard steel grazed his flesh .
" ARGH ! GOD DAMN IT ! " Arthur howled as he stumbled backwards , holding his hands over his face and dying his gloves crimson with blood .
" Arthur ! Oh god ! Are you alright ? " Lancelot cried out as he rushed to help the king .
" STAY BACK ! " Arthur snarled , causing Lancelot to back away , the King of Camelot removed his hands from his face . Revealing the bloody scar that now ran from his right cheek to his forehead , the gruesome wound that he had inflicted upon his own friend caused Lancelot to retch , disgusted not only by the scar , but by his own actions as well .
" You bloody BASTARD ! " Arthur growled as he picked Excalibur up from the ground next to him , " I'll KILL YOU ! "
But before Arthur could charge at the stunned Lancelot , a beam of blue light pulsed throughout the room , causing them to momentarily shield their eyes . And the next thing either of them knew , Merlin had appeared in front of Arthur , his hands outstretched , preventing Arthur from moving any further towards Lancelot .
" ARTHUR ! Seize this rage-filled foolishness ! " The wizard commanded loudly , hearing his mentor's words seem to calm Arthur down enough to stop and listen , " I know your anger is justified , but we have MUCH more pressing issues at the moment ! "
" What ? " Arthur barely had enough time to say anything , before the throne room's double doors burst open , and an armored guard came rushing in , huffing and puffing loudly .
" Your majesty ! I bring terrible news ! Sir Mordred has amassed an army of his own with the help of your step-sister Morgan Le Fay ! And the two of them are leading an attack on Camelot right now in an attempt to take your throne ! We need you on the front lines IMMEDIATELY to lead the troops !
Arthur's eyes widened in a mixture of anger , fear and disbelief , " Bollocks … Mordred that treacherous LEECH ! He used Lancelot and Gunievere's love affair as a distraction ! Fuck … Tell the men to hold the fort as long as they can ! I shall be there to assist them as fast as I can ! "
" Understood ! " The guard replied , before turning and exiting the room .
" Goddammit … " Arthur cursed as he rubbed the temples of his forehead in frustration with his eyes closed .
" W-what should I do ? "
Arthur's eyes snapped open as he and Merlin turned to glare at Lancelot who had just spoken .
" Do ? Whatever do you mean by that Lancelot ? " Merlin said spitefully with a look filled with disappointment and disdain , " You've betrayed the trust of your own king by sharing his queen's bed , and by extension betrayed the very kingdom you swore to serve . I think you've done more than enough damage , no ? "
Lancelot felt like he was melting under the steely gaze of his former friend and mentor , his mouth opened and closed immediately afterwards, as he tried and failed to come up with a proper response .
" I-I'm sorry … I'm … So … So sorry . " Was all the disgraced knight could manage as he hung his head in shame .
" You're sorry ? " Arthur suddenly spoke up , " A bit too late for that now don't you think , Lancelot ? But since you're SO sorry for what you've done , here's one thing you can do to even BEGIN, trying to make amends . "
Lancelot looked up hopefully , but felt his soul plunge into his stomach once more as Arthur's bloodied and spite filled face leaned towards him and spoke the following words with resentment and hatred ,
" Leave , flee , run away , and take that filthy harlot along with you too . I NEVER want to see either of your miserable faces near my very presence EVER again . "
Lancelot's face paled once again , the knight stood still for a moment or two before he finally regained control of his senses .
" A-as you wish , my king … "
With that , Lancelot turned and ran , as fast as his legs could carry him . Out of the throne room , out of the castle and out of Camelot . Away from his former life , and away from his former friend who now hated him with every fiber of his being .
Once Lancelot had left , Merlin turned to Arthur , expecting his protege to let his emotions go now that they were alone . Instead , Arthur was beginning to fasten his armor and was in the process of wiping the blood off his face , as he prepared for his battle against Mordred and Morgan Le Fay .
" A-arthur ? Are you alright my boy ? " The wizard asked gently , hoping to provide some level of comfort to the king .
However , Arthur did not return his mentor's concerned gaze , all he did in response was simply pick up Excalibur and testing it's tip to ensure it was still sharp , before beginning to walk towards the doors which Lancelot had just left through .
" I'm fine Merlin , " He replied in a monotone voice , " Now if you excuse me , I have a war to win . "
Merlin pursed his lips tightly , before sighing and giving Arthur a slight bow , " As you wish , my king . "
As Arthur prepared to exit the room , he suddenly felt that something was amiss about his current attire , yet he just could not put his finger on it . So the King of Camelot began to pat the sides of his pants , before finally realizing what was missing .
" Merlin … " He said with a slightly frantic tone , as he turned back towards his mentor in a panic , " Have you seen Excalibur's sheath ? "
Merlin now felt his own face pale , as a trickle of sweat dropped from his forehead , " I-I thought you had it with you ? I did tell you to keep it by your side at all times ! "
Arthur grimaced as he realized the horrible predicament that he was now in . His troops were currently struggling to fend off invaders without his leadership , he had just chased his strongest knight out of the kingdom for their betrayal , and he currently did not have the magical healing powers of Excalibur's sheath by his side … There was only one word that Arthur could use to sum up all his feelings right now .
" Bollocks … "
( Present Day )
" Wait , wait , lemme guess . Because you didn't have Excalibur's sheath with you at the time , You were gravely injured during your fight with Mordred , and died from your wounds afterwards . Am I correct ? " Nezha finished .
" That is the gist of it, yes . " Arthur replied with a simple shrug .
" Damn , my condolences , anyway lemme make a wild guess again . Once you entered Valhalla you sought out Lancelot , had a little heart to heart , and somehow managed to get over your animosity towards each other and became the best of friends once more. Did I get THAT part correct as well ? "
Arthur chuckled softly as he shook his head , " Nope , you didn't … Far from it actually … Like you , I still held on to my hatred and resentment for Lancelot back then , so the moment I entered Valhalla , the only thing I could think about whilst I was first there was finding him and making him pay . "
" W-what ? " Nezha gaped , that was an answer he definitely did not expect to hear come out from Arthur's mouth .
" Indeed , for so many centuries , I sought Lancelot out , challenging him to duel after duel , each more vicious and deadly than the last . Sometimes I still can hear the deafening sounds of our fights if I close my eyes and listen carefully , but despite our countless battles , neither of us were able to strike that killing blow .
" S-so what happened next ? " Nezha asked now very much enthralled in Arthur's tale ,
" Well one fateful day , I finally got the upper hand , I managed to disarm Lancelot and finally had my sword pointed at his throat . At that moment , I could have finally gotten my revenge , I could finally make him properly pay for the great betrayal he had committed against me … "
Nezha leaned forward , completely enthralled in Arthur's tale and anxious to hear what was next .
" But I didn't … "
Somewhere in Valhalla , a century or so prior
" GAH ! " Lancelot cried as his sword was sent spiraling out of his palm , the knight barely had time to hold his injured arm before he was roughly knocked down to the ground by Arthur with a blow to the chest . Leaving the knight gasping for breath as he lay on the floor .
He quickly caught his breath however, when the tip of Excalibur loomed in front of his chest , causing him to hold his breath . Looking up he saw Arthur , multiple cuts adorned his chainmail armor as blood stained his vest , the King of Camelot was also struggling to catch his breath , but his eyes were filled with determination and anger as he moved his sword tip closer to Lancelot's flesh .
" Well ? " Lancelot said as he coughed up blood whilst tilting his head to look upwards at the sky , his armor badly dented and his face bruised and battered , " Looks like you finally got me in the end , eh Arthur ? Guess even after all these years , I just could never grasp Merlin's advice on seizing the offensive . Ah … You know , I'm actually alright with going out like this … "
Arthur did not respond , but his eyes narrowed in confusion as Lancelot continued to speak .
" These fights have been going on for what ? a few centuries or so ? Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it had already been a millennia since we first started this . " Lancelot momentarily paused to cough , causing drops of blood to speckle the front of his armor .
" At first , I absolutely dreaded these fights , having to face you countless times in battle after all I've done to you ? Fighting desperately to keep my place in the afterlife ? Even though we're in heaven , it felt like fate was punishing me with my own personal hell … But to be honest … "
Arthur tensed as Lancelot shifted till he was resting on his elbows , but still the King of Camelot did not yet strike the killing blow .
" After the thousandth battle , when the intensity and bloodlust of our fights died down , I honestly started looking forward to them … After all , eternity in Heaven gets boring if there's no one to talk to , and these clashes we've been having for the past hundreds of years … Well it's just … Reminded me of the good old days when we were young and carefree … Everything we used to have before I ruined it all with my stupidity …"
Silent tears began flowing down Lancelot's eyes as he finally looked up at his former friend , " So if this is how my story must end , then I cannot ask for a more fitting way to atone for my sins , to die by your hands after all the wrongs I have committed against you … I only hope that my death can quell the fire in your heart , but know this Arthur … "
Lancelot wiped the tears from his eyes , before calmly looking up at his former friend with a look of sincerity ,
" I am … Truly sorry … For all that I have done to you . "
With that , Lancelot closed his eyes , awaiting for Arthur to deliver the blow that would erase him from this plain of existence . Yet … As he lay there on the hard ground , waiting and waiting , the blow never came …
Lancelot opened his eyes confused , above him stood Arthur , his face was cold and expressionless . Yet the hand which held Excalibur above his former friend's throat shook slightly , as the King of Camelot seemed to struggle to deliver that final strike .
" What are you waiting for ? " Lancelot asked incredulously , " Isn't this what you've always wanted ? "
Then to Lancelot's further surprise , Arthur slowly backed away from him , taking Excalibur's point off the knight's neck and gazing at his own reflection on the flat of the sword's blade , contemplating what he had nearly done .
Slowly shaking his head , Arthur turned back at his former friend , the fires of hate and righteous fury that once burnt bright inside now gone , replaced by a small hint of melancholy as he spoke softly ,
" No … It's not … At least not anymore … Killing you … It won't change anything … "
After saying this , Arthur shakily sheathed Excalibur , before turning and walking away , leaving Lancelot incredibly confused . But just before he disappeared from sight , Arthur paused , he and Lancelot completely still for a moment before the King spoke his final words .
" Though I choose to spare you today … That does not mean I've forgiven you for your sins Lancelot … But perhaps one day … I hope … That I can … "
With that , Arthur left the battlefield , leaving Lancelot lying on the ground alone and confused for a long while even though his opponent was already gone .
( Present Day )
" I-I don't get it ! " Nezha spluttered , " You had him at your mercy ! You could have ended it right there and then and made him pay ! S-so … Why did you spare him ? "
" Even after my story you still do not understand , Third Lotus Prince ? " Arthur replied in a disappointed tone , " I forgave Lancelot for a simple reason , that reason being that I no longer wished to plague myself with such pointless negativity . I have resided here in Heaven for so many years , yet I chose to waste the first few centuries I had living in paradise , engaging in pointless violence over a matter that could not be changed no matter how much blood was spilled . Was that what I truly wanted ? "
" I too understand how hard it is to find it in yourself to forgive , and that the journey to do so can be long and uncertain . I mean it took centuries just for me to do that myself ! But if I had continued to curse Lancelot's memory as you did Ao Bing for so long , what good would it do ? I do not deny , to feel anger after what has happened to you , it is natural , good even ! But it too is never a good idea to suppress that anger and keep it bottled up , for if you do not let that rage out to subside , if you choose to let the flames continue to fester and burn , the only person who will suffer in the end is yourself . So tell me Third Lotus Prince … "
Arthur swung Excalibur around and held his arm straight , pointing the sword point towards a stunned Nezha . A blue aura seemed to shine around the King of Camelot as his face brimmed with determination and resolve ,
" In a battle where a god like yourself can die , if this truly be the battle where you might lose your life. Are mistrust and resentment really the emotions you wish to burn out on ? Is surrounding yourself with shallow meaningless relationships truly the key to ending your torment ? Or do you wish for something better ? That is my final say to you , Nezha , and I truly hope you can reach the answer that will satisfy you once and for all , before it is far too late . "
Well this took way longer than it should have...

" W-wow , so that's why Nezha was so obsessed over Arthur and Lancelot being on good terms again . I never knew the Third Lotus Prince had such a painful past . " Pandora said to her companions as they watched the scene below unfold .
Göll nodded her head gently , " Betrayed by his closest friend , betrayed by his father , and then betrayed by heaven . I can't help but feel bad for him . I always thought Nezha was just some kid with a rebellious streak , but I never knew that he had that many demons inside of him . "
Prometheus pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest , " I agree Göll , but now is not the time to feel sympathy for the opposing side . I've a feeling that even with the loss of his arm , Nezha may still have a few more tricks left up his sleeve . "
Holding onto his spear for support , Nezha eyed Arthur with a mixed look of determination and curiosity
" So tell me , King of Camelot … " He growled , fire igniting on his speartip which he then held up to his bloodied arm stump, sealing it through means of cauterization.
" Tell me … Why … HOW you could find it in your heart to forgive one that traitorous backstabber , why would you let the man who cost you your kingdom back into your life and give him your trust once more ? " As he said this, Nezha suddenly dashed forward , swiping with his spear at Arthur once again.
Dodging this blow , Arthur silently contemplated Nezha's question for a moment as he parried another thrust from Nezha's spear with the flat of his blade , allowing himself to be pushed back a couple of steps , before he finally spoke again .
" Because , Third Lotus Prince , as simply as I can put it , I didn't see the point in hating him anymore . "
Nezha spun his spear as he landed backwards from the recoil on his two feet, an eyebrow raised in confusion at his opponent's answer
" … What ? "
5th Century England , Cornwall
Loud clunking sounds could be heard in a field of tall grass just outside a quaint little village , as two young lads wearing brown leather tunics and crude metal helmets , sparred against one another with their wooden training swords and shields .
The fight continued on for a while , with each boy pushing themselves as much as they could to outdo the other . But after a few more minutes , one of them was finally able to break through the others guard , knocking his foe off balance and to the floor as he pinned him down with his weapon's tip hovering above his partner's chest .
" Ha …. Ha ! Looks like I've won again , Lancelot ! " The boy proudly exclaimed as he removed his helmet , revealing a much younger Arthur , his hair styled in a bowl cut and his face completely unblemished at the time , " What does that make our score currently ? Thirty to Twenty Six ? "
" Thirty ONE to Twenty Six , actually " Came another voice , as Arthur's mentor , the Wizard Merlin appeared in front of the two boys whilst slowly applauding both their efforts in the match .
" Tremendous work from the both of you , " Merlin praised , " Arthur , good to see your skill with the blade is still sharp as ever ! Breaking through your opponent's guard like that is no easy feat for a boy your age . Though as usual , your footwork can be very much improved on , so best work on that , eh ? "
" As for you , Lancelot " He said , turning to face the other lad , who upon removing his helmet was revealed to be a young Lancelot , with his beautiful blonde hair cut much shorter than that of his future self .
" Great job as always , your skills have definitely improved ! Though my advice from last week still stands , you can't keep relying on hiding behind your shield hoping your opponent tires himself out . In sword fighting , you have to take every chance you've got to SEIZE the offensive back into your hands . "
" Yes Merlin , " The two boys nodded earnestly as Arthur helped Lancelot back to his feet .
Merlin chuckled as he stroked his beard , " Haha , well I suppose you two have earned it after such a hard-fought duel . You boys go and have some fun now , but make sure you're back before noon Arthur , we have a lot of catching up to do on your academics . "
Arthur , who was just celebrating with Lancelot on their hard-earned break , groaned at the thought of spending three full hours learning about England's history , proper court etiquette , and anything else the future King would need as an adult .
" Urgggggh ! Do I have to , Merlin ? " The boy pleaded , hoping that he may be able to weasel his way out of class if he looked pitiful enough .
" Come now , Arthur , " Lancelot teased, " The future King of Camelot can't just be all brawn and no brains now , no ? Trust me , these lessons are for the best , for you're already lacking in the latter . "
" Don't rejoice too soon Lancelot , I'm expecting you to be there as well . " Merlin said sternly , causing Arthur to laugh as it was Lancelot's turn now to groan in annoyance .
" Alright , alright , get out of my sight now . Best go enjoy your break now before the lesson begins , and I had better not see either of you be late ! "
At those words , Arthur and Lancelot quickly said their goodbyes to the wizard before rushing off into the woods near their village .
" Bollocks ! " Arthur cursed as he threw rocks into a small rivulet while Lancelot practiced his sword fighting by the side with a fallen branch , " I was really hoping that our fight was impressive enough to make Merlin forget about our class ! "
" Well you know how much of a memory the old codger had , " Lancelot joked as he mimed a thrust at an imaginary foe , " Plus it's all for your own good innit ? England's prophesied king can't just be some halfwit swordsman eh ? "
" I know , I know , " Arthur sighed in defeat , " Can't blame a guy for complaining though ? All this training and mentoring , what if it's all just wasted on me in the end ? "
" C'mon Arthur ! " His friend laughed , " You're one of the best sword fighters I know ! Plus you're starting to get better in your academics . I mean you've finally stopped mixing up Avalon and Albion in Merlin's test last week ! "
Arthur snorted as he flung another pebble into the water , " Yeah , yeah I know , you guys wouldn't stop giving me grief about it so I HAD to memorize that in order to shut you up . "
Lancelot smiled and gave his friend a pat on the back , " Whatever happens Arthur , just know that me and Merlin will always be by your side ! Ready to support you till the end ! "
With a small smile on his face , Arthur bumped fist with his friend , " Thanks Lancelot , that means a lot to me . "
" As do I Arthur , " Lancelot replied ,"Oh and by the way ,I've been thinking up this new sword design and I wanted to hear your input on it if you don't mind ? "
Arthur sighed , Lancelot seemed to always be coming up with some crazy new sword technique or design he wanted to try out every other day of the week , most of the time they were either way too flashy and ridiculous , or just outright impractical in combat .
" Go ahead , " He replied , " At this point you've come up with so many crazy ideas that I don't think I'd even be surprised in the slightest if you tried convincing me to use a stick in battle .
" Ha ha , very funny , " Lancelot smirked , " Anyway , so I'm thinking , what if there was a sword that had its blade split right down the middle into two separate parts with a gap in between . Stay with me now ! And from within that gap it is able to shoot ….. ARROWS ! "
Arthur simply stared at his friend for a minute or two , eyebrows raised as he tried to process this information . Before finally opening his mouth to respond .
" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! WHAT ? Lancelot do you even HEAR yourself ? HAHAHAHAHA ! "
His friend rolled his eyes , " Come on , you know it'll work . "
" Hehehe ! Yeah sure I'd bet ! As long as someone is strong enough to even carry the sword with all the mechanisms inside used to shoot the arrows . And properly aim and fire it at their opponents ! Seriously Lancelot this has to be simultaneously the coolest and worst design you've come up with yet ! "
Lancelot sighed as he shook his head , " Yeah , I guess my idea could do with a bit of workshopping . "
" It doesn't need workshopping , it needs magic and a miracle to work ! Hahahahaha ! "
" Well alright then , if you're such a smart arse , you would've realized it's almost time for Merlin's class ! Better start hurrying back ! Last one there has to be the other one's training dummy for the next week ! "
With that Lancelot dashed off hooting with laughter , leaving Arthur behind .
" Aw what ? You PRICK ! That's not fair ! " Arthur roared in amusement as he chased after the cackling Lancelot , the two friends racing with each other to be the first back to the village .
Westminster , London , a few years later
Hundreds of knights and noblemen were all gathered together in a humble little churchyard , yelling and cursing as they shoved one another aside , each of them vying to be the first in line to a large erected stone at the very center of the churchyard .
What was so special about this stone , that so many of the most powerful men in all of England were desperate to be the first to reach it you may ask ?
The reason was none other than the simple anvil placed at the very top of the mound , and stuck in that anvil was a sword , but not just any sword . On its blade was inscribed the very words , " Whoso pulleth out this sword from the stone , is right wise king born of all England . "
" Right outta my way you orrible lot ! " A rotund knight clad in crimson red armor hollered as he pushed his way through , much to the protest of his competitors , " I shall be the one to pull the mighty sword Caliburn from its place in the stone ! And become the rightful King of England ! "
With that , the knight clasped the hilt of Caliburn and with a grunt of effort , began tugging away with all his might . Sweat dripped from his forehead , and the veins on his forehead almost popped , but try as he might , the knight simply could not move the sword from its original position even a little bit .
" Maybe you just don't have enough CORE strength , Sir Liverlard ! " A member of the audience witnessing the first knight's humiliation mockingly called out .
Cursing and mumbling , the red knight finally left his stand , allowing the others to have a go .
Soon enough , the entire churchyard was filled with the sounds of men grunting and heaving , as every last one of the potential candidates for England's throne all tried with all their might to yank the blade out from the anvil . Yet no matter how hard they pulled , or how they positioned their arm or technique , the sword simply refused to budge for anyone but its rightful owner .
" Forget it ! " A nobleman roared , his fine robes and tunics all drenched in sweat from his go at the sword , " Clearly this sword is faulty , if none of the hundreds of men gathered here is England's chosen king ! I say we should settle the matter of the crown through a good old fashioned tournament ! "
All gathered nodded and murmured their agreement , they much preferred their chances in a tournament of their swordsmanship and skill , as compared to leaving the decision up the a clearly defect sword .
However , before the gathered crowd could even begin discussing how this tournament of theirs would be carried out , a young man's loud voice cut through the air .
" HOLD IT ! My friend here hasn't had his turn ! "
All heads turned to see who had dared interrupt them so rudely , what they saw was two young adolescents , perhaps in just entering their twenties , making their way through the crowd that began parting for them .
" Scuse me , sorry . " Lancelot said as he helped push through the crowds of onlookers to make way for his friend .
Arthur on the other hand , was much more cautious and anxious , nervously eyeing the crowd . Many of whom were giving him and Lancelot the stink eye after the latter's bold interjection .
After a few awkward seconds , the two boys had made their way to the center of the churchyard, just in front of the stone . But before they could reach the stone itself , they found their path blocked by the red knight and the sweaty noblemen .
" Well , well ! What have we here ? " The red knight said with a leer , " You two wee lads don't belong ere ! As if any of YOU could be England's destined king ! So why not run along and save yourself the humiliation ? "
Lancelot stood defiantly facing the two taller men , " The prophecy never stated that it had to be a geezer who inherited the throne , so my friend here has JUST as much right to have a go at trying his luck ! Especially if they let a fatso like you have the first attempt . "
The red knight's face now matched the color of his armor as the sweaty nobleman narrowed his eyes in confusion .
" Your friend ? " He asked , looking at Arthur who winced at having the spotlight brought down upon him , " Surely you don't mean that anxious little fool behind you ? He hardly LOOKS the part ! Don't you want your turn at the sword ? You at the very least look the part … "
Lancelot smirked , " I don't need a turn , the sword will budge for me as much as it budge for all of you . But I KNOW that my friend Arthur here can pull Caliburn from the stone as easily as can be ! IN FACT ! He could probably do it with just ONE hand . "
Loud rambunctious laughter erupted throughout the churchyard , as knights and noblemen alike held onto each other for support , hollering in amusement whilst pointing at Arthur . Hardly able to imagine him being able to pull the sword from the stone , much less be the destined King of England .
Lancelot merely rolled his eyes and scoffed before turning around to face Arthur , who was practically hyperventilating at this point as he tried to steel his nerves .
" It's all on you now mate , " Lancelot said as he patted Arthur's shoulder encouragingly .
" Gee thanks , now I'm twice as nervous about this than before . " Arthur mumbled as he slowly began walking over .
" Now's not the time to get cold feet Arthur , " Lancelot smirked as he rolled his eyes , " Just believe in yourself , like me and Merlin already do . "
With that , he gently pushed Arthur forward , towards the stone , towards the sword , and towards his destiny .
The crowd went silent as Arthur approached Caliburn , the young man's arms shook as he reached out and grabbed the hilt . To Arthur's surprise , the handle fit snugly in his grip , with a sudden warmth seeming to envelope his entire body as he planted one foot on top of the stone . Almost as though the sword knew the person holding it was the one it had been waiting for .
Cold sweat dripped from Arthur's forehead as he steadied his breathing , muscles tensing up as he tightened his grip around Caliburn's hilt .
As Arthur stood still for a moment , Merlin's teachings and training throughout the years flooded through his mind . All the effort the wizard had put in to ensure he was prepared to ascend to the throne , all the fatherly care he had provided to ensure Arthur grew up as the best he could ever be .
And then there was Lancelot , his childhood friend . The one who had always been by his side , enduring boring lessons from Merlin , or sparing with their wooden swords till their bones cracked and their muscles ached . Laughing by that small creek , as they promised to always support each other through thick and thin .
Merlin and Lancelot , the ones who had always been by his side . The ones who believed in him through and through , even if he didn't at times … How could he ever dream of letting them down ? It was finally time for Arthur to meet his destiny and fulfill the prophecy that was so long ago foretold …
" SLINK ! "
In a single fluid motion , Arthur slid the sword out from its resting place . So smooth and seamless was his pull , that the stone holding on to the sword may have very well just been a block of butter !
The crowd gasped in shock , it wasn't possible ! That boy … How was it that knights older , stronger , more experienced than him failed to even move the sword an inch , yet he was able to pull it out so easily ? Could he truly be the Englands prophesied king ?
" This can't be ! " The sweaty nobleman roared in outrage , " This … Child , cannot be England's next king ! It ….. It's just absurd ! "
" Yeah ! That damned sword's probably broken or something ! That kid doesn't deserve to be king , it was probably a fluke ! I say we take it from him and whoever wins our tournament gets it and the position ! " The red knight yelled angrily , a few other knights sharing his rage as they all stepped forward .
The crowd slowly stepped forward murmuring with anger and discontent , pushing past Lancelot who protested loudly at their decision , but he was simply ignored . "
Arthur's eyes narrowed as he gripped onto Caliburn's hilt , getting into a fighting stance as he prepared to fight for his birthright . When all of a sudden , a blue mist materialized by his side , shocking the crowd as a small explosion was produced , revealing Merlin in all his glory .
" Stay your hands , Knights of England , " The wizard spoke in a loud echoing voice , his magical aura intimidating the advancing knights so much that they all fell to their knees in shock .
" This boy is none other than Arthur Pendragon , son of our former king Uther Pendragon , the very man who left this blade inside that stone . It is his divine right and destiny to claim it ! And as subjects of the king , we shall all pledge our allegiance to him ! "
The crowd gasped in shocks and reverence , all anger lost as they looked at Arthur in a new light .
This young lad was the son of Uther Pendragon ? Why , they had expected a person of his lineage to be dressed in shining armor and expensive robes like the rest of them ! Not in a simple leather tunic as though he were a peasant ! However , not wanting to incur Merlin's anger , they chose to stay silent .
Sensing the crowd's discontent , Merlin turned to Arthur , bowing to the new king and motioning for him to address the crowd .
As he stepped forward , Arthur felt his legs starting to shake again , who was he to address some of the most powerful and influential men in all of England ? He may have been the son of the former king , but he had been raised as a mere peasant in a small village , not as a man of high status in the royal court .
But as Arthur stared into the crowd , he saw Lancelot , a wide smile spread across his face as he saw his best friend . Now a king , finally ascending to his destined position and standing strong above the rest of them .
Glancing back , Arthur saw Merlin , face beaming with pride as he watched the boy he raised from a young age finally become the man he was always meant to be .
Once again Arthur's mind called to him , banishing any nervousness or insecurity within , as he asked himself the same question as before , how could he ever dream of letting the two of them down ?
With one final deep breath , Arthur turned to address the crowd,
" P-people of England , " He said shakily at first , " I know that as I stand before you all now , dressed in my simple robes , I may not appear to be the king you wanted , and perhaps … I never will be . "
The muttering of the crowds grew louder as they continued watching Arthur with their penetrating gaze.
" But I hope , no , I KNOW ! " Arthur's voice now seemed louder , his tone more confident as he took a step forward , " That in time , I will be the king that England needs ! I will prove that this sword chose me , not because of my families' name , not because I am some child of destiny . But rather because of my own skill and merit ! So I swear to you , on my name , this sword and my honor ! That under my leadership , England shall enter a new golden age ! More prosperous than anything any of you have ever seen ! And should I fail , or there be anyone who thinks I am not up to the task … "
Arthur held Caliburn high above his head with both hands , a beam of sunlight catching on its blade , giving it a shining almost magical glint . The crowd drew their breath in awe , before he swung his hand downwards and held the sword by its pommel in between his legs . The young king slowly moved his gaze upwards , meeting their wide eyes and open mouths with a look of steely resolve.
" Then you are MORE than welcomed to come and challenge me for my throne ! And I shall be there , ready to meet you ! With a sharpened BLADE and a sharpened MIND ! "
As he finished his speech , the entire churchyard exploded into cheers and applause , perhaps Merlin had cast a spell on them , perhaps the heat from the sunlight had made them woozy . But most likely of all and without a doubt , the sheer confidence and vigor this young man carried himself with had infected them all , even the Red Knight and the Sweaty Noblemen themselves had been swept up in the excitement , and were pumping their fist as they roared Arthur's praise .
The crowd then fell on their knees once again , though this time it was not out of fear . Instead they all bowed their heads towards their new king as a sign of respect , no doubt symbolizing the beginning of a wondrous new age for their country under his rule .
Arthur managed a smile as he surveyed his new subjects , that speech had taken a toll on him but he couldn't afford to show weakness now . Turning to his mentor , he saw Merlin wearing a proud grin as he lowered his upper body in a bow to his new king , and was that the glimmer of a teardrop he saw in the wizard's purple eyes ? He would definitely be teasing Merlin about that later of course .
Turning back towards the crowd , Arthur saw Lancelot at the very front , his best friend's head was also lowered in reverence to his new king as he knelt , but soon , the young man lifted his head and locked eyes with the young king , a wide grin on his face as he gazed upwards in pride .
Arthur smiled as the two of them nodded their heads , a look of understanding shared between them. As long as he had Lancelot and Merlin by his side , Arthur felt like there was nothing he could not achieve .
( Present Day )
" Sounds like he was a great friend whilst it lasted , " Nezha said somberly , " By the way , what happened to Caliburn ? Last I checked your sword was called Excalibur . "
Arthur rubbed the back of his head with a bashful look , " Oh … Heh , so funny story , I accidentally broke it a few days after I became king … "
Nezha deadpanned , " Seriously ? "
" Very much so , yes , " Arthur chuckled , " Caliburn's blade shattered during a friendly duel with Lancelot after a rather clumsy mistake on my part , and I had no choice but to seek out a replacement in the form of Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake . Dreadfully embarrassing stuff , but thankfully most of my subjects found the humorous side of it .
" Funny , " Nezha snickered before his face morphed back to seriousness , " But of course there was the infamous betrayal , am I right , King Arthur ? "
Arthur sighed again , " Indeed , Third Lotus Prince , indeed . Though it is not a memory I wish to recount , since you're so eager to hear it , then I shall tell it to you . I can only hope my story can help quell that fire within your soul … "

Best of TrekTalk: May 2024
[Awards Season] Star Trek Franchise Wins Peabody Institutional Award From the announcement: “Today Star Trek is more vibrant, imaginative, funny, entertaining, and progressive than ever.” (TrekMovie)
A Star Trek-Dr. Who Crossover?
[Interview] Russell T. Davies Breaks Down That 'Star Trek' Easter Egg in the 'Doctor Who' Premiere: “I'm coming to love Star Trek with an absolute passion. I love the old show. I always watched the old show, but when Star Trek: Discovery came along, I kind of became a proper fan.” (Collider)
[Star Trek & Dr. Who] INVERSE: "Could The 2 Oldest Sci-Fi Shows Finally Cross Over? Will the TARDIS ever materialize on the Enterprise? Has it already?" "Dr. Who showrunner Russell T Davies might be planting the seeds for his own fanfic crossover"
[Opinion] Chad Porto (Redshirts): "No, Star Trek doesn't exist in the Doctor Who universe" "Despite what some want to believe, Doctor Who and Star Trek don't share a narrative universe."
The final episodes of Star Trek: Discovery (Interviews, Reviews, Reactions)
Selected Reviews:
[Discovery 5x6 Reviews] CBR.com: "With Great Technological Power Comes at Least Some Responsibility - “Whistlespeak” Deconstructs the Prime Directive"
[Discovery 5x7 Reviews] GIZMODO: "The Breen come calling in "Erigah," giving Discovery some of its greatest diplomacy. The main plot delivers a strong, tense game of politicking and aggressive negotiation over spectacle in a very satisfying manner. It’s just captivatingly tense and triumphant"
[Discovery 5x7 Reviews] TrekCore: "Ruhn vs. T'Rina: it’s absolutely riveting! The writing is sharp, the logical turns land like punches, and Tara Rosling, who has been fantastic as T’Rina from the start, is electric. This is some all-time Star Trek diplomacy; Jean-Luc Picard himself would be proud"
[Discovery 5x8 Reviews] REACTOR MAG: "One of the biggest problems with this season is that the ticking clock/competition for our heroes has not been that compelling. Moll & L’ak are just a couple of ex-Couriers who should not be able to run rings around an entire starship full of smart people."
[Discovery 5x9 Reviews] DEN OF GEEK: "Although 'Lagrange Point' is a fast-paced and fairly action-packed hour, it is also largely setup for next week’s finale, and answers none questions any of us have about the larger story of this season. Suddenly everything just feels uncomfortably rushed."
[Discovery 5x9 Reviews] LARRY NEMECEK on YouTube: "The Beginning of the End?" "This is the penultimate episode of the series. The quiet moments? That's all over now, suckers! IT'S AMP UP TIME! And yet I am going to compliment the entire writers room for not having this one feel like Part 1 of 2"
[Discovery 5x10 Reviews] TREKMOVIE: "A solid season finale ties things for the season plot and the characters, with a bonus bringing the series to a satisfying conclusion." "Packing so much in did perhaps bloat the episode, which got even heftier when the epilogue was tacked on."
[Opinion] ScreenRant: "Discovery Ends As A Star Trek Success Story" "Star Trek owes its renaissance to Discovery" "Star Trek: Discovery broke important ground for diversity, inclusiveness, and LGBTQ+ representation."
Interviews:
[Interview] ‘Discovery’ Writer Eric J. Robbins on why the Breen would suddenly accept Moll (Eve Harlow) as their new leader: "There’s a lot of abstraction and a lot of mystery with them. There are things important to them beyond just subjugating other species and being in control." (TrekMovie)
[Interview] ‘Discovery’ Writer Eric J. Robbins On Episode 5x8: "For 'Labyrinths' one thing we talked about: this is a show led by a black woman and we never really had many opportunities to dramatize the pressures that women of color face in positions of power in the real world."
[Discovery Interviews] Elias Toufexis on the chemistry between Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak: "It was very easy to fall in love with her because she plays it so great, and she’s so pretty. She's such a good actor. I would always kind of defer to her performance first." (TrekMovie)
[Interview] Elias Toufexis (L'ak): "I don't like calling Moll and L'ak 'bad guys.' They’re antagonists for sure, but they're not really bad guys. Villains don't get to show the reason they're doing this. Because they want love and freedom. If we did our jobs correctly, you want to root for them."
[Interview] Mary Wiseman on Tilly's arc: "She started pretty insecure, and spent a lot of time apologizing for herself and for being the way she was naturally. The cool thing about the series is: she gets to grow up and still be herself: her nervous energy, silliness, her quirk, but stop apologizing
[Interview] Star Trek: Discovery’s Jett Reno Was Created With “Han Solo Vibe” - Tig Notaro, who plays Reno, was surprised by the comedic aspect of her character and credits the writers for the funny lines. (ScreenRant)
[Interview] STARTREK.COM: Tig Notaro Reflects on Discovery's Engineer and Star Trek Experience "It's so fun getting different scripts and reading like, 'Oh wow, I used to bartend. Okay, cool. I can personally relate because I failed out of school, dropped out, and had a million different jobs."
[Interview] INVERSE: "'Discovery's Most Unlikely Star Doesn't Understand Star Trek Canon At All" TIG NOTARO (Jett Reno): "When Alex [Kurtzman] developed this character, [...] they really wanted to make it me. That’s why I always call it Tig-in-space."
Commentary:
[Opinion] Robert Meyer Burnett: "What do BUFFY SUMMERS and Harry Potter (1997) have to do with STAR WARS, STAR TREK and all your favorite franchises?!" "Watching Discovery: Nobody on that show TALKS like anybody would talk in the 32nd Century. The reason I hate it: I don't believe any of it!"
[Opinion] DEN OF GEEK: "Starfleet Academy Needs to Ditch Modern Star Trek’s Defining Trope" "It will need to learn from Discovery's mistakes and re-embrace KNOWLEDGE. Feelings are not an end to themselves in Starfleet. And they certainly don’t take precedence over the search for the truth."
[Opinion] ScreenRant: "Captain Michael Burnham is arguably the most prolific action hero of modern Star Trek, perhaps even of the entire franchise."
[Opinion] STARTREK.COM on "Whistlespeak" (Discovery ep. 5x6): "A thought-provoking, durable, and utterly optimistic Star Trek idea. When the entire world seems to turn on you, this type of story seems to suggest that maybe we all just need some well-meaning repair people from space to help us."
[Opinion] POLYGON: "Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Trek has gone before by saying religion is... OK, actually" "[Episode 3x6] ‘Whistlespeak’ breaks from Trek tradition to be pretty chill about believing in a higher power" "Spirituality is what you make of it."
[Opinion] SCREENRANT: "Star Trek: Discovery Proves Starfleet's Prime Directive Is Useless" "Starfleet insists on following Star Trek's Prime Directive in Discovery's 32nd century, but there's no reason the rule should still exist."
Ratings:
[Ratings] For the first time ever: Star Trek: Discovery Lands In Nielsen Streaming Top 10 Like Picard & Strange New Worlds (Week of April 8-14, 2024; episode 5x3: “Jinaal”)
[Ratings] For the third week in a row, the fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery has ranked on Nielsen’s top streaming chart, moving up again in the rankings. "Mirrors" (5x5) is the most-viewed season 5 episode and the best-ranked Discovery so far, with 285 million minutes streamed."
[Ratings] Star Trek: Discovery has failed to match Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in viewers However, Picard's second to last episode of the series netted fewer than Discovery's current figures. Discovery is clearly more popular than Picard, though Strange New Worlds is the top dog for a reason."
Terry Matalas joins Marvel:
[Matalas joins Marvel] No time for Star Trek: Legacy? Marvel Sets Vision Series for 2026 With Paul Bettany, ‘Star Trek: Picard’ EP Terry Matalas as Showrunner (Variety)
[Opinion] ScreenRant: "Terry Matalas Showrunning Marvel's Vision Show Means Star Trek: Picard's Spinoff Isn't Happening - Matalas is committing to Marvel for the next couple of years at least"
[Opinion] ROBERT MEYER BURNETT on Terry Matalas joining Marvel: "I can't believe that the head of Marvel, Kevin Feige, taps Terry Matalas to go make a "Vision" show, and the people that actually control Star Trek don't!" Picard and Ro? For that alone Picard season 3 earns my love and affection."
The future of Paramount
[Streaming] The New York Times: "Sony and Apollo’s Plan for Paramount: Break It Up"
[Streaming] VARIETY: "Paramount Stock Falls on Report Sony Is ‘Rethinking’ $26 Billion Bid"
[Streaming] VARIETY: "Skydance Media Revises Paramount Global Bid to Make It More Attractive to Noncontrolling Shareholders"
Alex Kurtzman on the future of the franchise:
[Interview] ALEX KURTZMAN on producing Star Trek: Discovery: "I look back on the first year and I see so many big, bold swings, you know, some of which I think were amazingly successful. But I do feel like at every turn we kept refining and tightening our storytelling." (Ready Room Interview)
[Interview] Alex Kurtzman Explains Why STARFLEET ACADEMY is Set in STAR TREK: DISCOVERY’s 32nd Century Future: "My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now."(LA Times)
Starfleet Academy Previews:
[Starfleet Academy Previews] Canada’s Largest Purpose-Built Sound Stage Is Ready for Star Trek The 45,900 square foot soundstage will serve as the central hub of the upcoming series set to begin filming later this year. (TrekCore)
[Starfleet Academy Updates] Star Trek's New Series Has Cast Academy Award Winner Holly Hunter As Its First Actor (playing the “captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy.”)
Noteworthy articles and social media posts on Star Trek (May 2024):
[Opinion] SlashFilm: "Star Trek's Closest TV Cousin Isn't Sci-Fi – It's Law & Order" "The main characters of "Star Trek" aren't the officers on board Starfleet vessels. The main character is ... Starfleet itself." "Starfleet principles are the star."
[Prodigy Updates] TrekMovie: "‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Producers Urge Fans To Be Patient Waiting For Season 2 On Netflix" "Netflix just announced its lineup for June 2024 and Prodigy season 2 is not listed, so the wait will continue into the summer"
[Opinion] SlashFilm: "Star Trek Changed My Life Forever And Reigns As The Greatest Sci-Fi Franchise Of All Time" "The crew of the Enterprise weren't "violent/cool," and I liked that. Finally, I realized, here was a show about pacifism - teaching intense lessons of diplomacy and leadership"
[NCC-1701 Updates] L.A. Times: "Court is the final frontier for this lost ‘Star Trek’ model" Dustin Riach and Jason Rivas discovered the model among a stash of items they bought “sight unseen” last October. They sold it to Roddenberry Entertainment. They have yet to receive the $500,000 payment."
[Essay] REACTOR MAG: "Let’s Start a Fight: Are Science Fiction and Fantasy the Same?" "Both fantasy and sci-fi are equally free to imagine whatever they will... but people don’t relate to them in the same way."
[Opinion] Brianna Wu on X: “Star Trek has a LIBERAL message, not a PROGRESSIVE message. Another core message of Star Trek is duty and trying to get along with people who have different values. I think progressives are failing miserably at both values.” (Responding to Jessie Gender)
[Opinion] Brianna Wu on X (Twitter): “Star Trek is NOT SOCIALIST. If you think Star Trek was socialist, you didn’t understand Star Trek. A huge part of Star Trek is the market economy.” Jessie Gender: “I agree with you. The show is neoliberal; you’re not wrong.”
[Opinion] INVERSE: "15 Years Ago, J.J. Abrams Broke - And Then Saved - the Star Trek Universe" "Star Trek [2009] is the rare sexy reboot that actually helped its flailing franchise" "What makes it such a compelling reboot is its freedom from canon"
[Opinion] CBR.COM: "J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek Is a Great but Flawed Reboot" "Star Trek (2009) felt more like a reverent movie about the USS Enterprise's crew that would be made in the characters' universe than a glimpse into their missions and lives."
[Kelvin Movies] "Star Trek [2009]" Ranks Higher Than 3 Star Wars Movies On Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies List (ScreenRant)
Another prequel? Paramount wants to produce a "Star Trek: Origins" movie
[Kelvin Movies] X-Men Producer Simon Kinberg in talks to lead Star Trek movie franchise, focusing on "Origin movie" release in 2025. Paramount looks to Kinberg as franchise shepherd for future Trek projects, with a potential REBOOT (!!!!) in store
[Opinion] SlashFilm: "The New Star Trek Movie Is A Prequel – But Will It Rewrite The Franchise Timeline? "Will Kinberg's new film time-shift First Contact backward?"
[Untitled Star Trek Origin Story] INVERSE on the new movie project: "Star Trek Canon Has Suddenly Reached a Pivotal Crossroads" "The venerable sci-fi franchise has to pick a future." "If this rumor is true, it’s possible a third Trek timeline could emerge ..."
[Opinion] Mick Joest (Cinemablend): "X-Men's Simon Kinberg Is Working On The Next Star Trek Movie, But As A Fan, I Have Some Major Concerns" "I can't help but feel worried about this."
[Opinion] DEN OF GEEK: "Star Trek Origin Movie Timeline Rumor Makes the Film Feel Even More Unnecessary" Set likely around modern times?!? - "We have plenty of stories that take a cynical look at humanity’s flaws, and many of them are very good. But that’s not what Trek is."
[Kelvin Movies / Origin Movie] THE GUARDIAN (UK): "Shatner, Pine, or a Kirk triple whammy: where should Star Trek boldly go next? - Maybe Paramount should just bite the bullet instead and give us the triple-Kirk, multiple timeline movie that is probably the only way to rescue this aching franchise"
[Kelvin Movies] AV Club: "Yeah, Chris Pine has no damn clue what's up with Star Trek 4, either"